National Museum of History 2020-01-09T18:00:42+00:00

Nacional Museum of History, Albania, Tirana

The National History Museum of Albania in Tirana is a host of two silver relics with the relics of St. John Vladimir.

A silver box with the relics of Saint Jovan Vladimir was originally at St. Mary’s Church in Elbasan. It is a small circular box with five openings in the right corner. The  small relics of bones are places in the openings. A cross was engraved in the center of it. The cross is decorated with floral motifs and zigzag lines. The upper lid of the box is missing. Floral ornaments characteristic of the late Baroque are also engraved. This relic contains two parts of the relics of St. John Vladimir. One part of it was taken from the saint`s skull and the other from the forearm. There was also another part of the saint`s bone in the cross-shaped space that is missing today.

The inscription is engraved on the front: “Donated by the honoured Anastas Trikup, named Kozmik of Moscow, in memory of the abbot of St. John Vladimir, Jeremiah of Theoclitus, May 22, 1768.”

In the legacy of the National History Museum, there is also another box with the relics of John Vladimir. The box is made of silver, in size of 19 x 13 x 5 cm . One part of the saint`s relics was taken from the ribs and the other from the shin. On the sides of the box with relics are two lids made of silver that are connected by a chain. On one cover is an inscription written in Cyrillic. In the middle of the reliquary is a cross. The lid of the box has the portrait of Saint Jovan Vladimir made by engraving technique.