40 Saints Monastery

The Monasteryof the 40 Saints

The “Monastery of the Forty Saints” is located southeast of Saranda’s port, at the foot of a hill. The city of Saranda, named Άγιοι Σαράντα in Greek, meaning “Forty Saints,” derives its name from this monastery.

The Monastery of the Forty Saints flourished in the 6th century, serving as a pilgrimage center. Various expansions and modifications were made to accommodate the increasing number of pilgrims. The monastery complex included a church, porticos, a baptistery, baptismal fonts, monk rooms, guest accommodations, cisterns, small chapels, and a place for preserving holy relics. Archaeological excavations conducted by the Institute of Archaeology from 2002 to 2013 uncovered numerous artifacts, including architectural elements, sculptures, mural paintings, ecclesiastical inscriptions, metal, bone, and glass objects, coins, ceramics, and more.

The grand Basilica of the Forty Saints served as an episcopal seat. The monastery church comprised a nave, narthexes, and a grand roof. On the church’s western side, two narthexes offered pilgrims a view of the Saranda bay and the Corfu Strait. The church was entered through three large doors. The walls of the church were destroyed in 1944 during World War II by British artillery.

On the outer walls of the western and northern sides, four inscriptions in red tiles and ceramic pieces name three donors: Qirjako, Theodhor, and Parigoro, with only the first letter (M) identified for the fourth donor. These inscriptions are Greek prayers to God for the protection of the donors.

The Basilica of the Forty Saints was declared a cultural monument in 1970. Its significance as a pilgrimage center is rooted in legends associated with the “Cult of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste.”

In 320 AD, in Sebaste, Armenia, forty saints were martyred. These soldiers, from various backgrounds but serving in the same unit, refused to renounce their Christian faith despite a decree from Governor Agricola ordering sacrifices to pagan gods. The soldiers were stripped and cast into the icy lake of Sebaste. Nearby, a warm bath was prepared to tempt those who would renounce their faith. Sadly, one soldier yielded and left the freezing lake for the warmth, only to die.

One of the guards witnessed a vision of crowns descending from heaven over the heads of the 39 soldiers in the lake, with one crown remaining, signifying the deserter. Moved by the vision, the guard joined them in the lake, completing the number of 40 martyrs. Their names were: Cyrion, Claudius, Domnus, Severian, Eutychius, Cyrill, Theodulus, Vicratius, Aigaius, Iascius, Euunicus, Meliton, Elias, Alexander, Sacerdon, Valens, Priscus, Cudion, Heracleius, Ecdicius, Ioannes, Philotimos, Phlavius, Xanthias, Valerius, Nicholas, Athanasius, Theophilus, Lysimachus, Gaianus, Claudius, Smaragdus, Sisinnius, Leontius, Aetius, Acacius, Domitian, Gorgonius, Julian, and Agallius. Christians collected and burned the bodies, scattering their ashes in a river.

From Sebaste, the cult of the Forty Saints spread throughout the Eastern Mediterranean. Saint Gregory of Nyssa mentions the shrine of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste in his book “The Life of Macrina,” while Saint Basil the Great (330–379) references a martyrium for the Forty Saints in Caesarea. Monasteries dedicated to the Forty Saints were also established in Chalcedon and Theodosiopolis, Armenia, and nine churches in Constantinople honored them.

It remains unknown how the relics of the Forty Saints arrived in Saranda. However, the monastery’s presence and the many pilgrims traveling from afar to venerate the martyrs confirm their existence. Pilgrims accessed the underground relic chamber through a passage on the church’s north side.

The spread of the Forty Martyrs’ cult in Albanian regions is evidenced by numerous icons and frescoes depicting their martyrdom, found in places like the ruined basilica in Peshkopi, in Nivica, the Kakome Monastery, and the “Nativity of Saint Mary” church in Elbasan.