The Onufri National Museum of Icons is located in the inhabited quarter of Berat Castle. This museum contains a rich iconographic collection and some religious service items. It is housed in a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, built in 1797 on the foundation of an older church with the same name.It features the work of perhaps the most remarkable Albanian iconographic painter, Onufri, active during the 16th century. His pieces are notable for the great realism and individuality introduced into his subject’s facial expressions and body positions, breaking with the strict conventions of the time. He was also the first to introduce the color pink into icon painting. The secret behind making this color was not passed on and died with him. His works are also noted for their intense use of colors and use of natural dyes.
