Byzantine Church, Lin, Archaeological site near Lake Ohrid, Albania

The Byzantine Church in Lin is a ruined 6th-century church from the Justinian era. Its floor mosaics, uncovered in 1969, show a rich zoomorphic, plant and geometric decoration. The mosaics are compared to those of a wide Balkan region including Durrës, Stobi and Thessaloniki.

The church was built in the 6th century when the region was under Byzantine rule and experiencing major Christian building activity. It marks an important period when Christian architecture took root across the Balkans.

The floor mosaics found at Lin, uncovered in 1969, carry a rich zoomorphic, plant and geometric decoration of notable artistic value. Their style links them to a wide Balkan region that included cities such as Durrës, Stobi and Thessaloniki. The site was declared a first-category cultural monument by decision no. 1886 of 10 June 1973.

The ruins stand in Lin, on the western shore of Lake Ohrid in Pogradec municipality, Korçë County. The mosaic uncovered in 1969 lies within the same village, so the two are seen together on foot. The site is unprotected and exposed to weather; sturdy shoes and sun protection help.

Excavations at Lin in 1969 uncovered an Iron Age Illyrian settlement that continued into the early Middle Ages. The mosaics found there carry a varied zoomorphic, plant and geometric decoration, and stylistically resemble work from a wide Balkan region that included Dyrrachium, Stobi and Thessaloniki.