St. Mary's Church, Cave church on Maligrad island, Lake Prespa, Albania

St. Mary's Church is a cave church near Tuminec that combines natural rock formations with built structures to create a place of worship. The main chamber extends deep into Mount Morava's stone face, forming a sanctuary carved partly by hand and partly by nature.

Kesar Novak, a Serbian nobleman, built the church in 1369 on the island of Maligrad in Lake Prespa. Its frescoes carry Greek inscriptions from that year and depict Novak with his Greek wife Kalia. In 1607 the west facade received a Last Judgment and a Nativity of the Virgin in the lunette above the west door. The Russian scholar Pavel Mikukov first described the frescoes and published the inscriptions in the late 19th century.

The wall paintings inside show Orthodox religious scenes from the 14th century, reflecting the faith and artistic traditions of worshippers from that era. These images still guide visitors through the spiritual purpose of this sacred space today.

The church remains an active place of worship where services are held regularly inside the cave structure. The natural stone chamber maintains a steady temperature year-round, making it comfortable to visit in any season.

A carved cross without internal support remains surprisingly stable within the stone, showing skilled craftsmanship from centuries past. The sanctuary also features two separate entrance gates, which is an uncommon arrangement for a cave church of this type.