The study of black pigments used in orthodox church frescoes in southern Albania was conducted using Raman spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence. These frescoes, painted by the atelier of Jani and his son Vasili from Qestorati, represent artistic expressions that have been preserved since the 18th century. The frescoes belong to The Church of the Monastery of Saint Michael in Nivan, near Gjirokastra (1779), and The Church of Saint Nikolla in Dhrovjan village, Saranda district (1796). The techniques used by painters of the post-Byzantine period have been traced through specific research. Over the years, artists have experimented with modern materials and their combinations. The black pigments used by Jani and Vasili’s atelier consist of light elements based on carbon structures, as investigated through Raman and XRF spectroscopy. Their molecular composition corresponds to a graphite structure. Measurements with EDXRF were performed to detect any traces of heavy elements.

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