David Selenica

Murals of St. Nicholas church in Moscopole, painted by David Selenicasi

David Selenica (; 17th century18th century), also commonly known as Selenicasi, was an Albanian Orthodox icon and fresco painter of the Post-Byzantine period in the seventeenth century. Alongside Onufri and Kostandin Shpataraku, he is regarded as one of the most prominent figures of medieval Albanian art.

Selenicasi, also known as David of Selenica, was born in the late 17th century in Selenicë, a village in the region of Kolonjë. From 1722 to 1726, David Selenica and his two disciples Kostandin and Kristo painted the murals, the frescoes and the basilica of the church of Saint Nicholas in Moscopole. In 1727 he painted the murals and the frescoes of the church of Saint John the Baptist in Kastoria, and the church of Blessed Virgin Mary in Thessaloniki.

Legacy

David Selenicasi's work influenced many of his contemporaries like Kostandin Shpataraku, the brothers Kostandin and Athanas Zografi and works of the early 19th century. He is regarded as the founder of a distinct national school of painters based in Korçë. Other works of David Selenicasi are found in several monasteries of Mount Athos. In Moscopole seven of his murals have been preserved.