Albanian Christian saints

Robert Elsie (1950-2017)

This collection of data focuses on the historical development of the cults of Christian saints who were honored in Albania, and is at the same time an attempt to shed light on some features of the Christian faith there.

When dealing with Christianity and its long history in Albania, it is imperative that we distinguish from the beginning between Christianity in Albanian lands and Christianity among Albanians as a people. Albania was, in fact, one of the European countries that encountered Christianity earlier and has a long history with this religious belief.

We know that there were relatively early Christian settlements along the Illyrian coast. The first to preach the gospel in Albania may have been St. Paul himself who says, "From Jerusalem and its surroundings to Illyria I completed the preaching of the Gospel of Christ" (Romans 15:19). Even the apostle Ndre (Andrea) is believed to have preached in Epirus. An undetermined number of Christians lived in the port of Durrës in the year 58 AD, and there from the IV-V centuries, Christianity had left distinct traces all over the country.

Christian bishops from Dardania and Salutary Macedonia, i.e. high officials from eastern Albania and today's Kosovo, are known to have participated in the first Eumenical Council that was convened in Nicaea in 325 AD by Emperor Constantine (reigned in 307 -337 er) whose purpose, among other things, was to prevent the rise of Arianism within the empire. Also, five or six bishops from Dardania, New Epirus and Old Epirus participated in the Council of Sardica in 343-344 BC).

Half a century later, in 395, Illyrian Albania felt the initial rift between the Roman Empire of the East and that of the West, since it was at the top of the time on the cultural and political border between the Byzantine East and the Italian West. It received and benefited from both cultures, but at the same time it suffered through centuries of conflicts between the two halves of the empire. Well, we have little information about the early Christian Church in Albania because the church structures were wiped out with the conquest and Slavic settlement of Albania there from the year 600. The English word for the early Middle Ages is "Dark Ages", best penetrated the complete darkness of Albania at that time.

The history of saints in Albania begins with a number of early Christian martyrs who worked within the country or had some connection with it. These saints, however, were not Albanians in the ethnic sense of the word. The first of them was Saint Asti (Astius), bishop of Durrës at the time of Emperor Trajan (ruled 98-117 AD). During this time, many Christians fled to Albania to escape persecution in Italy. Among them were seven holy martyrs: Peregrine, Lucian, Pompey, Hezikias, Papias, Saturninus and Germanus, who, upon arrival, were arrested, thrown in chains and then drowned in the Adriatic Sea.

Asti himself was arrested by the Roman governor of Durrës, Agricola, around AD 98 and tortured to death, apparently for refusing to worship the God Dionysus. His feast day is July 9. Even less known is the legend of Saint Florus (Florus) and Laurus (Laurus) from Constantinople. Flori worked as a stonemason in Illyria and was tortured together with his friend Lauri and his workers Proculus and Maximus because they had helped build a Christian church. He jumped into the well and died sometime in the II century. Some authors connect Flori and Lauri with the ancient settlements of Ulpiana, south of Pristina. Their feast day is August 18. Saint Lefter (Eleutherius) was originally from Rome and became bishop of Messina and Illyria when he was not yet twenty years old. It seems that he lived in Vlora.

We do not know much about him except that he was called to Rome around 117-120 and was martyred with his mother, Saint Anthia (Anthia), and eleven companions during a campaign of anti-Christian persecution during the reign of the Emperor Hadrian (117- 138 er). His feast day is April 18. Saint Therin (Therinus) of the ancient settlement of Butrint in the south of today's Albania, was killed along with a number of other martyrs during the reign of Emperor Decius (Decius, 249-250) in the third century. His feast day is April 23, the same as that of Saint George. Lastly, Saint Donati (Donat), also from Butrint, who lived during the reign of Emperor Theodos (Theodosius, 379-394).

According to Sozomen, the Greek historian of the 387th century, Donati was the Bishop of Evora or Euria, which can probably be identified with the city of Paramithi in Çameri. He is clothed with many miracles. He slayed the dragon, cleaned out a poisoned well, saved the emperor's daughter from the devil and raised the dead. He died in 602. His remains were moved to Cassiopeia, Corfu, in 590 to save him from the barbarian invasions. This resulted in a question of jurisdiction over the right to preserve holy relics, a dispute that was settled by Pope Gregory the Great (604-30). The cult of Donatus spread widely during the Middle Ages. His memorial day is April XNUMX.

The early history of Christianity does not have any special importance for the cultural history of the Albanian people, especially because the Albanians did not leave any reliable traces during this period nor during the five centuries that followed. There were a number of Christian settlements along the Albanian coast, in Durrës, Apolloni, Butrint and Vlora, but these had little, if any, connection with the local population living in the mountains. These settlements were and remained, until before the Turkish invasion, colonies inhabited by Italians, Greeks, Venetians, Dalmatians, Slavs, Jews and Armenians, but, apparently, there were hardly any Albanians there. The Albanian shepherds who grazed their cattle undoubtedly felt safer within their own mountains.

As we noted above, it is necessary to distinguish between Christianity in Albania and Christianity among Albanians, just as a distinction must be made between the history of Albania and the history of Albanians. Despite the proper understanding of the aspirations of Albanian nationalism, it must be said that the efforts of some Albanian researchers to interpret that everything belonging to the past centuries had an Albanian nationality, is only to the detriment of Albanian science. Names of historical figures who were "definitely Albanian" or at least "probably Albanian" appeared in the Albanian press. These are listed from Alexander the Great to Ataturk. To say about Saint Asti, Saint Donatus or Saint Therin, or even worse, to talk about Saint Jerome, born in Stridona in today's Slovenia, or about Saint Martin of Tursi, born in Sabari (Szombathely) in Hungary, that they were Albanians, it means to talk casually.

As it seems, there was no Albanian saint, in the pure ethnic sense of the word, and this is understandable since both Christianity and Islam were, so to speak, imported goods. With the arrival of these great religions came the saints. Even these imported from abroad. The Albanian tribes were converted over time, although, apparently, very little. Religious ties never spread among them. Italian monks and missionaries undoubtedly brought with them the cults of saints traditionally worshiped by their orders, e.g. Franciscan saints for Franciscan monks, and others.

However, it is clear that the faithful, that is, the converted Albanians, would prefer some of the saints and, over time, would make their own choices. Indeed, there are a number of Christian saints who have been worshiped in a special way by Albanians over the centuries, figures who fit so well with the brackets of popular belief in the country that they ended up being considered local. At this very moment, the history of the saints in Albania takes on a special importance for Albanians as a people. Why were some saints worshiped by Albanians while others were forgotten? Church historians and ethnologists will one day be able to give the final answer to this question. For now, it is enough to note which saints the Albanians worshiped in particular.

Let's go back to the first decades of the 1934th century, the period just before which, for easily understandable reasons, Albanians converted in large numbers to Islam. In his monograph "Geografia Ecclesiastica dell'Albania", published in 1887, the Jesuit scholar and the great Albanologist Fulvio Cordignano (1951-275) listed about XNUMX Catholic churches that existed in Albania between the last decades of the XNUMXth century and middle of the XVII century. These churches were named after a number of Christian saints, over forty in total, but if we look more carefully at the list, we see that more than half of the churches of that period bore the names of only four saints: Saint Mary (Santa Maria Vergine), Saint Kolli (San Nicola), Shënepremte (Santa Veneranda) and Saint George (San Giorgio).

The cult of the Blessed Virgin arose in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages when the need to put a female counterpart, say a goddess, to the traditionally male god of the Christian church was felt. Of the 275 Catholic churches listed by Cordignano, 42 were dedicated to Saint Mary, more than any other saint. There were historic Catholic churches in Ulcinj (today in Montenegro), Shurdhah (Shkodër), Dejë (Shkodër) and Drisht (Shkodër) which was the capitulum ecclesie S. Marie de Drivasto listed in 1353, Naraç (Shkodër), Hajmel (Shkodër ), Renc (Lezhë), Fishtë (Lezhë), Troshan (Lezhë), Kalivaç (Lezhë), Lezhë, Mertur (Puke), Surroj (Kukës), Spërdhaze (Mirdite), Malay (Mirdite), Ndrshene (Mirdite), Ndrefane (Mirdite), Lure (Dibër), Chidhnë (Dibër), Gur i Bardhë (Mat), Sebasta (Laç), Mret (Laç), Kurcaj (Krujë), Kepi i Rodoni (Durres) recorded in 1418, Brar (Tirana) since the XNUMXth century, Skuterrë (Tirana), Pëllumbas (Tirana), Buçimas (Tirana), Linza (Tirana), and Bishqem (Peqin).

There were also many Orthodox churches and monasteries dedicated to the Blessed Virgin among which those in: Berat since 1797, Peshtan (Berat) Elbasan since 1833, Ardenica (Lushnje), Apolloni (Pojan, Fier), since the beginning of the century .XIII, Dhërmi (Vlora) from the XIII-XIV century, Dhivër (Saranda) from 1604, Peca (Saranda) from 1770, Piqeras (Saranda) from 1672, Nivicë-Bubar (Saranda) from the XVII century, Malçan ( Saranda) there from 1600, Marmiro near Orikum (Vlora) from the beginning of the 1600th century, Kameno in the northeast of Delvina, Zvërnec (Vlora) from the 1622th-1669th centuries, Goranxi (Gjirokastër) there from 1634, Vllaho Goranxi (Gjirokastër ) since 1702, Koshovicë (Gjirokastër) since 1789, Saraqinishte (Gjirokastër) since 1773, Nivan (Gjirokastër) since 1770, Konicka (Gjirokastër) since 1812, Dhuvjan (Gjirokastër) Llongo (Gjirokastër) , Treneshishta (Gjirokastër), Vanistër (Gjirokastër), Peshkëpi (Gjirokastër) since the beginning of the tenth century, Zervat (Gjirokastër) open since the beginning of the 1616th century, Labovë e Kryqi (Gjirokastër) since the end of the 1712th century , Skora (Gjirokastër) since 1345, Sopik (Gjirokastër) since XNUMX, Leusa (Përmet) since XNUMX, Kosina (Përmet) from the XII-XIV centuries, Seranjperat (Përmet) from the XVII century, Leskovik ( Erseke), Barmash (Erseke) since XNUMX, Postenan (Erseke) since the XVII-XVIII century, Lashovë (Erseke) since the XVIII century, Voskopoje (Korce) since XNUMX, Vithkuq (Korce) since the XVII century -XVIII, Maligrad on Lake Prespa since XNUMX, Pogradec, Niçë (Pogradec) since the XVIII century, and in Lin (Pogradec).

Saint Mary was especially worshiped during pilgrimages on the day of her commemoration, August 15, Ascension Day, known in Albania as Saint Mary of August. For the Orthodox, this day is celebrated as the Dormition of Saint Mary, once marked on August 27 according to the Byzantine calendar, but now on August 15 according to the Latin calendar. Pilgrimages in honor of Saint Mary included climbing high mountains, the remains of early pre-Christian cults: on the mountain of Tomorr, on the mountain of Gjalica near Kukës, on the mountain of Saint Llesh near Kruja, on the mountain of Kundrevica in Kurveleshit, on Mount Pashtrik on the border between Albania and Kosovo. Pjeter Bogdani (circa 1630-1689) describes the celebration on the last mountain in 1681 as follows:

"They spend the whole night there, with drums, whistles, dancing and singing. After midnight, Muslims, Serbs and Greeks start a mixed procession with lit wax candles, of different lengths according to the age of the person holding them. They ride around the top of the highest mountain for three hours with bare feet (some of the leading Muslims are on horseback.)”

In central Albania, barren women traveled to the beaches of Kavaja and Durrës to bathe in the sea waters. This custom, by which women hoped to become pregnant, was followed in silence and without fanfare even during the communist dictatorship. In Seltë, in the Shpati area of ​​central Albania, a cow was sacrificed during this day.

In the village of Bibaj in Upper Reka (Macedonia), the Orthodox Albanians celebrated Saint Mary of Winter on December 4. Even the Orthodox Albanians of Albania mark this holiday, also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Saint Mary in the Temple, celebrating it on November 21 according to the Latin calendar. According to tradition, during this celebration, candles were lit and bread was baked, which, after being blessed by the priest, was eaten.

Yes, in Reka e Eperme, in the village of Senca, the feast of Saint Mary the Little (Romanian Sfanta Maria Mica, Vlach St/Marie N'ic) was held, which commemorates the birth of Saint Mary on September 21 according to the Byzantine calendar and now more generally on September 8 according to the Latin calendar. This day is also known as Bee Day, as it coincides with the period of the year when bees are bought and sold. The tribe of Grudaj and the city of Shkodra celebrated Saint Mary's Day on September 8, while the residents of Vukli and Nikca honored the Virgin on May 24.

Saint Mary was especially venerated within the Catholic Church of Albania as Our Lady of Shkodra (La Madonna di Scutari) or Our Lady of the Blessed Virgin, also known as Our Lady of Good Counsel (La Madonna del Buon Consiglio). The feast of Our Lady of Shkodra was celebrated by all the Catholic tribes of the north. The fourth council of Albanian bishops, held in 1895, proclaimed Our Lady of Shkodra Peaceful of Albania. Our Lady of Shkodra also has a legend of her own:

Our Lady (Madonna) was initially found in a small church of old Shkodra at the foot of the Rozafa mountain, where the Catholics of Shkodra worshiped her portrait in an oil painting. In 1467, when Ottoman troops were besieging Shkodra and threatening to desecrate the church, the painting miraculously detached itself from the wall, left the building, and took flight westward over the Adriatic Sea to Italy. He was followed by two Albanian pilgrims, Gjorgji and De Sclavisi. The painted portrait of Our Lady came to rest in the town of Genazzano near Rome, where a church was erected in her honor, the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel (La Chiesa della Madonna del Buon Consiglio).

Since that time, the holy place of Genazzano has been a pilgrimage point for Albanian Catholics. Around 1700, the veneration of Our Lady of Genazzano also spread among the Arberes of Calabria, in particular in San Benedetto Ullano, thanks to the cleric Stefano Rodota. The current church of Genazzano was built at the beginning of the XX century and pilgrims visit it walking barefoot, especially during the commemorative day of Our Lady of Good Counsel, which is April 26.

Even the Church of Our Lady in Shkodër has always been highly revered by the Albanian Catholics of the north. In April 1946, a year after the Communists took power, over two thousand people took part in the pilgrimage to it. However, not long after, the church was closed and turned into a dance hall, and in 1967, during the communist campaign against religion, the church was razed to the ground.

First published in English in "Balkanistica - University of Mississippi" (2000).