Description of the attraction
Shkoder Cathedral is dedicated to St. Stephen, one of the first martyrs, who is also considered the patron saint of the still existing church of the ancient castle of Rozafa.
According to the memoirs of one of the famous Albanian historians and humanists, after the siege of Shkoder and its capture by the Turks, Christian believers decided to build a cathedral church by sending a request for permission from the Sultan to Istanbul in 1851. Work began 7 years later, on April 7, 1858, during the administration of the province of Ali Pasha. The delay was due to the lack of money to finance the project of an unknown Austrian architect. The construction was supported by influential clergy and famous people at that time.
Shkodra Cathedral was named the Great Church, since then it turned out to be one of the largest churches in the Balkans. The temple was opened in 1865. The cathedral was in the center of battles with the Montenegrin army in 1912-1913, was subjected to artillery strikes, despite the women and children hiding in it. As a result of the hit of several shells and a fire, the southeast corner was damaged.
With the onset of the 1967 "cultural revolution", the temple was closed, like all churches in Albania. The building of the Cathedral was given as a sports palace. In 1973, it hosted a women's communist congress.
The revival of St. Stephen's Cathedral began on March 7, 1991, when it was reopened. The first Mass was celebrated by the House of Zeph Simonyi with other priests in the presence of Mother Teresa and thousands of believers. Since 1993, the statue of St. Michael and marble bowls for holy water have been returned to the site.
On April 25, 1993, the Cathedral was visited by the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II during a visit to Albania. In the presence of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, he celebrated Holy Mass and ordained four bishops.
