| St Mary's Church | |
|---|---|
Kisha e Shën Mërisë | |
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Vau i Dejës, Shkodër County |
| Coordinates | 42°00′38″N19°37′16″E / 42.010651°N 19.621073°E |
St Mary's Church is a Catholic church in Vau i Dejës, Shkodër, Albania. It was built in the 12th century and destroyed in 1969. The building was listed as a culture monument of Albania. [1]
The church was built in the 12th century. It was the place where the national hero Gjergj Kastriot Skenderbeg married[ citation needed ].
It was blown up on May 30, 1969, on the order of Fadil Ymeri. [2] Gani Stratizmiri filed a lawsuit with the prosecutor, because at the time, it had been a culture monument for about 20 years, and it was carrying a sign that it protected by the state. Prosecutor justified the perpetrators on the grounds that they acted without knowing that the church was a culture monument. [3] [4]
The church has been reconstructed near the old church ruins. The church is illustrated on the 1000 lek currency note in 1996: [5]
Tourism in Albania has been a key element to the country's economic activity and is constantly developing. Albania is characterized by its rich archaeological and cultural heritage dating back to the classical period when Illyrians and Ancient Greeks inhabited the region. Over the course of history, the territory of Albania was occupied and populated by Romans, Byzantines, Venetians and Ottomans. Notably the country features unspoiled beaches, mountainous landscapes, traditional cuisine, archaeological artifacts, unique traditions, low prices and the wild atmosphere of the countryside.
Shkodër District was one of the 36 districts of Albania, which were dissolved in July 2000 and replaced by 12 newly created counties. It had a population of 185,794 in 2001, and an area of 1,631 km2 (630 sq mi). It is in the north of the country, and its capital was the city of Shkodër. Its territory is now part of Shkodër County: the municipalities of Shkodër and Vau i Dejës.
Prenk Jakova was an Albanian composer, musician, and author of Mrika (1958), which is considered the first Albanian opera. A native of Shkodër, he studied under Martin Gjoka and Zef Kurti, and he was also an alumnus of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. A virtuoso clarinetist he worked as a music teacher for most of his life and distinguished himself as the mentor of the four most important composers of classical music from northern Albania: Çesk Zadeja, Tish Daija, Tonin Harapi, and Simon Gjoni. Jakova was the director of the music band and of the House of Culture of Shkodër. Besides Mrika, Jakova also composed Skënderbeu, another opera which premiered in 1968.
The Kategoria Superiore, also known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons with Abissnet, is a professional league for men's association football clubs in Albania. At the top of the Albanian football league system, it is the country's premier football competition. It is contested by 10 clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Kategoria e Parë. Seasons run from August to May, with teams playing 36 matches each.
The Diocese of Sapë is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Northern Albania. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Shkodër-Pult.
Vig-Mnelë is a former municipality in the Shkodër County, northwestern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Vau i Dejës. The population at the 2011 census was 1,509.
Vau i Dejës, English: Deja's Ford, is a town and a municipality in Shkodër County, northwestern Albania. It was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Bushat, Hajmel, Shllak, Temal, Vau i Dejës, and Vig-Mnelë, that became municipal units. The seat of the municipality is the town Vau i Dejës. The total population is 30,438, in a total area of 499.35 km2. The population of the former municipality at the 2011 census was 8,117.
Gjergji Muzaka is an Albanian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
The "Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu" Decoration is a high honorary state decoration that is currently awarded to Albanian and foreign citizens in Albania, that have made an important contribution to the defence, reinforcement and development of the Republic of Albania.
Vau i Dejës Castle is a ruined castle in Vau i Dejës, northern Albania. The ruined St. Mark's Church inside the castle is a Cultural Monument of Albania.
Llazar Siliqi (1924–2001) was a notable Albanian poet. His poetic profile was influenced by the work of Mayakovsky.
Zadrima is an ethnographic region situated in north-western Albania between the cities of Shkodra and Lezha, located left of the Lower Drin which eventually drains into the Adriatic Sea from near Lezha.
Ashtë is a settlement in the former Bushat municipality, Shkodër County, northern Albania. Under the 2015 local government reform, it became part of the municipality Vau i Dejës. The first settlers are believed to have settled here the mid-18th century.
Kosmaç is a settlement in the former Bushat municipality, Shkodër County, northern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Vau i Dejës.
Kukël is a settlement in the former Bushat municipality, Shkodër County, northern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Vau i Dejës.
Paçram is a settlement in the former Hajmel municipality, Shkodër County, northern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Vau i Dejës.
Florind Bardulla is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Besëlidhja Lezhë.
Donjet Shkodra is a Kosovo Albanian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for KF Gjilani.
Lazër Shantoja was an Albanian blessed, publicist, poet, satirist, and translator into Albanian from Goethe, Schiller and Leopardi, as well as his country's first Esperantist. He was one of the first Catholic priests, arrested by the communist government, and the first Albanian priest that was shot by a firing squad. He was accepted by the Catholic Church as a martyr in 2016, part of the Martyrs of Albania.
The Mjeda family, is a noble Albanian family which played a prominent role in the history of Albania and Kosovo in the 19th and early 20th century.
| Province of Shkodër–Pult |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Province of Tiranë–Durrës | ||
| Churches | ||
| Albanian Byzantine | ||
| Saints | ||
| Blessed | ||
| Orders | ||
| Former dioceses | ||
| See also | ||
