Kisha Katolike Franceskane
Kisha Katolike Franceskane
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The World is My Oyster
Orlando, FL21,671 contributions
Sept 2020 • Couples
We drove by it on our way to Tirana. The church is really pretty with a nice presentation. The light brown/yellow color gives it a vibrant look.
Written 13 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
investigator64
Ivanovo, Russia44,152 contributions
Sept 2023 • Couples
In the very center of Albanian Shkodra, at a distance of only 200-300 meters from each other, three religious buildings rise, representing the most common faiths in Albania: the Muslim Abu Bakr Mosque, the Orthodox Cathedral of the Nativity and the Catholic Cathedral of St. Stephen. Agree - a very unusual tolerance of religions!!! And this despite the fact that Albania, according to the country’s Constitution, is a secular state.
And in the 60s of the last century, the situation was completely complicated: Catholic churches were closed, Orthodox churches were demolished... Only at the beginning of the 21st century was understanding between the authorities and believers found. As for St. Stephen's Cathedral (aka Katedralja e Shkodrës, Kisha e Madhe or Kisha Katolike Françeskane), which rises on Shkoder's Rruga At Gjergj Fishta, this is a temple with HISTORY!!! The first mention of the sacral in Shkoder, named after St. Stephen, can be found in the work of Marin Barleti, a famous Albanian writer of the 16th century, “Historia de vita et gestis Scanderbegi Epirotarum principis”.
He mentions the patron saint of the city, St. Stephen, and the former church, which was located on the territory of Rozafa Castle and on the ruins of which, after the capture of the fortress by the Ottoman Empire in 1479, a mosque was built. Until the middle of the 19th century, the Catholic believers of Shkoder lived without their own sacral. And only in 1851, after numerous appeals from believers to the Sultan for permission to build a temple, Abdul-Mecid I issued a decree allowing its construction. The temple, subsequently consecrated in honor of St. Stephen, was founded on April 7, 1858, and by 1867 the first stage of construction was completed.
Dimensions of the sacral: 74 meters long, 50 meters wide and 23.5 meters high. The main nave could accommodate 6,000 people, so the cathedral in Shkodër is considered one of the largest Catholic churches in the Balkans. The consecration of the sacral is also very noteworthy: those interested in the history of Christianity remember that Saint Stephen is the first Christian martyr who was brought to the court of the Sanhedrin and stoned for Christian preaching in Jerusalem in the 30s of the 1st century AD. Stephen the First Martyr is the heavenly patron of Shkodra. In 1897, the originally wooden dome of the temple collapsed and a new crowning structure had to be erected. In 1967, during the so-called Cultural Revolution, Stephen's Cathedral was closed and transformed into the Sports Palace.
Ironically, in 1973, the former Catholic cathedral even hosted the Congress of Albanian Communist Women. Only in 1990, the cathedral was returned to believers and, after reconstruction, it pleases the souls of parishioners and the eyes of travel lovers. If we talk about the architecture of the temple, then we have a classic version of a three-nave basilica structure, elongated along the “northwest - southeast” axis. At one time, I already mentioned in my posts that Catholics, when constructing their churches, do not always adhere to the rules of their canonical construction regarding the cardinal directions, according to which the altar and the apsidar part should be located to the east, towards the rising celestial body - the Sun.
And the Shkoder sacral departed from the canons: its apsidar part is located in the north-west, and the main façade faces the south-east. The bell tower, erected after the completion of the temple, rises at its northern corner, with its base adjacent to the eastern side of the apse. On the gray stone slab at the entrance to Katedralja e Shkodrës there is a pyramid with an “all-seeing eye”, below which is carved the inscription: “Dio vede totto”... And we, human beings, should always remember this... I highly recommend it!!!
And in the 60s of the last century, the situation was completely complicated: Catholic churches were closed, Orthodox churches were demolished... Only at the beginning of the 21st century was understanding between the authorities and believers found. As for St. Stephen's Cathedral (aka Katedralja e Shkodrës, Kisha e Madhe or Kisha Katolike Françeskane), which rises on Shkoder's Rruga At Gjergj Fishta, this is a temple with HISTORY!!! The first mention of the sacral in Shkoder, named after St. Stephen, can be found in the work of Marin Barleti, a famous Albanian writer of the 16th century, “Historia de vita et gestis Scanderbegi Epirotarum principis”.
He mentions the patron saint of the city, St. Stephen, and the former church, which was located on the territory of Rozafa Castle and on the ruins of which, after the capture of the fortress by the Ottoman Empire in 1479, a mosque was built. Until the middle of the 19th century, the Catholic believers of Shkoder lived without their own sacral. And only in 1851, after numerous appeals from believers to the Sultan for permission to build a temple, Abdul-Mecid I issued a decree allowing its construction. The temple, subsequently consecrated in honor of St. Stephen, was founded on April 7, 1858, and by 1867 the first stage of construction was completed.
Dimensions of the sacral: 74 meters long, 50 meters wide and 23.5 meters high. The main nave could accommodate 6,000 people, so the cathedral in Shkodër is considered one of the largest Catholic churches in the Balkans. The consecration of the sacral is also very noteworthy: those interested in the history of Christianity remember that Saint Stephen is the first Christian martyr who was brought to the court of the Sanhedrin and stoned for Christian preaching in Jerusalem in the 30s of the 1st century AD. Stephen the First Martyr is the heavenly patron of Shkodra. In 1897, the originally wooden dome of the temple collapsed and a new crowning structure had to be erected. In 1967, during the so-called Cultural Revolution, Stephen's Cathedral was closed and transformed into the Sports Palace.
Ironically, in 1973, the former Catholic cathedral even hosted the Congress of Albanian Communist Women. Only in 1990, the cathedral was returned to believers and, after reconstruction, it pleases the souls of parishioners and the eyes of travel lovers. If we talk about the architecture of the temple, then we have a classic version of a three-nave basilica structure, elongated along the “northwest - southeast” axis. At one time, I already mentioned in my posts that Catholics, when constructing their churches, do not always adhere to the rules of their canonical construction regarding the cardinal directions, according to which the altar and the apsidar part should be located to the east, towards the rising celestial body - the Sun.
And the Shkoder sacral departed from the canons: its apsidar part is located in the north-west, and the main façade faces the south-east. The bell tower, erected after the completion of the temple, rises at its northern corner, with its base adjacent to the eastern side of the apse. On the gray stone slab at the entrance to Katedralja e Shkodrës there is a pyramid with an “all-seeing eye”, below which is carved the inscription: “Dio vede totto”... And we, human beings, should always remember this... I highly recommend it!!!
Written 27 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nathalie P
Paris, France1,012 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
Very beautiful Franceskane church. Bright with its light colors. On its left is a very beautiful triptych, don't miss it. To visit. Free admission
Written 11 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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