Sacred Heart Church (Tirana)

The Sacred Heart Church (Albanian: Zemra e Krishtit Catholic Church of Tirana) is a Roman Catholic church in Tirana, Albania. Built in 1939 during the Italian invasion of Albania, it is the oldest Catholic church in the city.[1]

Sacred Heart Church of Tirana
Kisha Zemra e Krishtit
Religion
AffiliationRoman Catholic
ProvinceTirana
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusChurch
LeadershipRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Tiranë-Durrës
Location
StateAlbania

History

The Sacred Heart Church was built in 1939 by the Italians during the Italian invasion of Albania. It was closed in 1967 when all religions were banned in Albania.[2]

During the 1967-1990 religion ban in Albania, the Sacred Heart Church was used as a hideout by Catholics to pray in the house of God despite its state of despair.[3] During that period, a wall was erected in front of the façade of the church.[4]

It reopened in 1990. The bell-tower had been destroyed, but the bell was saved. Since the neighboring Orthodox church had a bell-tower but no bell, the Sacred Heart's bell was given to them. Thus the two churches symbolically use the same instrument to call the faithful. The Christian community also benefited from the aid received by the Muslims of Albania that was shared by the Catholic entities. The program Aid to the Church in Need also raised funds to restore the church.[5]

In 1991, Mother Teresa paid a visit to the church,[6] which used to be her elementary school, and located on the street she lived on.[7] Mother Teresa received her first communion and confirmation in the Sacred Heart Church of Skopje.[8]

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References
  1. "The Sacred Heart Church". Visitingtirana.com. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  2. Jeroen van Marle, Alwyn Thomson. Tirana In Your Pocket. In Your Pocket. p. 21.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  3. James Martone (26 April 2013). "Ban on religion forced Albanians to pray in secret: one woman's story". Ncronline.org. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  4. Jozef Tomko (2007). On Missionary Roads. Ignatius Press. ISBN 9781586171650.
  5. Albanian Catholic Institute (1992). "Albanian Catholic Bulletin" (PDF). Galabri.com. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  6. James Martone. "'We are proud of Mother Teresa,' Albanians say of future saint". Catholicphilly.com. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  7. Anne Sebba (1997). "Mother Teresa, Beyond the Image - chapter 1". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  8. Lush Gjergji. "Mother Theresa of Calcutta". Libero.it. Retrieved 26 February 2018.

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