Albanian Orthodox Archbishopric of Tirana-Durrës ( al, Kryepiskopata e Shenjtë e Tiranës dhe e Durrësit; el, Ιερά Αρχιεπισκοπή Τιράνων και Δυρραχίου) is the principal (central)

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...

eparchy (diocese) of the

Albanian Orthodox Church The Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania ( sq, Kisha Ortodokse Autoqefale e Shqipërisë), commonly known as the Albanian Orthodox Church or the Orthodox Church of Albania, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church. It declared its autoce ...

. It is headquartered in

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

, the capital city of

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

. Secondary title (

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the second most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is located on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast between the mouths of ...

) refers to the nearby coastal city ( el, Δυρράχιον, la, Dyrrachium), the most important historical center of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

in the region. The Archbishopric covers central and northern regions of modern Albania. Since 1992, it is headed by Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana-Durrës and All Albania.AOC: Biography of Archbishop Anastasios
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History

Modern Archbishopric was created as a result of ecclesiastical reorganization, that was originally initiated within the Albanian movement for

autocephaly Autocephaly (; from el, αὐτοκεφαλία, meaning "property of being self-headed") is the status of a hierarchical Christian church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop. The term is primarily used in Eastern O ...

. In 1912, creation of modern Albanian state was declared. At that time, central regions of the country belonged to the ancient Eparchy of Durrës, under the jurisdiction of the

Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople ( el, Οἰκουμενικὸν Πατριαρχεῖον Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, translit=Oikoumenikón Patriarkhíon Konstantinoupóleos, ; la, Patriarchatus Oecumenicus Constanti ...

. In 1917, during the occupation of Albania in First World War, metropolitan Jacob ( el, Ιάκωβος) had to leave Durrës for Constantinople, but did not resign his post, hoping to return. After the war, movement for Albanian autocephaly gained momentum, thus preventing metropolitan Jacob to return to Durrës. In the same time, transfer of diocesan see from Durrës to Tirana was proposed. Several provisional solutions were implemented during the period between 1918 and 1928, resulting in election of

Visarion Xhuvani Metropolitan Visarion Xhuvani (14 December 1890 – 15 December 1965) was the primate of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania from 1929 to 1936. He was a main contributor to the autocephaly, and a close collaborator of Fan Noli. Life Vis ...

as archbishop of Tirana-Durrës (1929-1936). Since that time, Archbishopric of Tirana-Durrës remains the principal eparchy of the

References

Sources

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External links

Kryepiskopata e Shenjtë e Tiranës dhe e Durrësit

Ιερά Αρχιεπισκοπή Τιράνων και Δυρραχίου
Albanian Orthodox Church Religion in Tirana Durrës

History

See also

References

Sources

External links