The Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa in Pristina ( sq, Katedralja Shën Nënë Tereza në Prishtinë) is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

being constructed in

Pristina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...

, Kosovo. In 2007, the

Government of Kosovo sr, Влада Косова / Vlada Kosova , border = , image = , caption = , date = , polity = Kosovo , address = Government Building, Pristina , leader_title = Prime Min ...

approved plans for the building. The cathedral is dedicated to the

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

nun and missionary, Saint Teresa of Calcutta.

History

In 2005, the foundation stone was ceremonially laid by former president of Kosovo Ibrahim Rugova, himself a

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

. Construction began in 2007. The unfinished cathedral was inaugurated on 5 September 2010, the anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa in 1997, as part of events commemorating the hundredth anniversary of her birth. The cathedral was formally consecrated seven years later on 5 September 2017, 20 years after Mother Teresa's death. The cathedral's construction sparked some controversy in Muslim circles where it was seen as outsized considering the small number of Catholics in the area. Upon the cathedral's completion, the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Prizren-Pristina The Roman Catholic Diocese of Prizren and Prishtina is an ecclesiastical territory or Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Kosovo. It is centred in the city of Prizren. It was erected as an Apostolic Administration in 2000, after being split fr ...

moved from

Prizren ) , settlement_type = Municipality and city , image_skyline = Prizren Collage.jpg , imagesize = 290px , image_caption = View of Prizren , image_alt = View of Prizren , image_flag ...

to Pristina. The cathedral is one of Pristina's tallest buildings. An exhibition celebrating the shared history of

Albanians The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Se ...

and Austria was held in the cathedral in January 2015. It was attended by the president of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, and Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz. In Kosovo, some of the biggest Christmas masses occur at the cathedral, and local Muslims join their fellow Catholic citizens in solidarity as part of the congregation and to celebrate the holiday season.

References

External links

On new foundations – The construction of the Cathedral of Blessed Mother Teresa in Pristina
a video on

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from the Catholic Radio and Television Network (CRTN) about the construction of the cathedral. Roman Catholic cathedrals in Kosovo Churches in Pristina Buildings and structures in Pristina Tourist attractions in Pristina Cultural heritage of Kosovo {{Kosovo-struct-stub

History

See also

References

External links