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 let ...

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 denominations ...

being constructed in

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

, Kosovo. In 2007, the

Government of Kosovo The Government of Kosovo ( sq, Qeveria e Kosovës, ) exercises executive authority in the Republic of Kosovo. It is composed of government ministers, and is led by the prime minister. The prime minister is elected by the Assembly of the Republ ...

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

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

nun and missionary,

Saint Teresa of Calcutta Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was b ...

History

In 2005, the foundation stone was ceremonially laid by former

president of Kosovo The president of the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Presidenti i Republikës së Kosovës, ), is the head of state and chief representative of the de facto Republic of Kosovo in the country and abroad. The president is elected indirectly, by the Asse ...

Ibrahim Rugova Ibrahim Rugova (; 2 December 1944 – 21 January 2006) was a prominent Kosovo Albanian political leader, scholar, and writer, who served as the President of the partially recognised Republic of Kosova, serving from 1992 to 2000 and as President ...

, 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 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, Ser ...

and Austria was held in the cathedral in January 2015. It was attended by the president of Kosovo,

Atifete Jahjaga Atifete Jahjaga (; born 20 April 1975) is a Kosovar Albanian politician who served as the third President of Kosovo. She was the first female President of the Republic of Kosovo, the first non-partisan candidate and the youngest female head of ...

, and Austrian Foreign Minister

Sebastian Kurz Sebastian Kurz (; born 27 August 1986) is a former Austrian politician who twice served as chancellor of Austria, initially from December 2017 to May 2019 and then a second time from January 2020 to October 2021. Kurz was born and raised in ...

. 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

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

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