Lazër Mjeda (1869–1935) was an
Albanian prelate
A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...
of the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, and a member of the
Mjeda family
The Mjeda family (Italian: ''Miedia''), is a noble Albanian family which played a prominent role in the history of Albania and Kosovo in the 19th and early 20th century.
History
The progenitor of the family, Bardhi, settled in Shkodër fro ...
.
Biography
Lazër (Llazar) Mjeda was born in
Shkodër
Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra) is the fifth-most-populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. The city sprawls across the Plain of Mbishkodra between the southern part of Lake Shko ...
,
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...
— present-day
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 share ...
— on March 6, 1869. From 1900 to 1904 he was the Bishop of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Sapë
The Diocese of Sapë ( la, Dioecesis Sappensis, sq, Dioqeza e Sapës) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Northern Albania. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolita ...
, while from 1905 to 1909 he was the Archbishop of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Shkodër. During this time, the Catholic Church also made him the
Titular Archbishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
for the Diocese of
Areopolis. From mid 1909 till late 1921, Mjeda was the Archbishop of the
Diocese of Skopje.
From 1921 he was the Archbishop of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Shkodër-Pult.
Mjeda was member of the
literary society
A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of writing or a specific author. Modern literary societies typically promote research, publish newsle ...
Society for the Unity of the Albanian Language ( sq, Shoqnia e Bashkimit të Gjuhës Shqipe,Bashkimi i Shkodrës), creator of
''Bashkimi'' alphabet, one of the main
Albanian alphabet
The Albanian alphabet ( sq, alfabeti shqip) is a variant of the Latin alphabet used to write the Albanian language. It consists of 36 letters:
''Note:'' The vowels are shown in bold.
The letters are named simply by their sounds, followed by ë ...
s discussed in the
Congress of Monastir
The Congress of Manastir ( sq, Kongresi i Manastirit) was an academic conference held in the city of Manastir (now Bitola) from November 14 to 22, 1908, with the goal of standardizing the Albanian alphabet. November 22 is now a commemorative da ...
of 1908.
See also
References
Sources
*Albert Ramaj: ''LAZËR MJEDA NË ARGJIPESHKVINË SHKUP-PRIZREN MES 1909-1921 (Sipas arkivit Austriak, emërimi tij, laramanizmi, largimi nga Prizreni)'' (S. 47-172) in: IMZOT LAZËR MJEDA- Mbrojtës dhe lëvrues i identitetit shqiptar, St. Gallen 2011 ()
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mjeda, Llazar
1869 births
1935 deaths
Bishops of Skopje
20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Albania
19th-century Albanian Roman Catholic priests
Lazër
People from Shkodër
People from Scutari vilayet
Activists of the Albanian National Awakening