The Sacred Heart Church ( sq, Zemra e Krishtit Catholic Church of Tirana) 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 ...

church 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 ...

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 ...

. Built in 1939 during the

Italian invasion of Albania The Italian invasion of Albania (April 7–12, 1939) was a brief military campaign which was launched by the Kingdom of Italy against the Albanian Kingdom in 1939. The conflict was a result of the imperialistic policies of the Italian prime m ...

, it is the oldest Catholic church in the city.

History

The Sacred Heart Church was built in 1939 by the Italians during the

. It was closed in 1967 when all religions were banned in Albania. During the 1967-1990 religion ban in Albania, the church was used as a hideout by Catholics to pray in the house of God despite its state of disrepair. During that period, a wall was erected in front of the façade of the church. 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 In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. Ai ...

also raised funds to restore the church. In 1991,

Mother Teresa 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 ...

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

External links

Description page
on Structurae.net *Michael Harrison
Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Tirana
an examination of the Church's murals

References

Roman Catholic churches completed in 1939 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Albania Roman Catholic churches in Albania {{europe-RC-church-stub

History

See also

External links

References