The Resurrection of Christ Cathedral () is an Albanian Orthodox church situated in the center of

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, 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 ov ...

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

. It is considered among the largest Eastern Orthodox churches in the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

. It was officially opened on June 24, 2012, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the revival of the

Albanian Orthodox Church The Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania (), commonly known as the Albanian Orthodox Church or the Orthodox Church of Albania, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church. It declared its autocephaly in 1922 through its Congress of 1922, a ...

and the election of Archbishop Anastasios of Albania.

Architecture and engineering

Designed by the New York City-based Architect and Engineering team of Steven P. Papadatos and Lizardos Engineering Associates. The complex of the cathedral includes the following buildings: the cathedral, the chapel of the Nativity, the bell tower, the residence of the Holy Synod, the cultural center, a library, two other chapels and a small museum. The cathedral's

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

is 32.2 m high, with the

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

reaching 46 metres The bell tower, designed and sculpted by Archbishop Anastasios, is composed of four

Paschal candle A Paschal candle is a large candle used in Liturgy, liturgies in Western Christianity (videlicet, viz., the Roman Catholic Church, the Lutheran Churches, the Anglican Communion, and the Methodist Churches, among others). A new Paschal candle is b ...

s which symbolize the

four Evangelists In Christian tradition, the Four Evangelists are Matthew the Apostle, Matthew, Mark the Evangelist, Mark, Luke the Evangelist, Luke, and John the Evangelist, John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four canonical Gospel accounts ...

who proclaimed the Resurrection. These join around the central shaft of stairs. The winding staircase leads to two open floors with 16

bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...

s. A four-sided clock sits above the bells. The two underground levels below the cathedral church were used to fulfill the church's need for a Cultural and Conference Center. The center has an

amphitheater An amphitheatre ( U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meaning "place for vie ...

with a capacity for 500-850 people which may be used to host lectures, shows, and concerts. The auxiliary wings and backstage allow this hall to be used as a theater also. On the eastern side of the amphitheater is a small museum, a lecture hall, a surrounding for banquets and an area for exhibitions and children's activities. To the right of the grand marble staircase which leads to the church cathedral there is ample space for a bookstore and a store with church items. Meanwhile, to the left of the stairs are two rooms where youth groups and faithful can gather after church services. To the north, in front of the Conference and Cultural Center there is a small outdoor amphitheater, for use during summer months.

Opening

On June 1, 2014, in the presence of a multitude of worshippers, the rite of the Great Consecration and the

Divine Liturgy Divine Liturgy () or Holy Liturgy is the usual name used in most Eastern Christian rites for the Eucharistic service. The Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Lutheranism, Eastern Lutheran Churches and the Eastern Orthodox Church believe the Divi ...

were celebrated by

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople Bartholomew (born Dimitrios Archontonis, 29 February 1940) is the current Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople since 1991. In accordance with his title, he is regarded as the ''primus inter pares'' (fir ...

, Patriarch Daniel of Romania, Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem, Patriarch Irenaeus of Serbia, Archbishop Chrysostom of Cyprus, Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens, Archbishop Anastasios of Albania, Metropolitan Savva of Warsaw, as well as representatives of the Churches of Alexandria, Antioch,

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

, and the head of the Albanian archdiocese of the

Orthodox Church in America The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is an Eastern Orthodox Christian church based in North America. The OCA consists of more than 700 parishes, missions, communities, monasteries and institutions in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In ...

Gallery

Tirana Orthodox church Albania 2018.2.jpg Tirana_Cathedral_2016-2017.jpg Tirana_Church_-_Tower.jpg Catedral de la Resurección de Cristo, Tirana, Albania, 2014-04-17, DD 14.JPG Orthodox Cathedral Ringjallja Tirana.jpg Tirana Orthodox church interior Albania 2018.2.jpg Tirana Orthodox church interior Albania 2018.4.jpg Tirana Orthodox church interior Albania 2018.5.jpg Tirana Orthodox church interior Albania 2018.9.jpg

References

{{Authority control Cathedrals in Albania Churches in Tirana Churches completed in 2012 20th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings Eastern Orthodox church buildings in Albania Albanian Orthodox cathedrals 20th-century churches in Albania

Architecture and engineering

Opening

Gallery

See also

References