The Archdiocese of Tiranë–Durrës () is a

Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

Metropolitan

archdiocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

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 ...

."Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tiranë–Durrës"
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved December 4, 2015
''

Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Latin Church and the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches that are in full communion with Rome. The website, not officially sanctioned by the Church, is run as a private pro ...

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016 Its

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

episcopal see is Katedrale e Shën Palit, in the city 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 ...

, where also stands the former Cathedral: Kisha e Zemrës së Shenjtë të Jezusit Kisha e Zemrës së Shenjtë të Jezusit.

History

* In 1205, during the aftermath of the

Fourth Crusade The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...

, coastal regions of Byzantine

Theme of Dyrrhachium The Theme of Dyrrhachium (Medieval Greek: θέμα Δυρραχίου; ), also referred to at the time as provintia Dirrachii et Arbani, was a Byzantine military-civilian province (theme). It encompassed the Adriatic coastal regions of what is no ...

(modern Durrës) were conquered by the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

, and organized as the Duchy of Durazzo. * In 1209, Metropolitan Archdiocese of Durrës (

Latin Rite Latin Rite may refer to: *The Latin Church, a ''sui iuris'' church of the Catholic Church *The Latin liturgical rites, a family of Christian rites and uses which includes the Roman Rite *The Roman Rite The Roman Rite () is the most common ritua ...

) was established by pope

Innocent III Pope Innocent III (; born Lotario dei Conti di Segni; 22 February 1161 – 16 July 1216) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216. Pope Innocent was one of the most power ...

. * Demoted circa 1400? as Archdiocese of Durrës * In 1640, it gained territories from the suppressed Diocese of Arbano and from the Diocese of Stephaniacum * On 10 March 1926 it lost territory to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Corfu–Zakynthos–Kefalonia (in Ionian insular Greece) * On 11 November 1939 it lost some territory (southern regions) to the Apostolic Administration of Southern Albania. * Renamed on 23 December 1992 to Archdiocese of Durrës–Tiranë * On 7 December 1996, it lost territory to a suffragan, the

Rrëshen Rrëshen ( sq-definite, Rrësheni) is a small town and a former municipality in Lezhë County, in northern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform, Rrëshen became a subdivision and the seat of the municipality Mirditë. It was the administr ...

* 25 January 2005: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tiranë–Durrës *

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

visited the Diocese in September 2014.

Province

Initial

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...

, centered in Durrës, was formed in the aftermath of the

, when coastal regions of Byzantine

were conquered by the

, and organized as the Duchy of Durazzo. In 1209, pope

confirmed Manfredo as Archbishop of Durrës (Latin Rite), with jurisdiction over the region, thus establishing the Roman Catholic Metropolitan Province of Durrës, that was later reorganized. Modern

was created in 2005, and includes the Metropolitan's own Archdiocese and the following

Suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...

sees : *

Roman Catholic Diocese of Rrëshen The Diocese of Rrëshen () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church located in the city of Rrëshen in the ecclesiastical province of Tiranë–Durrës in Albania. History * December 25, 1888: Established as Territorial Abbacy of Shën ...

* Apostolic Administration of Southern Albania (a type of pre-diocesan jurisdiction usually left exempt)

Episcopal ordinaries

(all

Roman Rite The Roman Rite () is the most common ritual family for performing the ecclesiastical services of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. The Roman Rite governs Rite (Christianity) ...

) ;''Metropolitan Archbishops of Durrës'' * ''incomplete'' * Manfredo (1209–1211)Catholic Hierarchy: Archbishop Manfredo of Durrës (Durazzo)
/ref> * ... * Antonio (1296?–1301?) * Pietro (1303?–1304?) * Matteo (1320? – death 1334?) * Pietro da Geronsa,

Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (commonly called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the t ...

(O.F.M.) (1340.03.23 – ?) * Angelo, O.F.M. (1344 – ?) * Antonio da Alessandria, O.F.M. (1349.05.25 – ?), previously

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 ...

Hierapolis Hierapolis (; , lit. "Holy City") was a Hellenistic Greek city built on the site of a Phrygian cult center of the Anatolian mother goddess Cybele, in Phrygia in southwestern Anatolia, Turkey. It was famous for its hot springs, its high qualit ...

(1346.07.31 – 1349.05.25) * Demetrio (1363.12.20 – ?), previously Bishop of Stephaniacum (? – 1363.12.20) * Giovanni (1388.09.28 – ?) * Stefano da Napoli,

Carmelites The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...

(O. Carm.) (1394.06.03 – ?) *

Giovanni Bonifacio Panella Giovanni Bonifacio Panella (died 1417) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop (Personal Title) of Muro Lucano (1407–1417), ''(in Latin)'' Archbishop (Personal Title) of Capaccio (1399–1407), ''(in Latin)'' Archbishop of Du ...

(1395.05.15 – 1399.05.16; died 1418?), previously Bishop of

Ferentino Ferentino is a town and ''comune'' in Italy, in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, southeast of Rome. It is situated on a hill above sea level, in the Monti Ernici area. History ''Ferentinum'' was a town of the Hernici; it was captured from them ...

(Italy) (1392.03.08 – 1395.05.15) and Bishop of

Sulmona Sulmona (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of L'Aquila, in the Italy, Italian region of Abruzzo. It is located in the Valle Peligna, a plain once occupied by a lake that disappeared in prehistoric times. In the ancient era, it was ...

(Italy) (1395–?); later

Archbishop-Bishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

Capaccio Capaccio is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Julius Capaccio (1552–1634), Italian humanist *Mike Capaccio Mike Capaccio (born December 17, 1957) is an American athletics administrator, currently serving as athletic directo ...

(Italy) (1399.05.16 – 1405.04.13), Bishop of

Muro Lucano Muro Lucano (formerly Muro, until 1863) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the northern part of the region of Basilicata, southern Italy. History The city is situated on the site of the ancient Numistri, at the foot of the ...

(Italy) (1405.04.13 – 1418?) * Leonardo Piermicheli (1399.06.05 – ?) ;''Exempt Archbishops of Durrës'' * Minore (1403.09.13 – ?), previously Bishop of Suacia (? – 1403.09.13) * Giovanni di Durazzo,

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...

(O.P.) (1412.10.01 – death 1422) * Nicola di Cosma, O.F.M. (1422.07.06 – ?) * Giovanni de Monte (1429.10.21 – death 1441?) * Giacomo da Cortino (1457.01.26 – ?) * Stefano Birello,

Servites The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary (; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original mendicant orders in the Roman Catholic Church. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothers), contemplative nun ...

(O.S.M.) (1458.03.09 – death 1459) * Paolo Angelo (1460.05.19 – ?) * Nicola Barbuti, O.P. (1469.05.05 – ?) * Marco Cattaneo (1474.11.16 – death 1487.08) * Martino Firmani (1492.02.18 – 1499.08.06) * Francesco Quirini (1499.11.27 – death 1505.08.01), previously Bishop of

Šibenik Šibenik (), historically known as Sebenico (), is a historic town in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka (Croatia), Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is one of the oldest Croatia, Croatian self-governing cities ...

(Croatia) (1491 – 1495) * Nicola Foresio (1505.09.01 – death 1510) * Gabriele Mascioli Foschi,

Augustinians Augustinians are members of several religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written about 400 A.D. by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...

(O.E.S.A.) (1511 – death 1534.10.25) * Giorgio Stemagu (1535.06.21 – death 1540?) * Ludovico Bianchi,

Conventual Franciscans The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (O.F.M. Conv.) is a male religious fraternity in the Catholic Church and a branch of the Franciscan Order. Conventual Franciscan Friars are identified by the affix O.F.M. Conv. after their names. They are ...

(O.F.M. Conv.) (1540.04.16 – ?) *

Decio Carafa Decio Carafa (1556–1626) was an Archbishop of Naples who had previously served as papal nuncio to the Spanish Netherlands (1606–1607) and to Habsburg Spain (1607–1611). Life Carafa was born in Naples in 1556, the son of Ottaviano Carafa, l ...

(1608? – 1613.01.07), previously

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

(1606.05.17 – 1611.08.17),

Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...

(papal ambassador) to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

(1607.05.22 – 1611.08); created

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. ...

of S. Lorenzo in Panisperna (1612.05.07 – 1612.06.18), transferred Cardinal-Priest of Ss. Giovanni e Paolo (1612.06.18 – 1626.01.23), later Metropolitan Archbishop of

Napoli Naples ( ; ; ) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the thir ...

(Italy) (1613.01.07 – 1626.01.23), Apostolic Nuncio to

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

(1621 – death 1626.01.23) * Antonio Provana (1622.07.21 – 1632.01.07), later Metropolitan Archbishop of

Torino Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

(Italy) (1632.01.07 – death 1640.07.25) * Girolamo Greco (1634 – ?) * Marcus Scura, O.F.M. (1640.09.10 – death 1656.04.27), previously Bishop of Arbano (1635.10.01 – death 1640.09.10) * Nicola Carpegna (1657.08.27 – death 1670) * Gerardo Galata (1670.05.19 – death 1696?) *''

Apostolic Administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

Nicola Vladagni (1698.06.27 – 1700.03.30), while Bishop of

Lezhë Lezhë (, sq-definite, Lezha) is a List of cities and towns in Albania, city in the Republic of Albania and seat of Lezhë County and Lezhë Municipality. It is one of Albania's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously i ...

(Albania) (1692.10.15 – 1705?)'' * Pietro Zumi (1700.03.30 – death 1720) * Pietro Scurra (1720.09.30 – death 1737), previously Bishop of

Pult Pult or Pulat ( sq-definite, Pulti or Pulati), is a region in northern Albania. It is bordered by the Malësia Region to its north and by the Dukagjin Highlands to its east and its south. The region has traditionally been inhabited by the Plani ...

(Albania) (1719.05.15 – 1720.09.30) * Giovanni Galata (1739.01.26 – death 1752), previously Bishop of Sapë (Albania) (1720.09.30 – 1728.11.15) and

(Albania) (1720.12.23 – 1728.11.15), Bishop of Lezhë (Albania) (1728.11.15 – 1739.01.26) * Nicolò Angelo Radovani (1752.12.18 – death 1774?) * Tommaso Mariagni (1774.06.27 – death 1808?) * Paul Galata (1808 – death 1836.08.12), succeeding as former

Coadjutor Archbishop The term "coadjutor" (literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadjutor bishop ...

of Durrës (1803.09.09 – 1808) & Titular Bishop of

Tænarum Cape Matapan (, Maniot dialect: Ματαπά), also called Cape Tainaron or Taenarum (), or Cape Tenaro, is situated at the end of the Mani Peninsula, Greece. Cape Matapan is the southernmost point of mainland Greece, and the second southernm ...

(1803.09.09 – 1808) * Nicola Bianchi (1838.06.26 – death 1843.05.17) * Giorgio Labella, O.F.M. (1844.11.26 – death 1847.06.04) * Raffaele d’Ambrosio, O.F.M. (1847.12.17 – 1893.07.14), later

of Acrida (1893.07.14 – ?) * Primo Bianchi (1893.07.17 – 1922), later Titular Archbishop of Cassiope (see) (1922.06.12 – death 1927.08.19) * Francesco Melchiori, O.F.M. (1922.05.22 – death 1928), succeeding as former

of Durrës (1921.09.28 – 1922.05.22) & Titular Archbishop of Modon (1921.09.28 – 1922.05.22) * Pietro Gjura (1929.05.15 – death 1939.07.09) * Vinçenc Prennushi, O.F.M. (1940.06.26 – death 1949.03.19), also Apostolic Administrator of Southern Albania of the Albanese (Albania) (1946 – 1949.03.19); previously Bishop of Sapë (Albania) (1936.01.27 – 1940.06.26) *''

Nikollë Troshani (1958.04.18 – 1992),

Titular Bishop 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 ...

Cisamus Detail of a Roman mosaic found at Cisamus Statue of emperor Hadrian from Cisamus Cisamus or Kisamos () was town of ancient Crete. It appears as one of two towns of the name in the Peutinger Table 32 M.P. to the west of Cydonia. The name appear ...

(1958.04.18 – death 1994.05.25), no other office'' ;''Archbishop of Durrës–Tiranë'' * Archbishop Rrok Mirdita (1992.12.25 – 2005.01.25 ''see below''), also President of Episcopal Conference of Albania (1997 – 2000) ;''Metropolitan Archbishops of Tiranë-Durrës'' * Archbishop Rrok Mirdita (''see above'' 2005.01.25 – death 2015.12.07), also President of Episcopal Conference of Albania (2006 – 2012.09) * Archbishop George Anthony Frendo, O.P. (2016.12.03 – 2021.11.30) * Archbishop Arjan Dodaj, (2021.11.30 - present)

References

Sources

* * * * * *

External links