Mosques and Monasteries that Survived Tragedy

From 1946-1985 Enver Hoxha ruled Albania as the communist dictator. He modeled his government in a Stalinist manner. He used a sophisticated form of oppression to promote nationalism while also declaring war upon religion. In 1967 Hoxha and the communist regime pronounced Albania an atheist country and began purging religion from the country. Unfortunately, many religious figures were imprisoned or killed during this period. Beginning with bans against all forms of religious expression and continuing through the physical destruction of local churches and mosques, the ruling party of Albania began replacing personal choice of religion with the teachings of The Party. Through propaganda and fear, The Party controlled every aspect of life and thoughts of religion. In a Gjirokaster museum we read the story of a family who had to face The Party for the common actions of a child.

The Monastery and Church of St. Mary of Divinity north of Vlorë. The stunning boardwalk approach and simple structural design of the 14th century were beautiful to us as we explored the stones left behind in the wake of religious wars.

In America, the 1st Amendment of our Bill of Rights says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; … or the right of the people peaceably to assemble”. Today, we struggle with the balance between religious liberty and anti-discrimination laws which are causing continued debates about religious freedom. But, what if it all disappeared with a new government directive?

The Muradie Mosque of Vlorë which was built believed to have been built in 1537 by the famous Ottoman Turkish architect Mimar Sinan. We adored the multi-colored brick work of the exterior from a respectable distance.

Recently, we read that the Albanian government and the Orthodox church itself have started restoring some of the structures that date from the Byzantine period or later in the south of the country. It will be nice for future tourists and worshipers to have these churches and other historical religious structures back in the landscape of life. We should never forget our history, no matter how uncomfortable it makes us.

One day in the 1980’s a young boy found his mother’s gold cross necklace. It was a family heirloom that had been hidden during this cultural cleansing period. Placing it around his neck and under his shirt, he went to school. When it was seen during the school day, this deviant behavior was reported to the school director and subsequently to the Committee of the Party. The parents of this boy had many problems to face as they tried to undo the actions of a child. The family stated, “we had to be very careful…A careless act could stigmatize the whole family and lead to catastrophic persecution.”

As the communist regime cleansed Albania of its culture by destroying places of worship, churches and mosques of all ages were at risk of losing their wealth, their ancient relics, and their art. Wikipedia reports that “765 churches and monasteries were destroyed by communist authorities in 1967”, but other sources suggest that well over 2100 buildings were repurposed or destroyed. Gjirokaster, a small town in central Albania had twelve of its thirteen mosques demolished. If the buildings were not destroyed, they may have been converted into places like gymnasiums or museums. And, interestingly, Hoxha’s orders protected some of the buildings for the art within them. Two of the preserved buildings we visited were: