“Se c’e shempn롤erbeder촬 Mercenar촠dhe bejler촬 Se c’e shtypn롪abanxhinjt묠Se c’e shtrythn롦ajdexhinjt묠Se c’e pren’ e se c’e vran묠C’e shkretuan anemban묠N쯥 thundr쮠e p쳤hun쳬 An쳠Vjoses, an쳠Bun쳮”
– Fan Noli
By Anjeza Bojku
Durr쳬 Albania – One hundred years after Archbishop Fan Noli’s first Albanian-language Orthodox mass in Durr쳬 this revolutionary poem rings truer than ever. Some of the new post-Communist era “bejler뢠ruling elite have committed environmental destruction and sold off either entire or parts of the country’s resources. Only recently, Greece made more demands about the buffer international Ionian body of water between Albania and Greece, requesting more of it for oil exploration, and in exchange offering its cooperation and vote for Albania’s eventual EU membership. None of it was said in these blatant terms, but these are the implications of Greece’s persistent demands. And the “Jabanxjinjt뢠(foreigners/strangers) are our ever territorially hungry and greedy neighbors, such as Greece and Serbia, still pulling the strings of many (not all) of our sold-out politicians.
It’s within this chaotic and – some would say – unquestionably unpatriotic environment thatShoqata Foleja Komb쵡re Shqiptarewas established, in hopes of restoring Albania’s history, historical figures, collective memory and national honor and pride.
On June 29th,Folejamade its mark as they set out to permanently install Fan Noli’s bust, made by the well-known Durr쳠sculptor Idriz Balani, in Elbasan’sSaint Mary’s Church, after the priests of Durr쳧Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Paul and Saint Astiushad on various occasions refused to have Noli in the church’s territory.
Foleja’spresident, Elida Jorgoni, had requested the Durr쳠priests to install a bust of Noli in theOrthodox Cathedral of Saint Paul and Saint Astiuson many occasions and especially for the upcoming anniversary of his first Albanian-language Orthodox mass. Initially, they invited her to discuss the matter in an official capacity and she showed up withFoleja’svice-president Mete Gjergji, and journalist Marin Mema, acting as an intermediary. A meeting which left them with no answers other than “We know of Noli, we have his works and recognize him as a great translator.” After much back-and-forth between both parties, Jorgoni was finally told to write and submit an official request to have Noli installed in the Church, and send it to the clerics within two days. Jorgoni handed them an official request on June 18th to which the clerics were given a deadline of eleven days to respond (just in time for Noli’s 100th mass anniversary.) They did not respond. Instead they asked her to go to the church. She went. She wasn’t told “No” but she was told “Do not intrude upon us and we wont intrude upon you.”
And so, despite their claims, the clerics of theOrthodox Cathedral of Saint Paul and Saint Astiusof Durr쳠never did reply in written form (a clever way to avoid possible future social and legal backlash); This, coupled with their thinly-veiled threats, left it open to interpretation that they did not want Noli anywhere near the Durr쳠Cathedral.
It was within this conflictual atmosphere that I decided to joinFolejaon June 29th in its celebration and commemoration of the great Fan Noli. I headed out at 7:30 am, stopping at the sculptor’s studio where members were gathered to pick up Noli’s bust. Teaming up with members were a handful of young volunteers and some veteran intellectuals from the three thousand year old city. A sixty-person capacity bus was at our disposal, donated byShoqata Cameria, which was headed to Qaf롂ot롴hat very same day, commemorating the genocide of the Chams by Greek paramilitaries in 1944-45.
A dark gray Toyota pick-up truck was also made available by a Durr쳠resident in which Noli’s bust was placed, with the backdrop of the Albanian flag, and other smaller flags placed all around the vehicle.
As we headed out from the sculptor’s studio, a young man sat in the back, ensuring the bust’s safety, while the president ofFolejasat inside. The rest of the guests hopped on the bus. I sat in the front, documenting this historical day as best I could, trying to quell my overwhelming emotions as I watched the truck ahead of me with Noli, and flags waving in that sweet Durr쳠morning breeze.
We drove through the main boulevard and entrance, and stopped at City Hall for a few minutes. After picking up other invitees, we then drove a short distance down to Durr쳧Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Paul and Saint Astiusand parked the truck there while a mass was in procession. As the truck stood there, people alternately expressed their awe and would bend and cross themselves in front of the bust, while others expressed disbelief and discontent.
We then headed up a few steps right across the street, to the ruins ofSaint Spiridon Church, where Noli, in 1914, held his first Albanian-language Orthodox mass. There,Foleja’spresident and vice-president, held up a commemorative granite plaque documenting that historical day while being interviewed by an assembly of television news networks. Present atSaint Spiridon Churchand showing his support was also Durr쳧 prefect, Roland Xhelili.
In hopes of reaching Elbasan in time, we then headed back to the bus, while the others to the truck, still parked in front of Durr쳧 Cathedral. The truck would drive to Tirana and we would head straight to Elbasan as we were informed that the tunnels for buses were closed. The idea was to stop in front of the newly inaugurated (June 1st)The Resurrection of Christ Orthodox Cathedralin Tirana. The inauguration had featured (among others) the Patriarch of Serbia, Irinej, (who has yet to acknowledge, let alone apologize for Serbia’s brutal mass-cleansing of Kosovar-Albanians in the late 1990′s), Archbishop of Albania (of Greek origin) Anastasios Yannoulatos, and notorious anti-Albanian activist Nicholas Gage (who’d entered Albania with falsified documents and an assumed name.) An event that sparked much controversy and public and media discussion and scrutiny.
While making our way to Elbasan, I was told the city, specifically itsCastle Neighborhood (Lagja Kala), was home to the only church resistant to the spiritually-colonizing effects of Greek-born Archbishop Anastasios Yannoulatos’ anti-Albanian and pro-Greek religious policies. I was also told byFoleja’svice-president thatSaint Mary’sof Elbasan, enclosed inside the castle ruins, is spearheaded by Albanian-born father Nikoll Marku, and under surveillance of seven USA Embassy cameras, ensuringFolejaof Noli’s bust safety.
As we walked through the meandering cobble-stoned streets ofKalaja, holding up our red and black flags, and carrying Noli to his final resting place, we were received with great applause by a group of youngsters from Elbasan, seemingly breathlessly awaiting our arrival. Joining forces, we then all enteredSaint Mary’sto the sound of even greater applause, a moment of silence as Father Nikoll Marku came to honor and bless Noli’s effigy, and then to a sudden burst of well-known patriotic songs by both young and old, encircling Noli’s bust in the church’s entrance grounds.
And so we continued, with songs and applause, our walk down the entrance to the church. As we filed through and filled up the room, Noli was placed at the center of the Altar which faces West of the country, towards the Adriatic sea, while outside lies the grave and bust of patriot and scholar Konstandin Kristoforidhi, facing East towards the great mountains of Albania. Two heads of one eagle.
Once inside, we were officially welcomed by Father Marku who stated in his speech that “It is a great honor forSaint Maryto have the great Noli,” and thankedFolejafor realizing his bust, organizing the anniversary, and bringing him to Elbasan.
One by one, members, patriots, and pilgrims to Elbasan made their personal heartfelt speeches about Noli the religious symbol, and Noli the national symbol of Albanian greatness. Some of the speeches were laced with much anger and disappointment toward the greater church spearheaded by the Greek-born Yannoulatos, andThe Greek Orthodox Churchfor hindering the de facto establishment of anAutocephalous Albanian Orthodox Church(although the current title of theAlbanian Churchsuggests that it is de jure Autocephalous and independent of theGreek Church’sinfluence, in actuality, and de facto, it is not.)
Thus the common and logical question arises: why doesn’t Albania, just like Russia, Serbia, Greece etc..have its ownAutocephalous Albanian Orthodox Churchspearheaded by an Albanian-born and bred Archbishop? Just as Noli would have wanted it, and as it was declared inThe Congress of Beratin 1922? But the Archbishop’s nationality is not the main concern of the Albanian Orthodox Community; It is theGreek Church’sshady and oftentimes anti-Albanian policies.
Before ending our honors and festivities atSaint Mary’s, a mass was held by Father Marku, after which we each signed our names on a small notebook as a symbolic gesture of having been part of such a momentous event – a document that is now the property ofSaint Mary’s. Meanwhile, television cameras were throughout and all around us. For days to follow, this event was the main topic of the press.
Unfortunately, following this commemorative day, a lot of untruths were immediately released by the Durr쳠clergy in a last-ditch attempt to repair their damaged reputations, to whichFolejaimmediately responded with facts of their consistent refusal to have Noli in the church’s territory. Father Spiro Kostoli of Durr쳠declared for the media that “We wanted Noli somewhere in Durr쳠.” “Somewhere” being the keyword.Folejahad specifically asked the Durr쳠priests to place Noli within the territory of the church and under the church’s supervision and jurisdiction.
It is imperative to mention an incident that occurred the evening before we headed to Elbasan, that is, the evening of June 28th: while president Jorgoni and vice-president Gjergji were returning fromSaint Spiridon Churchafter having attempted to hang the commemorative plaque, they were approached by two of Durr쳧 Cathedral priests who asked them “How much are the Americans paying you for this?”
The following is an interview ofFoleja’spresident Elida Jorgoni and vice-president Mete Gjergji in hopes that it will shed some light into the organization’s goals and their long-standing conflict with the Durr쳠clergy, which resulted in Fan Nol Durr촡ku – as he referred to himself- being installed in Elbasan instead of Durr쳮
Interviews of Foleja president Elida Jorgoni and vice-president Mete Gjergji:
As I sat there listening to the interview of Mete Gjergji about Fan Noli, I was taken aback by his emotional responses in which he was visibly upset by the general disregard for Albanian’s first Archbishop, the great scholar, statesman and luminary, Fan Noli. He did his best to hold back tears as his emotionally-laden voice quivered whenever Noli’s name was mentioned.
I approached Gjergji afterwards and we had a brief discussion on the topic of theAutocephalous Albanian Orthodox Church, especially on the unabashed and – according to him – willful disregard of Noli’s figure by the Church and political class. We talked about June 1st: the day the Archbishop of Serbia, together with the notorious anti-Albanian activist Nicholas Gage, was in attendance of the inauguration of theThe Resurrection of Christ Orthodox Cathedralin Tirana. We were baffled by the events of that day, which included part of the mass recited in Greek, the unraveling of the Serbian flag on the church’s steps by a handful of either Serbs or Serb-sympathizers, the violence of the police towards an Albanian organization protesting the presence of the Serb Archbishop, Irinej (Serbia has yet to apologize for its genocide of Kosovar-Albanians in the late 1990s), and the arrest of a woman who held up a poster of Fan Noli saying to the reporter, “I do not recognize him [Anastasios Yannoulatos] as my Archbishop; THIS is myArchbishop,” pointing to the poster of Noli.
I soon discovered the woman arrested was Elida Jorgoni, the president ofShoqata Foleja Komb쵡re Shqiptare, and widow of the late activist, patriot and intellectual, Perikli Jorgoni, who passed away on December 12, 2012, (also the day of Saint Spiridon,) in a car accident.
Elida Jorgoni was consequently held for questioning for four hours in one of Tirana’s police precincts
I asked Gjergji to arrange a meeting between Jorgoni and me. A couple of days later, we met in a restaurant in Durr쳮 Jorgoni showed up straight after work, from which she’d been fired a total of three times in only 2014, for unspecified reasons, but believed to be tied directly to her activities forFoleja.
She’s a humble woman in bearing and manner yet proud and steadfast in her purpose. She tells me of her trials and also of her triumphs, now and while married to Perikli Jorgoni, whose grandfather who bore the same name was a Fanolist and was poisoned during the first Albanian-language Orthodox mass in 1914. His other grandfather was the well-known Albanian poet and politician, Hil롍osi.
Elida Jorgoni also tells me about her arrest and the surprisingly encouraging words of a police officer who had remarked that “If Albania had three to four more women like you, things wouldn’t be the way they are.” Prior to that comment they had asked her “Who hides behind you?” To which she had replied, “The blood of our forefathers.” She makes sure that I note that they treated her fairly and were very nice, and were just following procedure and doing their job.
There was also the time when she entered the village of Negovani in 2011 in search of Papa Kristo Negovani’s grave-site. They found the grave and on their way out of Greece were declared personae non gratae by Greek authorities.
Before getting into specific questions, I ask her about Perikli Jorgoni and his patriotic contributions. She’s quick to bring out a folder of documents and an album of all of their activities throughout the years they were together. Here is a quote by Petro Luarasi, (who was present on June 29th in Elbasan,) grandson of the great Rilindas Petro Nini Luarasi, on the occasion of Jorgoni’s passing:
“We will remember Perikli Jorgoni with great honor and as a devoted patriot, nephew of the devoted Hil롍osi. Even though with a modest pension and of an advanced age, with an unemployed wife, he with his own funds would organize groups who would be active in going wherever there were important pan-national activities and anniversaries happening, such asThe Congress of Manastir, the raising of the flag in Deҫiҫ by Ded Gjo Luli,The Congress of Elbasanand in the famous filming of the documentary on Papa Kristo Negovani byTop Channel, etc..”
I then get into more specific questions:
Have you asked the mayor about installing Noli’s bust in Durr쳿
– Yes, a year ago, verbally through a former parliament member.
What was the answer to your request?
– They were verbally told to drop this issue for now as they were occupied with the EU candidate status. But they did help us in procuring the original gate ofSaint Spiridon’s Churchof Durr쳮
Why is the making of Noli’s bust so important?
– Well, other than Noli being a great national figure that must be honored, and one of our mission statements as a non-profit organization is to restore national and historical figures, we feel it is of great historical, national, and religious importance to complete the triumvirate of the three spiritual leaders of Durr쳺 Dom Nikoll Kacorri of the Catholics and Ali Hafiz Podgorica of the Muslims, (both of whom have commemorative busts in Durr쳩 with the addition of Fan Stilian Noli of the Orthodox Albanians, thus representing the interfaith harmony and tolerance which characterizes Durr쳠and Albania in general
What does the Durr쳠Association think about Noli’s bust?
– That they agree to have his effigy as a statesman and thinker but not as a religious leader. And I’d like to add that theFan Noli Associationtried to appropriate the making of the bust and 100th year anniversary.
Why must Noli’s bust be specifically in Durr쳿
– Because he held the first ever Orthodox mass in the Albanian-language in Durr쳠in 1914 in front ofSaint Spiridon Church, and in letters always referred to himself as “Theofan Durr촡ku.”
Have you notified any television networks and other press for the June 29th 100th anniversary commemorative event?
– We have mailed out over four hundred (400) invitations to many public figures of Albanian political, social and cultural life, including television channels. We have also invited the Bishop of theAlbanian Orthodox Diocese of America, located in Boston, who is at the moment in Romania.
Where have you found the funds to transport the bust from Durr쳬 to Tirana and then Elbasan?
–Shoqata Cameriahas immensely helped by donating a sixty-person capacity bus. And a Durr쳠resident has donated a Toyota pick-up truck for the transportation of Noli’s bust.
How much did the bust cost?
– $5,000, by Durr쳠sculptor Idriz Balani
How did you pay for the bust?
– I paid with my own fundsƷhatever Perikli has left me.
According to you, do you think there is another bust of Noli in all of Albania’s territory?
– As far as I am concerned, a public bust of Noli as religious leader, no, perhaps personal private ones in people’s homes, but I’m not a hundred percent sure.
DoesShoqata Foleja Komb쵡re Shqiptareposses any funds donated by either the government or private philanthropists?
– No. All of our funds are my personal funds left behind by my late husband.
Do you have an office?
– Not yet. We do not yet posses the necessary funds for an office.
Has Durr쳧 City Hall helped you in any capacity?
– They helped us restore the original gate of theChurch of Saint Spiridonwhich was being used by a High School in a village of Durr쳮
At this juncture in our interview, Jorgoni wants to add that in addition to having commissioned a bust of Noli,Folejaalso wants the authorities to declare him as Durr쳧 Pride and Honor, to have a street named after him, preferably one adjacent to theOrthodox Cathedral of Saint Paul and Saint Astiusof Durr쳠and to declare him a National Treasure.
Note:As of writing this, plans have been made by Durr쳠City Hall to change the street name adjacent to theOrthodox Cathedral of Saint Paul and Saint Astiusof Durr쳠to “Fan Noli.”
I ask Jorgoni to hand me the document that declaresShoqata Foleja Komb쵡re Shqiptarea non-profit organization. All looks fine.
For more information on donating to/helping Shoqata Foleja Komb쵡re Shqiptare, please contact the author atanjezabojku@gmail.com
This commentary article was first printed in the Illyria newspaper. Reprinted by permission.
http://illyriapress.com/nolis-100th-anniversary-orthodox-albanian-mass-organizers-opponents/.
