ALBANIA
Christianism was introduced in what was to become Albania as early as the 1st century and a regular hierarchy was immediately set up. In the 11th century the community split : while the southern part joined the Orthodox Church, the northern part joined the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic hierarchy - supported by the very powerfull Mirditė tribe - survived Osmanli rule and in 1945 it was divided into : - the Archdioceses of Durrės and Skhodėr - the Abbey Nullius of Orosh - the Apostolic Administration of South Albania (until 1878 the Archdiocese of Antivari / Bar was also considered as an Albanian See) Apostolic Delegates in Albania Like most other Albanian offices or institutes, the Albanian Catholic Church also came under actual Italian control in the 1930ties, the de facto heads of the hierarchy being the three successive (Italian) Apostolic Delegates (= Papal representatives). 1927 - 193. Giovanni Battista Della Pietra, Titular Archbishop of Chalcedon in Bythinia II 1936 - 1938 Ildebrando Antoniutti, Titular Archbishop of Sinnada in Phrygia 1898 - 1974 1938 - 1945 Leone Giovanni Battista Nigris, Titular Archbishop of Philippes in ... 1884 - 1964 ____________________________________________________________________________DURRĖS
A Roman Catholic see was established at Durrės at the beginning of the 13th century, after the Latin conquest of Constantinople in 1204. Archbishops 1847 - 1893 Raffaele d'Ambrosio 1810 - 1893 1893 - 1922 Primo Bianchi 1852 - 1927 1922 - 1928 Francesco Giacinto Melchiori 1... - 1928 1929 - 1939 Petro Gjura 1... - 1939 1940 - 1949 Nikolle Vinēenc Prennushi 1... - 1949 ____________________________________________________________________________OROSH
The Abbey Nullius of Saint Alexander of Orosh (Shėn Llezhri i Oroshit) was founded in 1888, as a separate spiritual center for the powerfull Mirditė. Abbots 1888 - 1917 Primo Dochi 1846 - 1917 1917 - 1921 ... 1921 - 1928 Giuseppe Gionali 1928 - 1930 ... 1930 - 1946 Frano Gjini 1... - 1946 ____________________________________________________________________________SHKODĖR
The Diocese of Skhodėr was erected in the 4th century. It became an Archdiocese in 1867. Archbishops 1867 - 1886 The Archbishop of Antivari / Bar 1886 - 1909 Pascuale Guerini 1... - 1911 1910 - 1921 Giacomo Sereggi 1921 - 1935 Lazare Miedia 1936 - 1946 Gaspör Thaēi 1... - 1946 ____________________________________________________________________________SOUTH ALBANIA
After the Italian occupation of Albania in 1939 an attempt was made to unite the Orthodox community in Southern Albania with Rome and a separate Apostolic Administration was established. Apostolic Administrator 1939 - 1945 Leone Giovanni Battista Nigris, Titular Archbishop of Philippes in ... s.a.
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