Fieldwork in Albania (June, 2022)
In June 2022, Gianfranco Bria, Maria Chiara Giorda, and Massimo Marianella carried out a week-long on-the-ground fieldwork at the Shna Ndou (St. Anthony of Padua) Sactuary in Laç, northern Albania. Particular attention was paid to the pilgrimage to Laç, where the researchers collected important field data through semi-structured interviews and participant observation of the pilgrimage on 12 and 13 June. Among the most frequented religious sites in the Balkans, Shna Ndou Sanctuary is attended by Muslims, Orthodox Christians and Catholics. This shared practice, as recorded on the ground, is paralleled by a massive use of digital technologies, mainly smartphones, as a means to experience contact with the divine agency, i.e. the sainthood and graces of Shna Ndou. Albanians travel in search of healings and blessings, touching the statues and everything that is attributable to the saint. A materiality that, although broadcast virtually and portrayed on social networks, epitomises pilgrimage practices.
