Fieldwork in Albania and Kosovo (June 2023)
In June 2023, Gianfranco Bria, Maria Chiara Giorda, Angelica Federici, Silvia Omenetto and Massimo Mammarella carried out fieldwork in Albania and Kosovo to visit various religious sites.
In Albania, they visited various religious places shared by Muslims, Christian Catholics and Orthodox: the Bektashi grave of Sari Saltik in Kruja, the tomb of Dervish Hatixhe in Tirana, the Bektashi headquarters in Tirana, the Halveti teqe (“Sufi Lodge”) in Tirana and finally the Shrine of Shna Ndou (St. Anthony of Padua) in Laç. Through participant observation and semi-structured interviews during this fieldwork, useful insights emerged for further study of religious spatial sharing in Albania. An initial approach was taken to examine the Catholic archives of Shkodra, from which useful insights into the history of the Shrine of Shna Ndou may emerge. It is worth noting the participation in the overnight vigil on 12 June, as the climax of the pilgrimage to the Sactuary of Shna Ndou in Laç. Throughout the night, a continuous stream of tens of thousands of people drove to visit the saint in search of blessing and healing.
In Kosovo, the team went to three different Orthodox shrines, located in Gračanica, Peć and Dečan. Surveys on the frequency of these shrines, which usually welcome Serbian pilgrims, were collected. Additionally, architectural and optical records were carried out to analyse the material condition of the aforementioned places.
This research was supported by the project “Euro-Mediterranean Integration: enhancement and analysis of cultural and religious heritage as a factor of inclusion, sustainability and mobility.”: DM 737/2021 - CUP F85F21004480001, coordinated by Gennaro Gervasio and Maria Chiara Giorda, Roma Tre University.