Reconstruction of Ancient Churches Begins in Albania

Pravoslavie ^ | 2/1/18

[marshmallow]

Many ancient and beautiful churches and monasteries, dating from the Byzantine era and dotting the mountainous landscape of Albania, have fallen into ruin due to years and decades of neglect. However, a program is has recently begun for the reconstruction of ancient temples, with the hope of attracting more tourists, reports tvkultura.ru.

Before the First World War Albania was Turkish, and became socialist after the Second. The regime, which was one of the most severe, fell in the early 1990s, but during the reign of Enver Hoxha from 1944 to 1985, churches continued to deteriorate. Churches and mosques were often destroyed deliberately, but religious art was often transferred to museums in such cases.

Sometimes the buildings were not touched—neither destroyed nor repaired—and unique frescoes thus disappeared over time with the walls. Experts fear that now is the last chance to save the cultural monuments.

One such church is that of St. Athanasios in Leshnice, where the roof caved in and the southern wall collapsed in May. The remaining walls are covered in plastic for protection, with a pile of debris and parts of frescoes off to the side, reports Reuters.

[joma89]

This is a good news story to me. Thanks.

JoMa

[PIF]

“Many ancient and beautiful churches and monasteries, dating from the Byzantine era and dotting the mountainous landscape of Albania, have fallen into ruin due to years and decades of neglect”

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Which happened after Albania ethnically cleansed all who were not mussulmen. Translation: the county needs foreign capital and hopes to kick start the tourism industry, partially to counter the bad rep it got during the Second WW for its battalions of SS, and for its brutal invasion of Kosovo in the 90s.