St. Cosmas' and St. Mary's Church, Kolkondas

St. Cosmas' and St. Mary's Church
St. Cosmas' and St. Mary's Church
Native name; Kisha e Shën Kozmait dhe Shën Mërisë (Albanian)
	Image of the churches exterior
Location	Kolkondas
Coordinates	40°48′10″N 19°32′36″E / 40.8028°N 19.5434°E
Built for	Relics of Kosmas the Aetolian
Cultural Monument of Albania

St. Cosmas' and St. Mary's Church (Albanian: Kisha e Shën Kozmait dhe Shën Mërisë) is a church in Kolkondas, Fier County, Albania. It is a Cultural Monument of Albania,^[1] and is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and to Cosmas of Aetolia.

Construction

In 1813, Ali Pasha, the de facto independent Muslim Albanian ruler of Ottoman Epirus, southern Albanian and Macedonia, and an enemy of the Sultan, had a church built near the site of Kosmas' execution, in which the remains of Kosmas were placed.^[2] Later on in 1984, the relics of St. Cosmas were transferred to the archaeological museum of Fier.

References

^ "Religious buildings with the "Culture Monument" status". Republic of Albania National Committee for Cult. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
^ Elsie, Robert (2000). A dictionary of Albanian religion, mythology, and folk culture. New York University Press. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-8147-2214-5. Retrieved 2010-06-23. "Other relics of Saint Cosmas are kept in a special shrine at the main Metropolitan Cathedral in Athens, where some Northern Epirotes come to pray for the annexation of southern Albania by Greece. Though a purveyor of Hellenic culture, Cosmas Aitolos is still highly regarded among Orthodox Albanians in Albania and in the United States for the profound spiritual message and encouragement he gave."

[1] "Religious buildings with the "Culture Monument" status". Republic of Albania National Committee for Cult. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2010.

[2] Elsie, Robert (2000). A dictionary of Albanian religion, mythology, and folk culture. New York University Press. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-8147-2214-5. Retrieved 2010-06-23. "Other relics of Saint Cosmas are kept in a special shrine at the main Metropolitan Cathedral in Athens, where some Northern Epirotes come to pray for the annexation of southern Albania by Greece. Though a purveyor of Hellenic culture, Cosmas Aitolos is still highly regarded among Orthodox Albanians in Albania and in the United States for the profound spiritual message and encouragement he gave."

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