Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania

The Cathedral of the Resurrection (Katedralja Ngjallja e Krishtit) is an Albanian Orthodox cathedral located in Tirana, Albania. It is one of the Balkan Peninsula’s biggest Orthodox churches.

It was dedicated formally on June 24, 2012, to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Albanian Orthodox Church’s resurrection and the election of Archbishop Anastasios of Albania.

The Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, sometimes referred to as the Albanian Orthodox Church or the Orthodox Church of Albania, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church. It claimed autocephaly in 1922 at its Congress and was recognized by the Patriarch of Constantinople in 1937.

The church suffered greatly during World War II and the communist era that followed, particularly after 1967, when Albania was designated an atheist state with no public or private display of religion permitted.

Since religious freedom was restored in 1991, the church has seen a rebirth, with over 250 churches renovated or repaired and over 100 clergy ordained. It has 909 parishes dispersed across Albania, with a community of between 500,000 and 600,000 believers. According to some Orthodox sources, the figure is as high as 700,000 — and much higher when the Albanian diaspora is included.