Catholic Tourist

Cathedral · Albania

St. Stephen Cathedral and the 38 Blessed Martyrs of Albania

Shkodër, Shkodër, Albania

38 Martyrs of AlbaniaBeatification SiteCathedralCommunist PersecutionPapal VisitCatholic Albania & the Southern Balkans collectionCatholic

Why pilgrims come

A sacred place worth the journey.

Shkodër's Catholic cathedral, converted into a sports hall under the atheist regime and restored to worship, was the principal setting for the 2016 beatification of Archbishop Vinçenc Prennushi and thirty-seven companions. It is their collective beatification and memorial place, not a claim that all thirty-eight are buried here.

TraditionCatholic

The pilgrim’s guide

What makes this visit meaningful

Enter a cathedral that survived desecration and became the place where Albania named thirty-eight modern martyrs Blessed.

01

The 2016 beatification

Learn the martyrs as distinct witnesses rather than a single anonymous group.

02

From sports hall to cathedral

See how the building itself carries Albania's suppression and return.

Feasts, anniversaries & celebrations

Commemoration of the 38 Blessed Martyrs of AlbaniaVerify the current cathedral and national program.
Feast of Blessed Vinçenc Prennushi and 37 CompanionsConnected to this place through Collective beatification celebrated at and around the cathedral.

Continue nearby

More sacred stops for this journey

ShrineNational Sanctuary of Our Lady of Good CounselShkodër, AlbaniaShrineShrine of St. Anthony of Padua at LaçLaç, Albania