Gjon Pantalija, martyr of the Catholic Church, died in Shkodër. He was born in Prizren, in 1887. He studied in his hometown. He completed his cultural formation in a self-taught manner. He was a teacher in the primary school, director of the printing press, administrator of the magazines “Lajmëtari“ (“The messenger”) and “LEKA” and artistic director: choir director, band director and theater director. He was arrested in October 1946, in the assembly of Saint Francis in Shkodër, where he was residing after the closure of all activities of the Albanian Pontifical Seminary. He was tortured a lot during the investigation. In the years 2002-2010, the Diocesan Investigation of Shkodra took place, which collected the evidence for his martyrdom. On April 26, 2016, he was declared a Martyr of the Church. On November 9, 2016, the President of the Republic awarded him the high decoration of the “Flag of the Nation“. (In the photo: Gjon Pantalija)
Text: Encyclopedic dictionary of victims of communist terror – Vol. VI , “West Print“, Institute for the Study of Crimes and Consequences of Communism, Tirana, 2017, page 196.
Graphic processing: AHCF
