In Prishtina, Pjetër Bogdani, the most prominent writer of Albanian literature of the Middle Ages, high Catholic cleric, activist of the anti-Ottoman liberation movement, passed away. He was born in Gur of Has (Kukës), around the year 1625. He completed his higher theological and philosophical studies in Rome and received the title of doctor. He served first as a parish priest in Pult and Prizren; in 1656 he was appointed bishop of Shkodra; in 1677, archbishop of Skopje. He participated in the liberation movements that started in these years, especially in Northern and Northeastern Albania. For this reason, he had to live and work more in the mountains, to escape the Ottoman persecutions. Pjeter Bogdani’s work “Squad of Prophets” (Ceneus prophetarum ) was published in 1685 in Padua, reprinted in 1691 and 1702 in Venice with different titles. It is an original work with a mainly theological-philosophical theme, but from time to time it also elaborates on issues of history, geography, astronomy, etc. The author has found opportunities to elaborate elements of the Albanian life of the time and the history of the Albanian people. Pjeter Bogdani demanded that books be given to the people in their native language, he worked for the restoration and development of the national culture and the liberation of the country. Pjetër Bogdani fought with full awareness to enrich and refine the Albanian language, he traced and put into circulation old words and expressions left in oblivion, he also created new words, making the first attempts to create terms in any branch of science . Pjeter Bogdani used the old Northern alphabet with its four special letters and two Greek letters. Its graphics are better adapted to the phonetics of Albanian and testify to a greater accuracy and clarity. A critical edition of Pjetër Bogdani’s work with facsimile of the original and transcription was made by Anila Omari (Tirana, 2005). (In the photo: The portrait of Pjetër Bogdan used on the Albanian banknote.)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 1 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 271.
Photo: © https://stock.adobe.com/fr/images/pjeter-bogdani-portrait-from-albania-1000-leke…
Graphic processing: AHCF
