In Palermo, Sicily, Zef (Joseph) Valentini, Italian cleric of the Jesuit Order, Albanianologist, passed away. He was born in Padua, Italy, in 1900. He graduated in philosophy and theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Served in Albania from 1922 to 1943 (with short breaks). He was appointed a missionary of the Order of Jesus in Shkodër, working first as a literature teacher and then director at the Saverian College. He soon learned the Albanian language and became involved in the Albanian cultural movement of those years. In Shkodër, he directed the magazine “Leka“, where he published numerous articles in various fields, history, linguistics, literature, theology, customary law, etc. During the years 1933-1939, he directed the religious magazine “Lajmëtari i zemrës së Jezu Krishti” (“The messenger of the heart of jesus Christ”). He also collaborated with the cultural magazine of the Franciscans “Hylli i Dritës” (“Star of the light”), as well as with the magazine “Drini“, etc. He was also a collaborator of various Italian cultural magazines, such as: “Quaderni di Dante” (“Dante’s Notebooks”), “Civiltà catolica” (“Catholic Civilization”), etc. After leaving Albania in 1943, Zef Valentini continued his work in the field of Albanianology. He continued his studies on Albanians in Sicily, at the Department of Albanianology at the University of Palermo. In 1950, he directed the International Institute of Albanian Studies near this university. Zef Valentini’s studies are of special value for the knowledge of medieval history in general. He published the major work in 27 volumes “Acta Albaniae Veneta saeculorum XIV et XV” (“Venetian Acts for Albania of the XIV-XV centuries”). (In the photo: Zef Valentini)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 3 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2009, page 2845.
Photo: © https://www.zemrashqiptare.net/news/53632/at-zef-valentini-per-at-gjergj-fishten.html
Graphic processing: AHCF
