Jovan Çiço Kosturi (1831–1924), activist of the National Renaissance, especially for the spread of writing and the Albanian school, was born in Korça. His house and shop in Korça became where the patriots of that time gathered, where Albanian books came from the patriotic exile societies to be distributed to the population. Together with Orhan Pojani and Thimi Markon, they formed the secret Committee of Korça in 1886, which was responsible for the movement to open the Albanian national school. After the opening of the Albanian School of Korça in 1887, he helped with all the means for its maintenance and protection. Because of his patriotic activity, he and his family were persecuted by the Ottoman authorities and by the orthodox clergymen, which were tools of the Patriarchate of Istanbul, who imprisoned him, cursed him and killed his eldest son, Spiro Kosturi, in 1906. Grandson, Kristaq Kosturi, was killed in Orman Çiflig’s war against the Young Turk forces in 1911. (In the photo: Jovan Çiço Kosturi)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 2, Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 1326.
Photo: © Xhoxhi L., personal archive
Graphic processing: AHCF
