by Fr. Elias Makos
Albania’s old Orthodox churches, forgotten and abandoned for many decades because of the religious persecution by the atheist state, are being restored by both the Albanian Orthodox Church and the Institute of Cultural Monuments in Albania.
The interest of Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania, in this direction is continuous, substantial and effective.
Although restoration work is difficult in many cases, experts point out that the restoration of the temples is still possible. If this happens, the Orthodox monuments will emerge and regain their full functionality, while they are expected to attract the attention of many pilgrims.
Some of the Orthodox infrastructures, of archaeological value, have already come under the spotlight on the initiative of the Orthodox Church and the state.
Thus, the Institute of Cultural Monuments is working, with a specialized team, on the restoration of the bell tower of the Church of St. Nicholas in Vodista, Korca.
This church had been classified as a cultural monument before and was again proclaimed as such in 2015. The main problems of the bell tower are the cracks caused by seismic vibrations and the destruction of the masonry binder by the humidity.
