Representatives of religions in Albania visited the Tirana Cathedral complex as part of the “Religion in Society: The Model of Albania” event, since the program provided for mutual visits to places of worship.
It is a building that blends in a balanced way in the aesthetic image of the historic centre of the Albanian capital, adding to it evolving elements of the 21st century.
The religious representatives were guided by Bishop Astios of Vilida.
The complex, which was built on a plot at the centre of Tirana and was gradually granted by the state authorities (2001-2005), replacing the site where the Orthodox cathedral was demolished in 1967 by the atheist regime, consists of the cathedral, a chapel, a bell tower, the Synodal Megaron, a congress and cultural centre and other areas.
The initiative, the fundraising and the supervision of the erection of the complex was personally undertaken by Archbishop Anastasios.
The architectural concept of the temple is based on the circle, which incorporates the concept of eternal time, and on its vertical axis, which connetcs the earth to the sky.