Letnicë, 15 August 2025
The Acting Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, attended the solemn mass on the occasion of the Feast of Our Blessed Lady, held at the shrine of the Diocese of Kosovo in Letnicë, in the municipality of Viti.
On this festive day, the Prime Minister described Letnicë as a place of prayer and unity for all people, a place of spiritual tranquility, highlighting that before this statue generations upon generations have bowed—regardless of faith, nation, or region: Croats, Catholic and Muslim Albanians, people from Skopje and Shkodra, Roma, Serbian and Macedonian Orthodox, agnostics, atheists, and many others—coming here to pray with humility.
He stated that the parish of Letnicë is a great historical treasure for Kosovo and beyond, noting that the transfer of the statue of “Our Blessed Lady” from Skopje and its placement in Letnicë, where it still stands today, became a symbol of unity, hope, and unwavering faith. Today we are not merely participants in a celebration, he added, but part of a great spiritual family, united in Letnicë by the love for Our Lady Mary, the Mother of Jesus. From this place, he said, we must release a lasting call for peace, reconciliation, and openness of heart towards one another.
“May God bless Letnica, and through the intercession of Our Blessed Lady, our Kosovo and all those who, with full faith, visit this holy land. Amen,” concluded Prime Minister Kurti in his address.
Full speech of Prime Minister Kurti:
Dear Bishop, Monsignor Dodë Gjergji,
Archbishop of Tirana and Durrës, Arian Doda, our brother,
Honourable Commander of KFOR, Major General Enrico Barduani,
Honourable Mayor of Viti, Sokol Haliti,
Honourable Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Arsim Ademi,
Distinguished officials and officers, soldiers and police,
Distinguished priests and nuns,
Dear brothers and sisters,
Dear pilgrims from all our lands,
As each year, we have once again gathered in the shrine of the Diocese of Kosovo in Letnicë to celebrate the Feast of Our Blessed Lady. Before this statue, generations have bowed—regardless of faith, nation, or region: Croats, Catholic and Muslim Albanians, people from Skopje and Shkodra, Roma, Serbian and Macedonian Orthodox, agnostics, atheists, and many others—coming here to pray with humility. Letnicë is a place of prayer and unity for all people, a place of spiritual peace.
The parish of Letnica is a great historical treasure for Kosovo and beyond. As early as the 14th century, Saxons from Germany and Croats from Ragusa came here to work in the Shasharë mine, located in the hills of Letnicë. Historically, the parish of Letnicë included several villages such as Letnicë, Shasharë, Vernakollë, Stublla, Lubishtë, Binça, and others. This place is not sacred only for the Karadak region, but for all of Southeastern Europe and for all religions and confessions that have coexisted here for centuries.
During the wars between the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires at the end of the 17th century, Skopje was almost completely burned. In Skopje stood the cathedral of Our Lady Mary, where an artistic wooden sculpture was preserved, depicting Mary with Jesus in one hand and an apple in the other. Catholic believers did not want this statue to be destroyed, so they sheltered it temporarily in Kartovë and later placed it permanently in Letnicë, where it stands to this day. This statue became a symbol of unity, hope, and unwavering faith.
At that time, a key role in transferring the statue of Our Lady to Letnicë was played by Dom Toma Raspasani in the 17th century, born in Letnicë and a contemporary of Pjetër Bogdani. He was a leader of uprisings against the Ottoman Empire and was later forced to migrate together with the faithful to Transylvania and Hungary.
Our poet from Skopje, Dom Ndue Bytyçi, wrote the poem-song dedicated to Our Lady of Letnicë entitled “N’ Cërnagore kem nji Nanë” (“In Cërnagore we have a Mother”), which remains the only original Albanian church hymn in Kosovo and is still sung with devotion by our believers. From this Mother of Letnicë arose a Mother of the World—Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, known worldwide as Saint Mother Teresa. Here, in this holy place, she felt the divine calling to dedicate her life to God and to become a servant of the poor and the abandoned. From this altar began a mission that illuminated continents and touched millions of lives. Gonxhe was baptized by Dom Zef Ramaj, born in Stubëll, then part of the parish of Letnicë. He was a parish priest and teacher in Skopje, and a strong voice in informing Europe about the situation of Albanians in Kosovo and Macedonia. From the reports of Dom Zef and Monsignor Lazër Mjeda, Leo Freundlich drew much of his material for his renowned book “Albanian Golgotha.”
Letnicë was also a place of refuge for Jews during the Second World War. Notable figures such as Shaul Gattenyo, Erica Weingruber, Albert Mussafia, and others were sheltered here. The parish priest of Letnicë, Father Paulini, and the parish priest of Stublla, Dom Bllagoja, falsified passports for Jews in order to save their lives.
In 1992, around 5,500 Croats were forced to leave for Croatia due to the unjust pressure exerted on them in Janjevë, Letnicë, Vernakollë, and Vërnez. Yet their hearts remained tied to this place. Many of them return each year on this festive day to join our common prayers, as our ancestors had done before us.
Dear sisters and brothers,
Today we are not simply participants in a celebration—we are part of a great spiritual family, united in Letnicë by the love for Our Lady Mary, the Mother of Jesus. From this place, we must issue a lasting call for peace, reconciliation, and openness of heart towards one another.
Let us leave this feast and return to our homes with hearts filled with love, faith, and hope, and with the determination to spread this love in our families, among our neighbors, and to every person in need.
On this day there are no differences of faith or nationality—only hearts that pray, hopes that are renewed, and gratitude for all the blessings we have received.
May God bless Letnica, and through the intercession of Our Blessed Lady, our Kosovo and all those who, with full faith, visit this holy land. Amen.
Neka Bog, po zagovoru Velike Gospe, blagoslovi Letnicu, naše Kosovo i sve one koji s punom vjerom posjećuju ovu svetu zemlju. Amen.
Thank you!
