Christianity in Albania

Christianity in Albania began when Christians arrived in Illyria soon after the time of Jesus, with a bishop being appointed in Dyrrhachium (Epidamnus) in 58AD.^[1]

When the Roman Empire was divided in 395AD, modern Albania became part of the Byzantine Empire, but was under the jurisdiction of the Roman pope until 732, when Emperor Leo III placed the church under the patriarch of Constantinople.^[1] When the Christian church split in 1054, the south of the country stayed with Constantinople while the north followed Rome.^[2]

From 1100 AD, the Roman Empire carried out Church missions in the area. In relation to the increasing influence of Venice, the Franciscans started to settle down in the area in the 13th century. From the 15th century to the 19th century, under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, Christianity was replaced by Islam as the majority religion in Albania.^[3]