Gjerasim Qiriazi
Encyclopedia
Gjerasim Qiriazi was an Albanian
Protestant preacher and educator. He is the founder of the Protestant Church of Albania. He also founded the first Albanian school in modern times in 1887 in Korçë
, Albania
, then part of the Ottoman Empire
.
, Bulgaria
, to attend the American College
. After he finished his studies, in 1883, he started to work for the British and Foreign Bible Society
in Korçë
.
On November 15, 1884, while traveling to Lake Ohrid
, he was kidnapped by bandits, who held him for ransom for over a year. This episode was narrated by Gjerasim in Captured by Brigands and published after his death in English in 1901.
In 1891, he and his sister, Sevasti Qiriazi, opened the first Albanian school for girls in Korçë. He also had a younger sister, Parashqevi Qiriazi
, who started to work at the girl's school when she was only 11.
He died at an early age from pleurisy
, which he caught during his captivity.
, in the collection Hristomathi a udhëheqës për ç'do shtëpi shqiptari (Sofia, 1902).
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
Protestant preacher and educator. He is the founder of the Protestant Church of Albania. He also founded the first Albanian school in modern times in 1887 in Korçë
Korçë
Korçë is a city in southeastern Albania and the capital of the Korçë District. It has a population of around 105,000 people , making it the sixth largest city in Albania...
, Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, then part of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
.
Biography
Qiriazi attended a Greek school of his native Manastir, Macedonia. He then went to SamokovSamokov
Samokov is a town in Sofia Province in the southwest of Bulgaria. It is situated in a kettle between the mountains Rila and Vitosha, 55 kilometres from the capital Sofia...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, to attend the American College
American College of Sofia
The American College of Sofia is among the top and most prestigious secondary schools in Bulgaria and the Balkans, based in the capital city of Sofia. The college, founded in 1860, is regarded as the oldest American educational institution outside the United States...
. After he finished his studies, in 1883, he started to work for the British and Foreign Bible Society
British and Foreign Bible Society
The British and Foreign Bible Society, often known in England and Wales as simply as Bible Society, is a non-denominational Christian Bible society with charity status whose purpose is to make the Bible available throughout the world....
in Korçë
Korçë
Korçë is a city in southeastern Albania and the capital of the Korçë District. It has a population of around 105,000 people , making it the sixth largest city in Albania...
.
On November 15, 1884, while traveling to Lake Ohrid
Lake Ohrid
Lake Ohrid straddles the mountainous border between the southwestern Macedonia and eastern Albania. It is one of Europe's deepest and oldest lakes, preserving a unique aquatic ecosystem with more than 200 endemic species that is of worldwide importance...
, he was kidnapped by bandits, who held him for ransom for over a year. This episode was narrated by Gjerasim in Captured by Brigands and published after his death in English in 1901.
In 1891, he and his sister, Sevasti Qiriazi, opened the first Albanian school for girls in Korçë. He also had a younger sister, Parashqevi Qiriazi
Parashqevi Qiriazi
Parashqevi Qiriazi was an Albanian teacher who dedicated her life to the Albanian alphabet and to the instruction of written Albanian language. She was a woman participant at the Congress of Monastir, which decided the form of the Albanian alphabet, and the founder of the Yll' i Mengjesit, a...
, who started to work at the girl's school when she was only 11.
He died at an early age from pleurisy
Pleurisy
Pleurisy is an inflammation of the pleura, the lining of the pleural cavity surrounding the lungs. Among other things, infections are the most common cause of pleurisy....
, which he caught during his captivity.
Works
In addition to Captured by Brigands, Qiriazi wrote an Albanian language grammar, poetry, songs and school books. A selection of his writings was published by his brother, GjergjGjergj Qiriazi
Gjergj Qiriazi was an Albanian publisher and writer. He was born in Bitola, Ottoman Empire , where he attended the local school. Like his brother Gjerasim, he studied at the American College in Samokov, Bulgaria...
, in the collection Hristomathi a udhëheqës për ç'do shtëpi shqiptari (Sofia, 1902).