Today, the National History Museum commemorated the Arbëresh poet, Jul Variboba, on his birthday. He is considered to be the main representative of the old Arbëresh literature that studied the religious theme for ecclesiastical and educational purposes.

Jul Variboba (1724-1788) was born in the village of Mbuzat in Cosenza in Calabria. He received his first lessons at the college of San Benedetto in Ulano. After, he served for some time as a priest in his native village.

He spent the rest of his life in Rome, where in 1762 he published the poetic volume ” Gjella e Shën Mërisë Virgjër /The Life of Saint Mary the Virgin”, a long poem in two parts together with another a group of other poems. The religious subject of this work is far removed from the Christian tradition of presenting biblical figures, which Variboba describes as ordinary people, in dance or lament settings, which are similar to those of Arbëresh folk poetry. The book begins with a letter by which the poet addresses Saint Mary, to tell her why he undertook the publication. The work “The Life of Saint Mary the Virgin” consists of two poems: the first is entitled “The Life of Saint Mary” and the second “The Life of Saint Bambini”. While in the rest of the book, the author summarizes some spiritual poems.

/a.p./