58 years ago, Fan Stilian Noli (January 6, 1882- March 13, 1965) passed away.

Statesman, democratic patriot, senior cleric, poet, translator, publicist, scholar, historian and musicologist, Fan Noli is one of the brightest figures of our nation. The National Historical Museum recalls that Fan Noli was born in Ibrik Tepe in Edrene (Turkey), where he also finished the high school. In 1903 he went to Egypt, where he worked as a teacher and during this time he got to know prominent patriots of the Albanian colony in Egypt. At this time, he translated Sami Frashëri’s work “Albania what was, what is and what will become” into Greek.

In 1907, after his departure to America, he created the “Besa-besa” society in Boston.

On February 9, 1908, Fan Noli was ordained a deacon, and in March 1908, the Orthodox archpriest of New York ordained him an Orthodox priest. A few days later, Noli held a liturgy in Albanian for the first time in Boston. In July 1919, Noli was elected Bishop of the Albanian Orthodox Church in America.

Noli’s efforts for an Albanian national church were fulfilled in 1937, when the Istanbul Patriarchate officially recognized the Autocephalous Albanian Orthodox Church. From 1909 to 1911 he published the newspaper “Dielli” and together with Faik Konica founded the Pan-Albanian Federation Vatra of America in 1912.

In 1912, he completed his graduate studies at the Faculty of Philosophy at Harvard University, and years later, in 1938, he completed his graduate studies at the Boston Conservatory of Music.

In 1920, Noli was elected head of the Albanian delegation to the League of Nations in Geneva, where through Albania’s membership in this league, Albania received international recognition. In 1921 he published the important work “Historia e Skenderbeut”. In June 1924, Fan Noli became Prime Minister of Albania.

In addition to the very important political, poetic and journalistic activity, during this decade, Noli translated the tragedies of Shakespeare, the Rubairat of Omar Khayam, the novel Don Quixote by Cervantes, etc.

Fan Noli died on March 13, 1965 in Ford Lauderdale, Florida, USA.

/a.s./