The President of the Republic, Bajram Begaj, commemorated today the 469th anniversary of the first book in the Albanian language.

“Today is the birthday of the book in the Albanian language”, said Begaj in a reaction on social networks.

“On January 5, 1555, Gjon Buzuku finished writing the first book in the Albanian language: “Missal”(Meshari), underlined President Begaj.

The author himself, dom Gjon Buzuku, wrote in the afterword of “Missal”, this monumental work of the Albanian language, that he started writing on March 20, 1554 and finished it on January 5, 1555.

In 1740, “Missal” was discovered in the Library of Propaganda Fide, near Rome, by the bishop of Skopje, Monsignor Gjon Nikollë Kazazi from Gjakova. This discovery remained silent for more than a century, until 1909, when it was rediscovered by Paul Skiroi from Arbëresh, in the Vatican Library in Rome, where it is still found today with the note Catalog: R.G. Liturgy III, 194.

The book contains the liturgies of the main holidays. There are also texts of prayers and rituals and catechetical texts. Every page contains two columns. The initials are decorated. The grammar and the vocabulary are more archaic than in the Gheg text from the 17th century. The text is very valuable from the viewpoint of the history of language. The vocabulary is quite rich. The archaic text is easily read due to the circumstance that it is mainly a translation of known texts, in particular the Bible. Most of the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John were translated in the book. It also contains passages from the Psalms, the Book of Isaiah, the Book of Jeremiah, the Letters to the Corinthians, and many illustrations.

The orthography is peculiar. The Latin alphabet with some additional letters is used. The consequent character of orthography and grammar seems to indicate an earlier tradition of writing.

Copies of the”Missal” can also be found in the National Library.

/k.s/