Franciscan priest Shtjefën Gjeçovi, a prominent figure in Albanian history, passed away on October 14, 1929. He devoted his life to the Albanian cause.

According to documents held by the General Directorate of Archives, two men speaking Serbian ambushed Gjeçovi as he returned from Prizren and shot him.

Born Hilë in 1874 in Janjeva, Kosova, he later took the name Shtjefën. He began his theological studies at the Franciscan College of Troshan in Albania. He continued his education in philosophy in Derventa, Bosnia, and later studied theology in Kresheva. There, he met Austro-Hungarian scholar Ludwig von Thalloczy.

Gjeçovi also studied law at the University of Innsbruck and pursued theology at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. After completing his studies, he began serving as a priest in the parish of Zllakuqan in 1896. Over the following years, he served in several parishes, including those in Klina, Peja, Gjakova, Laç, Durrës, Rubik, Shkodër and Vlora.

Beyond his religious work, Gjeçovi made a lasting contribution to Albanian culture by collecting and documenting the “Kanun of the Mountains”, a body of customary laws that governed many aspects of traditional Albanian society. His work helped preserve this oral legal tradition for future generations.

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