TIRANA, March 29 /ATA/- The St. Anthony Church in Laç has for years become the place that unites thousands of citizens and believers from all over the country.
Prime Minister Edi Rama wishes good morning to his followers on social networks with a photo from the holy place.
“GOOD MORNING, and with this beautiful postcard of the holy Tuesday of St. Anthony, I wish you a good day”, Rama says in his caption next to the photo of St. Anthony.
From March 15 to June 13, Tuesday of every week turns this Church that transcends religious boundaries into the epicenter of the prayers of citizens from all cities.
The holy place of Saint Anthony has become the place of unification of faiths and believers, who regardless of religion believe in the miracles of one of the most famous Saints not only in Albania, but also throughout Europe.
The church is thought to have been built in 1869, while on June 12, 1966 it was declared a military zone. A year later the church was closed. In February 1968 the church of St. Anthony and the cave of St. Vlash were destroyed in mine explosion.
Although religion was banned by the communist regime, the believers never stopped the pilgrimage to this holy place. On June 13, 1990, the Church in Lac was packed with believers, who spontaneously came to the feast of St. Anthony.
Each week before the 13th of June, on the hilly heights around the town of Laç, thousands of believers gather at the Saint Anthony Church of Laç . The church is named after the Franciscan priest, born in Lisbon in 1195, who dedicated his life on earth to his faith and spreading hope to the people. The holy teacher Saint Anthony of Padua (as he is known in ecclesiastical literature) was so renowned for his profound knowledge that Pope Gregory IX named him the “Living Ark of the Bible.” What makes him an especially well-respected figure is the fact that he served under the Franciscan Order despite being born into a royal family in Portugal. He refused life as a descendant of nobles and, instead, spent it spreading the word of the Gospel. His devotion to the Catholic Church and unending support for the needy brought him to Albania, where this famous church honors his name.
