PM Rama posted a picture showing the holy Tuesday celebrations at the Saint Anthony Church built on the hills over Laçi town, one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Albania.

“The holy Tuesday celebrations at Saint Anthony Church,” Rama wrote as photo caption.

Each Tuesday before the 13th of June, the Saint’s Day, on the hilly heights around the town of Laç, around one million believers from all over Albania gather at the Saint Anthony Church of Laç to worship and pray for good health, harmony and prosperity. 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 Church of Laç was built by the Franciscans as early as the 1300s. Despite the communist regime’s strict ban on any religious activity, Albanians believed in this saint of miracles so ardently that they secretly climbed the hill to faithfully seek his help. To this day, the people’s march toward the Church of Laç is such an impressive sight that it has attracted the attention of international media.

/j.p/u.sh/