The 'large church' as it is called in Albanian is just that – a church built (very slowly) between 1856 and 1898; at the time it was the largest of its kind in the Balkans. After 1967, it was vandalised and then converted into a sports hall, with concrete stands on two sides sloping up towards the windows so people could watch the basketball and volleyball being played. In 1991, the building was restored by Italian specialists, and inaugurated by Mother Teresa on her visit to Albania. Two years later, Pope John Paul II visited the Cathedral and consecrated Shkodra's new Archbishop, Frano Elia, a man who was originally condemned to death 25 years earlier for his beliefs but ended up being imprisoned for life. A statue of the late pope can be found inside the left entrance. Just outside the Cathedral, an elegant Italian-style building now is the archbishop's residence.
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Very nice.