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 the atheist campaigns and vandalism of 1967, it was converted into a sports hall, with concrete stands for the audience. 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 who ended up being imprisoned for life. There's a small museum highlighting the history of Catholicism in northern Albania, and just outside the Cathedral an elegant Italian-style building is the archbishop's residence. A monument on the square commemorates the clergy that suffered and died under communist repression. Mass is broadcast on Youtube.