L’insegnamento della lingua albanese sotto il pontificato di Clemente XI

Abstract

In this essay the author reconstructs the history of higher education institutions erected in the post-Tridentine era, such as the Illyrian colleges of Loreto and Fermo, for the training of clergy destined for Albania and the Balkan regions conquered by the Ottoman Empire. In particular, the author focuses on the far-sighted cultural and educational program promoted by the Holy See between the late 17th century and the early decades of the 18th century through the efforts of the "Sacrae Congregatio de Propaganda Fide". With its “Stamperia Poliglotta” this congregation brought forth an impressive number of works in the Albanian language that still today constitute the cornerstone of Albanian literary and cultural tradition.