Church lyceum founded by Archbishop Anastasios closed in Albania

The Holy Cross Church Lyceum in Gjirokastër. Photo: Albanian Church Facebook page

The Albanian government has revoked the license of the Holy Cross Church Lyceum in Gjirokastër. The relevant decree was signed by Prime Minister Edi Rama on the proposal of Education Minister Mirela Kumbaro, Orthodoxia News Agency reports. Authorities explained the closure of the school by citing the Constitution and the law on pre-university education. The decree annuls the decision of June 10, 1999, which had granted the school the right to operate.

The lyceum began operating in September 1998 on the initiative of His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania. The school provided education and formation for young people in the Orthodox tradition. It prepared applicants for admission to the Resurrection of Christ Theological Academy in Durrës. The lyceum building belongs to the Church and was fully restored by the Archbishop, with its traditional architecture preserved.

The lyceum’s administration was ordered to prepare documents within three days for transferring students to state schools. The school must also refund parents for the unfinished period of instruction. It has modern computer classrooms, a library, laboratories, and its own church. For Orthodox families and the Greek minority in the region, the lyceum long remained a vital center of spiritual education.

An official clarification from the Albanian Orthodox Church explains the nature of the decision. The decree was described as an administrative response to a request from the school itself. Church representatives stressed that the school operated continuously from 1998 to 2025. At the same time, the Church’s educational activity continues through other institutions across the country.

The UOJ earlier reported that the share of Muslims in Albania had fallen below half over the past decade.

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