The History of the Old Testament (Albanian: Istori e Dhiatës së Vjetërë)
The Destruction of Hormova (Albanian: Prishija e Hormovësë)
Papa Kristo Negovani, born Kristo Harallambi and also known as Kristo Negovani (1875 – 12 February 1905), was an Albanian national figure, priest, poet, teacher, writer and publisher.[1][2][3]
Born as Kristo Harallambi in the village of Negovani, Manastir Vilayet, Ottoman Empire (now in Florina municipality, modern Greece), he became known in his lifetime as Kristo Negovani.[3] He had a brother[who?] who was a priest and had pro-Aromanian orientations.[4] His father was a merchant based in Athens, Greece and a young Negovani through a Greek scholarship pursued his secondary schooling in the Greek capital.[3][5] Negovani's father was killed by bandits in 1891 and he began working as a teacher in Greek schools.[3]
Later, Kristo Negovani emigrated to Brăila, Romania in 1894, joining other fellow migrants from Negovani and he worked as a carpenter.[3] There, he came into contact with the Albanian National Revival movement, developing in tandem with the Aromanian–Romanian national movement at the time, and attained Albanian national sentiments.[3]
In 1897, he returned to his native village and worked as a teacher and later also became a parish priest.[3] Over time, some several thousand people became followers of Negovani.[5] He performed mass in the Albanian language and taught children in their mother tongue.[3]
The killing of Papa Kristo Negovani as depicted by Dielli newspaper in 1905.
From 1899 onward, Negovani published works in Albanian such as fables and didactic poems, religious instruction texts and articles often composed as sermons in Albanian publications like the almanac Kalendari Kombiar and newspaper Drita.[1][3] Several notable works in Albanian by Negovani were the History of the Old Testament (1899), a History of the Bible (1903), and the Acts of the Holy Apostles (1906).[6]
Negovani opposed Greek propaganda and was against marriages with "foreign elements".[3] During 1905, Negovani, in the presence of Bishop Karavangelis[7] conducted the Orthodox Divine Liturgy in the Albanian Tosk dialect.[3][8][9] Karavangelis denounced the usage of Albanian in mass and under his orders had Negovani murdered.[9] The village of Negovani was attacked (12 February 1905) by Greek guerillas (andartes headed by Cretan captain Ioannis Poulakas) and Kristo Negovani along with his brother and three other villagers were killed.[10][3][9][11] Negovani's death aroused a nationalist response with the Albanian guerilla band of Bajo Topulli killing the Metropolitan of Korçë, Photios.[11][3][9]
^ abSkendi, Stavro (1967). The Albanian national awakening, 1878-1912. Princeton University Press. pp. 206–207. ISBN9781400847761. "In the south, the Greek guerillas were active and tried to suppress the Albanian movement by persecuting its supporters. In 1905 they assassinated the Albanian priest Papa Kristo Negovani because he taught Albanian and had published books in Albanian."
^Ramet, Sabrina P. (1988). Eastern Christianity and politics in the twentieth century. Duke University Press. p. 9. ISBN978-0-8223-0827-0. "Not surprisingly, language has been a salient issue in Orthodox church politics. Albanian Orthodox priest Papa Kristo Negovani was killed by Greek fanatics in 1905 when he tried to promote the Albanian language in schools and introduce it into the liturgy."
^ abcdBlumi, Isa (2011). Reinstating the Ottomans, Alternative Balkan Modernities: 1800–1912. Palgrave MacMillan. p. 167. ISBN9780230119086. "Negovani’s actions caused institutional responses that ultimately intensified the contradictions facing the church and its imperial patron. In the end, Papa Kristo Negovani was murdered for his acts of defiance of the explicit orders of Karavangjelis, the Metropolitan of Kastoria, who condemned the use of Toskërisht during mass."
^ abGawrych, George (2006). The Crescent and the Eagle: Ottoman rule, Islam and the Albanians, 1874–1913. London: IB Tauris. p. 91. ISBN9781845112875. "In one case, a guerilla band executed Father Kristo Negovani (1875-1905) on 12 February 1905, two days after he had performed a church service in Albanian. To avenge his death, a guerilla leader named Bajo Topulli (1868-1930) waylaid and murdered Phiotos, the bishop of Görice, in September 1906."
