Çermenikë
Çermenikë or Çermenika is an upland northeast of Elbasan, in central Albania.
In the Middle Ages, as Tzernikon or Tzernikos (Greek: Τζερνικός/Τζερνικόν), it was an episcopal see of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, as a suffragan see of the Archbishopric of Dyrrhachium.[1]
In the Medieval the upland used to be inhabited completely by Catholics.[2] The Roman-Catholic church then erected an episcopal see, which is today the Titular See of Tzernicus and which was a suffragan of the Metropolitan See of Achrida (Ohrid).
In the mid-15th century, the region was ruled by George Arianiti, one of the main leaders of the Albanian resistance to the Ottoman Empire.[3]
In the late Ottoman period it is reported that the region had 12 villages and 3000 Bektashi inhabitants.[4]
In World War II, the area was a centre of the Albanian Resistance to the German occupation.[5]
References
- Elmar Büttner (2007). Erzbischof Leon von Ohrid (1037-1056): Leben und Werk (mit den Texten seiner bisher unedierten asketischen Schrift und seiner drei Briefe an den Papst) (in German). Büttner. p. 21. ISBN 9783000219719.
- von Hahn, Johann Georg (1981). Albanesische Studien. Karavias. p. 81. OCLC 631597496.
- Elsie, Robert (2012). A Biographical Dictionary of Albanian History. London: I.B. Tauris. pp. 16–17. ISBN 978-1-78076-431-3.
- Çarçani, Leonard (2007). Besimet Fetare në Prefekturën e Elbasanit. Page 9: "Krahina e Çermanikës me 12fshatra dhe 3000 myslimanë bektashianë."
- Elsie, Robert (2012). A Biographical Dictionary of Albanian History. London: I.B. Tauris. pp. 97–98, 102. ISBN 978-1-78076-431-3.
