Hoçisht

Hoçisht is a village and a former municipality in the Korçë County, southeastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Devoll.[1] The population at the 2011 census was 4,461.[2] The municipal unit consists of the villages Hoçisht, Grace, Baban, Stropan, Eçmenik, Përparimaj, Grapsh, Çipan, Borsh, Bradvicë.[3]

Hoçisht
Municipal unit
Hoçisht
Coordinates: 40°36′N 20°55′E
Country	Albania
County	Korçë
Municipality	Devoll
Population  (2011)
• Municipal unit	4,461
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal Code	7009
Area Code	(0)874

A Greek school was operating in the village of Hoçisht from the middle of the 19th century, until incorporation to the Albanian state, while the local Orthodox community had established a trust fund (called Lasso) for the well being of the locals.[4] In the early 20th century the town of Hoçisht hosted additional Greek educational institutions, including primary and secondary schools for boys and girls, as well as a kindergarten.[5]

In 1905, during the Struggle for Macedonia, Greek revolutionary, Nikolaos Dailakis, had his hideout near the town.[6]

During the Socialist People's Republic of Albania the local church property was confiscated by the state. Today, from the 10 Christian churches in 1967 only 5 survive: Saint Nicholas, Saints Kosmas and Damian, Saint Constantine, Saint John and Saint Kyriake.[4]

At present, a Greek language institution is functioning in the town, as part of a joint Greek-Albanian initiative.[7]

Hoçisht is described as a historically mostly Orthodox Christian town with a historic Church of Cosmas and Damien in Satrivaç that functioned as a "Christian sanctuary" which, like others, was visited by Albanian Christians and Albanian Muslims alike, as well as Roma.[8]

References

1. Law nr. 115/2014
2. 2011 census results Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine
3. Greece – Albania Neighbourhood Programme Archived 2012-03-27 at the Wayback Machine
4. Καρακίτσιος, Ελευθέριος (2003–2004). "Παλαίτυπα εκ Χοτσίτσης (Hocisht) Κορυτσάς της Βιβλιοθήκης Σωτηρίου Θ. Μπόρτση ή Κράλη" (PDF). Makedonika. 34.
5. Athina, Koltsida. "Η Εκπαίδευση στη Βόρεια Ήπειρο κατά την Ύστερη Περίοδο της Οθωμανικής Αυτοκρατορίας [Education in Northern Epirus during the late Ottoman Empire]". Phd dissertation. University of Thessaloniki. p. 143. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
6. Douglas, Dakin (1993). The Greek struggle in Macedonia, 1897-1913. Balkan Studies Research Center. pp. 133, 254, 255.
7. De Soto, Hermine (2002). Poverty in Albania : a qualitative assessment. Washington, DC: World Bank. p. 32. ISBN 9780821351093.
8. De Rapper, Gilles (2010). "Religion on the border: sanctuaries and festivals in post-communist Albania": 2–3, 6, 8, 12–3. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)