A commemorative event dedicated to the priest Haralambie Balamace took place on March 23, 2022, at the Church of the Transfiguration in Korçë, Albania, where the Aromanian priest was killed 108 years ago.
After a memorial service, the figure of the great hero who died defending the identity, freedom and dignity of Romanians in Albania was evoked by Vilma Cocea, vice-president of the Association of Romanians in Albania – Korçë Branch, Pano Bakalli, president of the “Nicolae Iorga” Foundation in Sarandë and Professor Pandi Bello, the news portal arumun.com reports.
Wreaths were laid at the bust of Father Haralambie Balamace, erected last year by the Nicolae Iorga Foundation.
Father Haralambie Balamace and all the Macedo-Romanian martyrs from the Balkans were also commemorated on March 23 at Mavrogheni Church in Bucharest.
Priest-martyr Haralambie Balamace
Priest Haralambie Balamace played a crucial role in developing Romanian language education among the Macedo-Romanians of Epirus and Albania and the ecclesiastical emancipation of the Romanians in the Balkans.
Father Haralambie was killed on Easter night (March 23, 1914) because he celebrated the Divine Liturgy in Romanian. Unfortunately, a similar fate befell about 1,000 Balkan Romanians, teachers, professors, priests, and simple students, for defending the Romanian identity and serving their communities in the Romanian language/Aromanian dialect/Meglenoromanian dialect.
In 1972, Father Haralambie was declared a hero of the Albanian nation.
Photography source: Facebook / Nicolae Iorga Saranda Foundation
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