Skanderbeg (Gjergj Kastrioti), was an Albanian nobleman and military commander who led a rebellion and successfully resisted the Ottoman Empire for 24 years. As the resistance brought Albanians from different regions together with a common cause it is argued that he helping define an Albanians identity.

When he died of malaria in 1468 he was buried in what was the Cathedral of Saint Nicolas in Lezhë. Unfortunately soon after he dies the Ottomans occupied Lezhë and ransacked the tomb and the Cathedral was converted into a mosque. This was later used as a tyrbe by the local Bektashist community. When the country became a communist state the building was again converted into a memorial to Skanderbeg and its minaret removed.

The Skanderbeg memorial appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Lezhë!

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