Authored by Dr. Mark Palnikaj. Translation: Petrit Latifi

In this publication by Dr. Mark Palnikaj, we can read how the Kadi (city commander) ordered the Catholic priests to be impaled on poles.

“[…] Then, without the decision of the Kadi and without waiting at all, the Sanjaktar ordered them to be killed, impaling them on the poles. And, although the Turks forbade the Christians from being present at such a cruel spectacle, threatening them that they would kill them too if they came there, accusing them of being participants in the conspiracy, they came there and saw and were present Gjergj Spathari and Palë Sheldia, who faithfully told, in the year 1650, on the date of October 24, the martyrdom of these two Fathers to Gjon Pepa of Molëkuqes, a secular cleric, who lived with the missionaries of Gashi.

A son, also, of Nikollë Braka from Iballa, who worked as a servant to a Turk in Shkodra, told Father Bernardo from Verona, in the village of Aste in Iballa, on July 26, 1648, where the feast of St. Prenda was being celebrated, that he was present at this martyrdom, which took place as follows:

On Friday before noon, the tusks were cut and made into spears. The Turks gathered to give them the verdict. To frighten them, they showed themselves, asking if they were properly dressed. They both answered that they were properly dressed and cleansed and that, just as Jesus Christ placed the wood of the Holy Cross on them for the love he had for people, so too, they, ready, with His help, to endure that death for the love of Him.

Then they said to them: “Become Turks, because we will free you!”. They replied that “the Turks are all devils and will go to Hell in the house of the devils, and that we want nothing else!”. Then they put the huns on their shoulders and, guided by the gables, they carried them three times around the city square, with noise, shouts, and trumpets. Some have said that Father Ferdinando, when he was walking, fell and, fearing death, staggered, but immediately received strength from his friend.

Some Turks, seeing that he was not walking due to weakness, gave him a blow with an iron hammer and thus, from this, he weakened even more. This fact was not told by the Christians mentioned above, when they witnessed their deaths. It is true that while walking and bringing them around, a Turk threw the hur to the ground, from the shoulder of one of the Fathers, saying with contempt: “Hold on tight” Bre e gidi (Ah, you infidels of the coast) which in Albanian is a dirty and insulting word, and then the Father took it in his arms, kissing it, as if it were something very precious and said: “this has been done and worked for me!”.

When they arrived at the designated place, they were asked again if they would accept to become Turks. They were not yet forced to be crucified, but they insisted on proclaiming the Holy Religion of Christ and said that they would rather die than become Turks and asked for time to say a little prayer, which time was given to them.

They headed to the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, which, a few months later, returned to the Turkish rite and became a mosque in this Sanjaktuar. They commended themselves to God and after exchanging a few words with each other, they made the sign of the Holy Cross and told the ignorant to do what they wanted to do.

Then, without delay, cruelly, they stuck both of them in the huris, causing the huris to enter their insides with the force of the hammer blows, while the Fathers called out the Name of Jesus. Since the huris entered Father Ferdinando from the left side, from the side of the heart, he died quickly and gave up his soul to God and thus, dead, he remained in the huris.

But, since Father Giacomo was stuck in the huris on the right side of his body, somewhat away from the heart, he rose in the huris and remained alive, setting a good example to the Turks themselves, from noon until evening. During this time he only prayed. And full of devotion and faith, denying the Mohammedan faith, he said that all the Turks he saw there seemed to him to be devils.

He spoke from the top of the hur to the young man mentioned above, who was from Iballa, the servant of the Turk, as he himself told Father Bernardo. He asked him for a little water to drink. He gave him wine, which he only looked at and did not drink. Then, he gave him water, according to his request.

He drank a little and then returned the gourd with the water to him. Sometimes he said “Jesus, Jesus”. A little spittle came out of his mouth, he raised his eyes to the sky, he held his hands together on his chest with his thumbs in the form of a cross. Then, a Turk said to him: “Look, look, how he is dying in his religion!” and with a stick, hitting him, he made one hand fall from his chest down towards his stomach. And finally, since he was giving up his spirit, he said: “Brother, brother”, and raising his eyes, he lowered his head and his spirit came out. He gave it to his Lord.

After they had died, people approached the Fathers who were hanging on the stake. Someone cut off their robes out of devotion, crying and saying “oh, what a great sin they have committed by killing these brothers, who did no harm to anyone, but good to everyone!” They remained on the stake for three days, from Good Friday to Sunday.