Extracted from an Italian source of 1703.

All the parishes situated towards the sea at the foot of the mountains on the western side of the city of Antivar, in the rocky mountains impassable for horses, contain a single parish of Brisk and Shestan (containing several villages), the most numerous and the most inconvenient of the others. It contains 11 villages, not far from each other, oppressed by extreme poverty, but less harassed by the Turks, and are in Brisk.

Telichi (Ftjani) 4 Catholic houses, 31 souls, with the Church of St. Alexander in good condition, equipped with religious furnishings and lacking only a cape (Church and its furnishings). It was visited very rarely by the parish priest, who was ordered by the Archbishop to celebrate Mass there once a month, as it was a mile from his residence.

Three apostates lived there, who during the visit, having renounced their error, returned to the Church. Two secret Christians, hating the sin of long pretense by declaring themselves outwardly as Turks and inwardly as Christians, publicly proclaimed the Faith with protests of constant persistence. This is all the damage that the Diocese suffered during the general unrest in Albania due to the tax.

Brischi (Brisku) 15 houses, 99 inhabitants, has the Church of St. Demetrios built with a beautiful structure, but in poor material condition, also in need of the Holy Stone.

Liuari (Ljarja) with 21 Catholic houses, 178 inhabitants. It counts two churches, one of St. Peter, which lacks only the altars and the Holy Stone, built of masonry, with a hanging roof. To repair it, the believers were given the necessary assistance in time. There is also the Chapel of Saint Veneranda, built of dry stone for Catholic use, and another of similar quality and size, of the Greek rite.

Villages relieved of taxes by the Visitator

These 3 very poor villages were in danger of collapse due to the tax, from which they were relieved this year with the pardon granted by Bassà (Pasha of Shkodra) at the request of the Archbishop.

Pincichi (Pinçi) has 11 Catholic houses 86 souls, with the Church of Saint Nicholas, built partly of mortar and partly of dry stone, capable of housing the people with all their needs, except the Touaglie (altar covering?) and the sacred stone.

In Shestan there are the villages:
Luchichi with 6 Catholic houses, 51 souls
Giurapsi 9 77
Marchouichi 11 93
Buigari 7 62
Guresi 10 85
Redici 12 107
Ruda 5 36
54 511

Churches and their condition

In all these villages there is only one large covered Church of St. Paul, but its facade has been significantly damaged by the earthquake, threatening to collapse. It can be repaired for 30 scudi. There are also four other ruined churches, St. Paul, St. Peter and two of St. Veneranda. For their reconstruction, being small, it would cost 30 scudi each. However, the covered Church of St. Paul is sufficient to accommodate the entire population, being almost the same distance from each village.

The Parish Priest and His Qualities

Dom Luca Brischi, a robust seventy-year-old parish priest, is present in all the above-mentioned villages, which number 111 houses and 905 souls. He possesses a certain natural gentleness, which has won him the love and respect of all. It is a credit to this diocese that he served for only two years during the last war, during the exile of the other priests. He is intelligent.

He resides in Brischi and, as Apostolic Missionary, enjoys an annual salary of 25 scudi, earning about seven more scudi from the poverty of the other parish priests. He received two baiochi(?) for each person confirmed, a measure which was corrected by the Archbishop Visitor. He does everything he can to ensure that his duty is correct, but in view of his advanced age, it is appropriate that the Archbishop consider the necessary provisions.

For the proper regulation of spiritual government, the appointment of two additional parish priests is necessary in this Diocese, one in Shestan and the other in Zubc and Tugjemil. For this purpose, the Archbishop is raising two young men in his house, one named Marco Scestani and the other Andrea Goetich.

Two others are in Fermo, Nicolò Giorga and Pietro Sancouich, who in due time will replace the old parish priests, thus providing sufficient workers for the Diocese. The Archbishop himself will provide for the lack of a few Sacred Furniture, through the devotion of his mother, and with regard to the Churches that are being destroyed, he will study the solution, as best he can, for the greater glory of God and the service of the Sacred Congregation.