Prepared by Albert Gjoni
On the 93rd anniversary of his passing into eternity, we commemorate Dom Mikel Tarabulluzi, the priest, teacher and patriot who left an indelible mark on the history of education and the Church in Kosovo. Dom Mikel Tarabulluzi was born on April 5, 1868 in Prizren. He completed his philosophical and theological studies at the Pontifical College of Shkodra and was ordained a priest in 1890 by Archbishop Monsignor Andrea Logoreci.
He initially served as a parish priest in Peja, in the parish of “St. Catherine”, and then, at the beginning of 1894, he was appointed parish priest in the parish of “Our Lady of Letnica”, where he served for about 35 years. He cared not only for Letnica, but also for the surrounding villages, being the devoted shepherd of all believers regardless of nationality.
Letnica had an educational tradition dating back to 1584.
This spirit was strengthened by his predecessors, among them Dom Bartolome Fantella, an excellent connoisseur of the Albanian language and a devoted teacher. In this continuity, Dom Mikeli further developed education and culture, working for the spiritual and national upliftment of the inhabitants of Letnica and the surrounding villages.
On March 1, 1905, at a time when Albanian identity was persecuted, he officially founded the Albanian School in Stubel. The school had been operating secretly since 1896 as a parallel to the one in Letnica. This school is now also known as the first Albanian school in Kosovo. In addition to his priestly ministry, he was also a direct teacher of Albanian children, ensuring that the light of knowledge did not go out.
His dedication to education and the nation brought him persecution, arrests and torture from the Serbo-Montenegrin Kingdom and then from the Serbo-Croatian-Slovenian Kingdom. However, he did not retreat and continued his mission with faith and perseverance.
Dom Mikel Tarabulluzi is known as the creator of the parish of Stublë and as a key figure in Albanian education in Kosovo, one of the first Albanian teachers documented in our country. On February 22, 1933, he passed away and was buried in Letnica, near the shrine, where his remains rest.
On October 6, 2023, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, announced that the grave of Dom Mikel Tarabulluz has been added to the list of Cultural Heritage, eternally sealing his memory and value for Letnica and for all of Kosovo.
