Matija Mazarek Explained
Matija Mazarek or Matija Masarek (Serbian: Матија Мазарек; 1726– 1792) was an 18th-century Catholic priest.[1] In the second half of the 18th century he was the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Skopje. His reports to the Vatican are an important source for demography study of his diocese.
Career
Most probably of Albanian origin, Mazarek was born in Janjevo in 1726. The name Mazrek(u), which means horse breeder in Albanian, is found throughout all Albanian regions. Elsie links the name to Mazreku, an Albanian tribe north of Shkodër.
Before 1743, Jovan Nikolović (or Gjon Nikolle) sent Mazarek to Italy to be trained for his religious tasks. In 1750 he was archbishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Skopje.[2]
Many of his ancestors and descendants were notable Catholic priests, such as:
Reports
He wrote notable reports to Vatican during the second half of the 18th century. Those reports include description about migrations of people from Malësia (region now divided by Montenegro and Albania) to region he referred to as Serbia (modern-day Kosovo). In 1792 he reported that villages around Gjakova received influx of Catholics from Albania.[4]
His reports include many complaints about Albanians who arrived from Malesia. His prayers included "Ab albanensibus libera nos Domine" (English: Lord, save us from Albanians).[5]
Sources
- Malaj . Edmond . Familje fisnike të Drishtit mesjetar (Noble Families of Medieval Drivasto . Studime Historike . 2013 . 3-4 .
- Book: Maiocchi, Luca. Thede Kahl. Christen und Muslime: interethnische Koexistenz in südosteuropäischen Peripheriegebieten. https://books.google.com/books?id=2-gjf02M4vgC&pg=PA98. 2009. LIT Verlag Münster. 978-3-643-50058-8. The Coexistence of Catholic and Muslim Communities in 18th Century Kosovo.
- Book: Elsie, Robert. The Tribes of Albania: History, Society and Culture. https://books.google.com/books?id=-EzWCQAAQBAJ&q=Mazreku&pg=PA366. 2015. I.B. Tauris. 978-1-78453-401-1. The Mazreku Tribe.
Notes and References
- Book: Simoniti, Vasko. Vasko Simoniti
. Vasko Simoniti. Fanfare nasilja. 2003. Slovenska Matica. 978-961-213-105-0. 368. V drugi polovici 18. stoletja je tako npr. katoliški nadškof Matija Masarek v Skopju pisal o hudih pritiskih muslimanskih Albancev (»Libera nos, Domine, ab Albanensibus ! «) in stalnih sporih s predstavniki pravoslavne vere, ki so silili katolike k ....
- Book: Zanella, Luana. L'altra guerra del Kosovo: il patrimonio della cristianità serbo-ortodossa da salvare. 2006. Casadei Libri. 978-88-89466-07-0. 29.
- Book: Zagreb (Croatia). Leksikografski zavod FNRJ.. Ivo Cecić. Jugoslavenski leksikografski zavod. Igor Gostl. Enciklopedija Jugoslavije. 1955. Jugoslavenski leksikografski zavod. 591. 9788670530133. Petar Mazarek ili Massarechi .
- Book: Grothusen, Klaus Detlev. Jugoslawien: Integrationsprobleme in Geschichte und Gegenwart : Beitr̈age des Südosteuropa-Arbeitskreises der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft zum V. Internationalen Südosteuropa-Kongress der Association internationale d'études du Sud-Est européen, Belgrad, 11.-17. September 1984. 1 January 1984. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. 978-3-525-27315-9. 139. So berichtet Matteo Mazrreku 1792 von einigen Dörfern in der Umgebung von Gjakova, daß sie Zuzug von Katholiken aus Albanien erhalten hätten, „venuti per motivo della fame dalle Montagne dell'Albania" = Archivio storico ....
- Book: Pipa. Arshi. Arshi Pipa. Repishti. Sami. Studies on Kosova. 1984. East European Monographs. 978-0-88033-047-3. 34. He prays: "Ab albanensibus libera nos Domine."90 He may have had a personal reason for doing so. Nevertheless, Mazrreku's report is interesting because it points out the significant role of the Albanians in the Ottoman Empire by the end ....
