Fan Noli

Theofan Stilian Noli (Known as "Bishop Fan Noli")

Prime Minister, Orthodox Archbishop, Polyglot Translator, Founder of Autocephalous Church

Born 1882-01-06

İbriktepe, Turkey

Passed Away 1965-03-13 Fort Lauderdale, United States

Lifespan 83 years old

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"Light and truth will conquer ignorance; a free church and a free mind are the two wings of national freedom."

Archival Overview

Visionary scholar, diplomat, and Eastern Orthodox archbishop who founded the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, translated Shakespeare and Cervantes into Albanian, and served as Prime Minister in 1924.

Biographical Record

Theofan Stilian Noli was born on January 6, 1882, in Ibriktepe, Thrace. Emigrating to Boston in 1906, he graduated from Harvard University and established the Albanian-American society Vatra (The Hearth) and the newspaper Dielli (The Sun). In 1908 in New York, he celebrated the first Divine Liturgy ever conducted in the Albanian language.

Returning to Albania, Noli secured Albania's admission to the League of Nations in 1920. Following the June Revolution of 1924, he served as Prime Minister, proposing an agrarian reform and modernization program. After being ousted by Ahmet Zogu, Noli returned to the United States, completing a music doctorate at Boston University and publishing monumental master translations of Shakespeare, Omar Khayyam, and Ibsen.

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Rest in Peace Forever remembered and cherished Your legacy lives on in all of us With deep gratitude for your life and light

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial

Forest Hills Cemetery
Boston, United States

                         GPS: 42.2983, -71.1075                    

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