About 545 years after his death, the fate of the remains of our National Hero, Gjergj Kastriot Skënderbeu, is still unknown?! In continuation of the debate on the enigma of Skenderbeu's bones, published the day before, referring to a report of '68 held by Enver Hoxha, where it is said that a priest (unidentified) has found a skull that is said to be that of the national hero, is denied.
What are the hypotheses circulating today in our libraries, as well as the secret thesis of 1968, left in oblivion after the second conference of Albanological Studies; is the Church of St. Kolli the burial place of the hero, on which a mosque was later built?!
Although Skenderbeu died and was buried in Lezha on January 17, 1468, the scientific controversies about the location of his burial place still continue. Some researchers point out that Saint Kol's Cathedral, the place where our National Hero was buried, is located where his memorial was erected, in the city of Lezha.
Others point out that the Church of Saint Kolli was once located in the fortress that rose above this city. But how does the truth stand? Let's look at one of the arguments between the two theses.
The figure of Gjergj Kastriot, our National Hero, is not only that of the main protagonist of Albania's history, but also the main symbol of our national consciousness. Looking at it from this point of view, it has become in the past, and will be for the future, one of the most favorite and curved topics, which will continue to be treated by our history as well as foreign history.
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The object of this today's article is to "see" and clarify the data on Skenderbeu's burial place, referring to his first biographer, Barlet, from whom the most important sources of the hero's life have been obtained.
But should Barleti be believed in everything he says?! Or should his data be viewed with skepticism, or do they need interpretation, as some historians claim or act.
Until today, when we only have the alternatives provided by Barleti or Biemi (Anonymity of Tivari), their works will still remain "monuments", which have been made so by the time, during which they have gained value.
But the bad luck of our national history is the lack of extensive documentation, which forces us as always to work with hypotheses and reasoning, which are often not at all convincing, not only for researchers, but also for the general audience.
In the meantime, we are listing the wordings of the texts circulating in our libraries, as well as the hypotheses of some of today's most prominent researchers. First, we are referring to one of the textbooks that served in our schools a few years ago:
"After the departure of the Ottoman troops to examine the difficult situation in which the country was located due to the ruins and recent problems caused by the war of 1466-1467, Skënderbeu called in January 1468 a new assembly of Albanian princes. Unexpectedly ill, after a few days of staying in bed, Skenderbeu died in Lezha on January 17, 1468.
Covered in glory, he was buried in the cathedral of Saint Kolli in Lezha, in the place where he had founded the Albanian Covenant" (Historia e Populli Albanian. Tirana 2005. Maket). Meanwhile, the first biographer of Skenderbeu, Barleti, in his book "Historia e Skenderbeu" gives us this passage:
"The Turks and the Barbarians, becoming masters of the city of Liso, found and took out the body of Skenderbeu from the grave with great desire. Everyone gathered at his remains and grave before, because they remembered that you would be lucky, very happy who would secure for himself a piece of them, which they sewed and decorated a pair of silver, a pair of gold and they hung it around their necks, as something divine, sacred and decisive for their destiny and honored it with great respect, remembering that all those who carried those pieces with them would have in life the same luck and prosperity that he had and enjoyed while Skënderbeu himself was alive".
While foreign historiography affirms Barleti on this point, not doubting the data he provides, although in his history these documentary data are few.
Thus, after the death of Skenderbeu, Albania was "immersed" in the territory of the Turkish occupation, which gradually isolated it from the traditional ties that existed with the West.
While in our country, generations of Albanians kept his figure alive through oral tradition such as songs, legends, and word of mouth, the West made him immortal through Marin Barleti's biography "Historia e život i e bemave ti Skënderbeu", of which was published in Rome in 1510.
Until 1750, this work was reprinted 21 times (Historia e Populli Albanian, Tirana. 2002. Toena. p. 487), including in its "geography" countries such as Italy, Germany, Spain, England, France, Portugal, Poland etc.
It was precisely this work that inspired many writers, poets, playwrights, translators and historians to deal with the figure of Skënderbeu, creating such works that would later serve Albanian culture. It served as the basis for many adaptations, journalistic and literary works of the history of Skanderbeg in different countries. However, the myth about the violation of his grave remained a fact for the memory of Europe.
From it we can single out the translation and adoption of Barlet's biography by the French abbot Jacques de Lavard. In 1573, this author published his work in Paris under the title "Histoire de Georgis Castriotis Syrnome Scanderbeg, Roy de l'Albanie". Accepting the fact that Barleti gives us, here is what he writes about the burial place and the fate of the remains of the "Hero".
"His body was buried in Lezha in the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas, according to the custom of his ancestors, the burial was done with a ceremony full of mourning and immeasurable pain by the captains and soldiers of the noble princes allied to him. No one thought that so many tears would be shed in Albania in those Christian countries. His bones were put under and rested in peace until the day when Muhammad II came to Epirus, four years later the Turks who conquered the city of Lezha, eagerly searched for Skanderbeg's body, pulling out his bones. The bones of that man, who once heard his name and ran away, were now snatched away like something sacred. They rushed towards the skeleton and happy was the one who touched them and even more so, the one who hung them as a talisman, that is, as something fabulous....”.
But the strange happens in our official publications. They admit that our national hero died and was buried in Lezha in the cathedral of Saint Kol, but they do not claim in all cases that the Turks violated his grave. This can be seen not only in our textbooks, which, for the sake of truth, do not deal extensively with this matter, as it also happens in more important publications, such as the latest edition of the History of the Albanian People, made by the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Albania. Here is what is said on the pages of this book regarding this problem: "After a few days, on January 17, 1468, in Lezha, his heart stopped beating. The news of Skenderbeu's death caused a heavy and indescribable grief throughout the Albanian people. With his death, it was emphasized in those days in the Venice senate, - the trees have fallen into a great sob and shock.
Gjergj Kastrioti-Skënderbeu was buried in the cathedral of Saint Kolli in Lezha, in the same place where he founded his covenant" (Academy of Sciences. History of the Albanian People. Tirana 2002. Toena. p. 399).
Meanwhile, the Albanian Encyclopedic Dictionary, an edition of the communist era, from 1985, on page 85, in its section titled "Lezha", claims that the hero's tomb was destroyed and violated by the Ottomans.
However, there are also different opinions on the location of Skanderbeg's grave. Similarly, some Albanian historians do not accept the thesis that today's memorial of the hero is his burial place and his ruined church is the cathedral church of Saint Kolli.
On the other hand, they emphasize that the cathedral church of Saint Kolli was located in the fortress of Lezha and the hero was once buried there.
But there was once the archaeologist Frano Prendi, the man who carried out the excavations in the former Selimie mosque. His studies today represent the thesis that Skanderbeg's tomb was located where the present memorial is erected, he states on page 242 in "The II Assembly of Albanological Studies, Vol I, Tirana 1969", that: "The mosque of the castle does not give the impression of being erected on a church, perhaps its constituent elements are missing, but even if it results from a detailed study that it must have been built on the ruins of a shrine, still, the small dimensions do not show us any cathedral church, such as the one where Skanderbeg was buried". So, Prendi's studies, based on the excavations carried out in Lezhë, contradict the thesis that emphasizes that the tomb of Skenderbeu was located in the castle. They underline that the mosque of the castle of Lezha is not large even if it was built on the ruins of a church.
Similarly, the description of the study of this mosque, made by Prof. Alexander Meksi gives us a more complete idea about this problem. Among others Prof. Meksi writes: "...The mosque consists of the prayer hall and the hayat added later in the northern part. The prayer hall is rectangular in plan with plan dimensions of 8.90 m x 7.60 m.... From the construction level it is understood that the mosque was erected in a hurry... Its construction must be related to the reconstruction of the Lezha fortress by the Turks... which was carried out in 1521-1522" (Aleksandër Meksi, Architecture of Churches of Albania, XV-XIX centuries, Uegen, Tirana, 2007, p. 130-131).
Meanwhile, it turns out that the former cathedral of Saint Kolli was never in the fortress of Lezha, where the ruins of a small mosque were found, which was not built as was usually the case by the Turks, who after conquering Christian countries converted them churches in the mosque.
But the most interesting thesis about Skanderbeg's tomb is the one from 1968, by researcher Dhosi Liperi. It was published in January 1968 at the Second Conference of Albanological Studies held in Tirana, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Skanderbeg's death.
But surprisingly, his thesis that Skanderbeg's tomb was previously transferred to a second, secret burial site did not find the support and interest of researchers and historians, and thus remained in oblivion. Entitled "The grave and the sword of Skenderbeu according to popular legends", the statement summarized a lot of direct evidence collected by the author in the provinces of Zadrima, Mati, Kruja and Mirdita. Surprisingly, all the legends of the people showed that the Turks never found the real grave of Skanderbeg.
"Tuba chatted with the old people, they said that when the Turkish army came and occupied Lezhne, they searched for Skanderbeg's grave and they took three hundred graves to find Skanderbeg's remains, but they didn't find his grave and Skanderbeg's grave is missing. cool. The Albanians, as they say, are the old men of Zadrima". Originally told by Hil Kola from the village of Gramsh in Lezha, in September 1964, this legend along with many others led Dhosi Liper to conclude that, after Skanderbeg's death, his comrades-in-arms spread the slogan that the Turks destroyed him hero's tomb, but they did not find the remains inside, because they had been secretly removed from them before, to be placed in a new tomb, which unfortunately was never found.
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It is also interesting that in the mosque of Lezha during the years of the First World War, graves were excavated and opened to find that of Skanderbeg, by specialized units of the invading Montenegrin, Serbian, Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies. This is what Dhosi Liperi quotes again in the same statement, when he gives us the testimony of another man from Lezha.
Interviewed in September 1964, Nikoll Lleshi, from the village of Ishull Lezhë, among others, says: "Masi fled Austria and Italy, I and other friends were looking to find Skenderbeg's grave in the courtyard of the mosque. We also discovered some graves, mostly Muslims, who died and were buried there. We used to tell them: "Your father is good, so open this grave, near the mosque." They opened the grave and wiped us out, I followed in order not to meet in Skanderbeg's grave, but we didn't kill them. Five to six young women were hatched like this, because they were not left alone in the courtyard of the mosque" (Second Conference of Albanological Studies. Vol. III. Tirana 1969. P 341-342).
This fact makes us suspect especially the Austrians, who are known not only for the seriousness and scrupulousness of Albanian studies, but also for the great success in archaeological discoveries in Albania during the years 1916-1918. It seems that they had prior information (probably from Venetians or Ragusians) that Skanderbeg's tomb had not been found by the Turks, and for this reason they engaged in digging in Lezha. It is known that in 1815 the Congress of Vienna gave Austria, Venice and Dalmatia together with Ragusa (Dubrovnik) under their control. Thus, along with the sovereignty of Venice, the Austrians also took possession of its archives, which have not yet been illuminated for the history of this era. Perhaps the desire of the Austrians was to attach to the helmet and sword of the "Hero" in Vienna his bones, which they hoped to find here. But here comes another fact. Because the foreigners with their specialized teams did not dig in the fortress of Lezha but in its city.
The answer is simple! Lezha Castle, which took its final form as a medieval castle sometime in the XI-XII centuries (Gjerak Karaiskaj. 5000 Years of Fortifications in Albania. Tirana 1981. Pg 129), if you look carefully it turns out that it has a small surface .
And a large cathedral could not be built in a small garrison castle. Thus the kasha of Saint Kolli was located in the city of Lezha and not in the castle. Archaeologists have also proven the same. This has been proven by the archaeologist Frano Prendi, whom we quoted above.
But let's also see some of the testimonies of people who visited Lezha during the 1851th century. This is how Hekardi describes its castle, when he visited it in 1856-2008: "There, surrounded by ruins, there are three houses built by the Turks to house the garrison, which at the time I visited the castle, consisted of by four local soldiers and an artilleryman. Three small, disused brass balls make up the whole armament. Several cisterns that once served to collect rainwater used by residents and soldiers are artfully constructed and quite well preserved. On the arches that are still standing, the only ones left from the palace of the old feudal lords, you see three old marble emblems (Hyacinthe Hecquard. History and Description of Upper Albania or Gegëria. Tirana. Plejad 73. Pg 1988). So, this space described by Hekardi was so "big" that several houses, a center-residence building and several ancillary facilities could be built. Even the well-known architect and restorer of cultural monuments Koço Zheku, in his book "Oak in the Centuries", published in Tirana in 109, on page XNUMX, claims based on the studies carried out here, that the Turks built a courtyard in the castle fortified, palaces and a mosque. Even in today's conditions, the photos taken from the air show how little space the Lezha fortress covers.
In the meantime, let's go back to the testimonies of foreign travelers of the 73th century, about what they saw in the Lezha fortress. Let's pick up with Hekard where we left off halfway through. Here's what he says further: "...of what remains of the palace of the old feudal lords, you see three old marble emblems, in one of which you can still distinguish a woman and a man, their heads surrounded by a crown and with a Greek cross between them, in the second is seen a lion raised on its two hind legs, and in the third an eagle with spread wings, clasping in its claws a serpent, the emblem of which is said to have been found in armor of the Kastriots" (H. Hecquard. Ibid. P 2002). So, only these objects were seen in the fort by the French consul Hecard. Similarly, another foreign consular representative, Theodor Ipen, who visited the Lezha castle in the last years of the 208th century, describes it like this:- "The castle is entered through the gate you see from the east. In front of it there is a mass of graves where members of the Bejler families of Lezha are buried, as well as a tomb of a forgotten Muslim saint" (Theodor Ipen. Old Albania. Tirana. KeB. 209. Pg 210). While a little further down on page 210, Ipeni states that: "The ruins of a mosque occupy the middle of the inner space of the castle. It is without a roof and with partially ruined walls." It is precisely in this mosque that Ipeni raises the wrong and a priori hypothesis, without being based on facts, that, according to the rule that the Turks turned churches into mosques, and that here should have been the church of Saint Kolli where Skanderbeg is buried. He himself rejects his incorrect allusion, when on page XNUMX, in the same book, he says in a straight lecture that: "In this mosque, no sign has been found to show that Skanderbeg's grave is there" (Th. Ipen Ibid. p. XNUMX). The contradictory information of Ipen is nothing but the wish of foreign travelers of the XNUMXth century, whose descriptions were not only superficial and romantic but also had a pronounced dose of amateurism. Although they wrote their impressions of the trip not with the intention that they would later become evidence of scientific debates and as such should be viewed with great skepticism and reservations.
Let's look at a few more. Such are the testimonies of the English painter Eduard Lir during his visit to Lezhë, he makes this description which we find in his book "Travel Diary", recently published in Albanian. "About four o'clock I reach Alessio, the wretched village which now represents the ancient Lisus, many ruins of which (such as the ancient Acrolis) are still to be seen round about and on the top of the well-known hill, which rises above the shop-streets which form the main part of today's city.
The rest of Lezha consists of houses surrounded by gardens, by the riverside (where a mostly Christian population lives) or by the suburban residences of the Muhedans on the hillside. At the top of the hill is a mosque, and legend says that here, under the ruins of a Christian church, rest the remains of Skenderbeu (Eduard Lear In Albania. Travel Diary 1848-1849. Tirana 2008. Plejad. Pg. 97).
Thus, it already seems that Liri's testimony is reliable, who, having no interest in history, not only did not go to see the ruins of the castle himself, but tells us what he heard from Signor Xyzepja, an Italian who served in Lezhë and sheltered him here.
So Lexus draws its own conclusions already. Anyway, Saint Kolli was not in the castle but in the city. For this I believe that we cannot question Barleti when he says that "Skënderbeu was buried in the city of Lezha in the largest church of Saint Kolli" (M. Barleti. Historia e Skënderbeu. Tirana 1967. Pg 494). So the "humanist" does not say that she was in the castle.
Even Sami Frashëri, the greatest erudite of the Albanian National Renaissance, in his encyclopedic work "General Dictionary of History and Geography", published in Istanbul in 1889, in the voice of Lezha, writes that: "It had beautiful buildings and fortifications, it was quite large and flourishing. Of the five large churches of that time, one was converted into a mosque and then demolished. It is said that Skënderbeu was buried in the vicinity of this, however, the grave is nowhere to be found" (Sami Frashëri. Work II. Tirana 1988. Pg 352).
Meanwhile, the strongest evidence that completely refutes the thesis that Skenderbeu was buried in the fortress of Lezha, is the writing of Prenk Doçi, "Topografia e Lezha", published in dt. September 30, 1885, in De Rada's newspaper, "Fiamuri i Arbër". In it, the author, who gives a broad description of the city, history, castle, population and surroundings of Lezha, does not tell us anything about such a fact. And let's not forget that the writing belongs to 1885.
Among others, Prenk Doçi writes about Lezha Castle: "Lezha Castle, as a strategic place, is not found in any province of Upper Albania. The walls of the castle are made of four-pointed stones, with very large rocks that look natural. Two four-cornered towers guard the entrance to the castle. The place of Saraj is distinguished. Three marble slabs appear. The first one shows a man's face and a woman's face with a crown at the top with Greek letters. On the second, a lion is seen thrown up and on the third, an Albanian with open arms can be seen with a snake stuck with her toenails. The Turkish authorities are very suspicious of the Albanians who often visit this fortress, even though it is in ruins" (Jeronim De Rada. Fiamuri i Arbër. Prepared by Ahmet Kondo. Tirana 1967. Pg 115).
During the attacks on Lezha in 1478 and 1501, the Turks burned down the Cathedral Church of Saint Kolli. In 1580, the karakatina of the church, which was considered by the locals as a holy place, was transformed by the invaders into a mosque named "Selime". Farlati quotes Cardinal Alciati, who states in his notes that the church existed until 1575 (Daniele Farlati, Ilyricum Sacrum, VII p 323). Another testimony tells us that the Turks also destroyed the former church cemetery by throwing the bones of the graves into the nearby Drin river (Harvat Glasnik XXI, Dok 83). So what is said that the Turks tried to completely eradicate the memory of Skanderbeg may be true. While the bishop of Lezha, B. Orsini, states in 1628, that the Turks 40 years ago, sometime in 1580, laid hands on the church, turning it into a mosque, but quickly gave up because three monks had fallen from the minaret and died (I. Zamputi. Relations on the condition of Northern and Central Albania, in the 1610th century, Volume I, 1634-1963. Tirana 401. Page XNUMX). Here we are talking about the church of St. Kolli or the Great Church, as Barleti calls it, which was transformed into the later Selimie mosque.
Until 1967, the mosque was owned by the Albanian Muslim Community. With the ban that the communist state made on religious beliefs and the sequestration of the properties of these entities, this cult object was administered by the Institute of Cultural Monuments in Tirana, which took it under guardianship. Thus, based on the historical documentation, the archeological excavations started, which were carried out by the archaeologist Frano Prendi. In 1967, it was discovered that the mosque was built on the foundations of a church, where with further excavations it was possible to discover some parts of frescoes, in the lower part of the walls, as well as a pit inside it. Based on the fact that the churches were also mausoleums of prominent people, this pit was assumed to be the grave robbed by the Turks of Skanderbeg.
After many efforts, archaeologists and restorers made the church transform as much as possible in the state of 1501, when it was burned by the Turks. On it was built in 1981, the memorial with the appearance it still has today.
It should be noted that the Memorial of today's grave of Skanderbeg creates something of the former atmosphere of the XNUMXth century. Inside the church, in its apse, there is a bust of Skenderbeu, made by the sculptor Odise Paskali. In the center of its hall, next to the altar, there is a granite slab, on which copies of Skanderbeg's sword and shield are placed. On both walls of the church are fixed a row of decorative shields showing the battles of Skanderbeg. Next to them, two destroyed parts of frescoes remind us of the former religious function of this shrine.
Today it is fully proven that Skenderbeu died in Lezha on January 17, 1468 and that around her, Barleti says that he was seized by a pair of strong fevers, which were none other than malaria, from which the entire Adriatic Lowland suffered. This thesis, which was the only one until a few years ago, has already begun to be questioned through new historical publications on the Hero's life.
Although these are problems that historiography will solve later. While we are intrigued by the fact that why Skanderbeg was buried in Lezha and not in Kruja or somewhere else. Barleti points out that he was buried according to the custom of his great-grandfathers. But what was this custom? Here I think we should stop and make an analogy with the burial customs and tradition of the 2001th century. Today we have some evidence from the Kastriot burial tradition. One of them is the one on the grave of Skanderbeg's brother, Reposh, buried in the monastery of Hilandari, on the Holy Mountain in Greece. The tomb is located inside the cathedral, under the narthex (porticum), on the northern wall (K. Balli-L. Gliozheni; Holy Mountain-Microcosm of the Byzantine World. Tempulli. Korçë 157. Pg XNUMX).
Thus, we can say how, feudal lords the Kastriots were buried inside the churches they cared for or had connections with. This also happened with Skenderbeu's sister Mara, his wife Donika, as well as his son Gjon. This problem has been extensively dealt with by Prof. Valter Shtylla, who in his writing "The Kastriot family. The Monuments Speak", published on 6. 12. 2008 in the Standard Newspaper, states that Donika, Skanderbeg's wife, may have been buried in the portico of the royal monastery of San Trinidad in Valencia, Spain. Also in Naples, in the portico of the church of Santa Maria la Nova, Skanderbeg's grandson, Constantine, the son of his son, John, is buried. Likewise, Mara, the hero's sister, married to the prince of Montenegro, Stefan Cernojevic, is buried inside the church of Saint Mary, in the monastery-mausoleum of the Cernojevics located on the island of Komi, in the lake of Shkodra.
Also, one of the legends that circulates even today in the locality of the Kastriots, in Mat, says that Vojsava, Hero's mother, is buried in the church of Shtjefni (Saint Stephen). Published by Dilaver Kurti, it is classified among the important oral sources for the Kastriot family (Dilaver Kurti. Iliro-Arbërore Inheritance. DeaS. Tirana 1999. Pg 312).
So, from the arrangement of these facts and testimonies, it turns out that even Skënderbeu could not have made an exception from the family tradition and according to many possibilities, he could have been buried inside the church-cathedral of Saint Kolli. Archaeologists followed this logic when they suggested that the empty pit that was found inside the ruined church of today's memorial could be exactly where the Hero might have been buried. At least this is the hypothesis that is closest to the truth. While it is known that churches have also served as mausoleums for prominent people. We also have such examples in Albania, starting from the early Christian churches and continuing to the later ones, in the 1800s. We can mention the churches of the monasteries of Saint Mary of Zvërnec, Apollonia, Ardenica, or some others.
The figure of Skënderbeu was highly respected by the Albanians and his burial place definitely became a place of pilgrimage. This could very well serve the Republic of Saint Mark, which after the death of Skanderbeg took over the war with the Ottomans in this region of the Western Balkans.
It is strange that Barleti's testimony that his tomb was robbed finds no basis in support, for to this day no bones of his body have been found, which could have been kept as talismans by the Turkish soldiers, who robbed them by tore them apart. It is known and recognized the mystification of such objects, which over time take on bigger and bigger roles. How is it possible that not even one such piece has been preserved, when until 1945, when the properties of the old Albanian aristocracy were seized, much older and very valuable items and objects were found in the collections of their houses . But for our case, surprisingly, there is no such evidence, ie. it is likely that the hero's tomb may not have been violated by the Turks. Why does Barleti give us such a testimony? Maybe it happened that way too. Skëderbeu and his comrades had predicted that the grave could be violated in the future by the Turks, therefore the remains may have been pulled from the grave to be placed in a new grave. This may have been done later by someone, about whom we can only hypothesize. It was Venice, the Church, the family or from a small part of those comrades who had remained alive. Perhaps the popular memory that gives us another variant is right in this case. But what the Ottoman sources say in this case. Regarding this topic, we have the testimonies of several authors, such as Ibn Kemal, Hoxha Sadedini, Idris Bitlisi, Tursuni, etc. (Turkish Albanian War in the XV century. Ottoman sources. Tirana 1968). Their evidence consists of the abandonment of the city of Lezha by Venice and the inhabitants during the Turkish campaign of 1479 for the conquest of Shkodra. This is what Ibn Kemal says, among others, in the seventh book of his work Histories of the Ottoman Dynasty, excerpted from the above volume. "When the conquering army was placed in full majesty at the foot of the walls and when it stretched out its hand towards the victory dress, then the disobedients of Lesh (Lezha), the blood ran out of fear, their faces remained as dry as the frescoes of the churches... finally they saw that the surrounding provinces were overrun by the army overflowing like the Nile and raging like mountain streams, and that their citadel remained as an island in this world-flooding sea.
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In the "Albania" square in Rome, the 552nd anniversary of the death of Skenderbeu is marked
They well understood that Leshi would escape from their hands by fighting and fighting, and if they did not leave in time to save their heads, then the ship of their troops would be drowned in the whirlpool of war. When the rata realized that they could no longer stay on land, they preferred to escape by the sea. In the evening they set fire to the entire castle and completely burned everything inside...They burned their country with their own hands and with their tyrannical actions destroyed everything" (Albanian Turkish War in the XV Century. Ottoman sources. Tirana 1968 .Page 223). So the Turkish chronicler who, among others, describes in the most detailed way the conquest of Lezha by the Ottoman Turks, mentions that Venice and the Albanians burned and destroyed the castle of Lezha before it was conquered by the Ottomans. He and other Turkish chroniclers do not give us any information about the robbed tomb of Skanderbeg by the Ottomans. Here is what Ibn Kemal says a little below: "The insurgents who were inside the castle of Lesh and the corpses of those killed were completely burned. Their smoke filled the horizon and darkened the firmament. In this way, the fiery army also conquered this fort by war. It turned into piles of dirt. This region was cleansed of the filth of the pagans by means of water and gray swords. They returned to Shkodër, enriched, victorious and with many spoils" (ibid., p. 226).
Thus, the Turkish chronicler's testimony refutes not only Barleti's testimony about the robbery of Skanderbeg's tomb, but also Kristo Frashëri's thesis that his memorial was kept in the Lezha castle until the 223th century. It seems that Dhosi Liperi may have been right when he built his hypothesis that: the remains of the hero were removed by the Albanians before Lezha was conquered by the Ottoman Turks. This is reinforced again by the Turkish chronicler who, in the same source, states: "the residents disembarked and boarded the galleys that stood ready near the walls of the castle. There were no women and children left in the castle, neither young men nor old men, all together with their booty filled the ships. All night until morning they loaded the ships and emptied the interior of the castle...They emigrated from the homeland" (ibid., pp. 224-108). This departure of the inhabitants, the researcher Koço Zheku, in the same book that we quoted above, describes us as follows: "Actually, the castle and everything inside it were burned by the citizens, before the Turkish army arrived to occupy it. After the destruction of the castle, the people abandoned the city and left in boats across the river towards the open sea (pg 109)….the city and everything that was inside it was burned and destroyed by those who had built it, by its inhabitants. Therefore, this time the destruction was radical, so that nothing could serve the enemy" (K. Zheku. Lisi in Shekuj. Pg XNUMX). Perhaps the church of Saint Kolli (taken in Koha Joňa) also had this fate.
