At the historic Monastery of the Holy Trinity of Pepeli, Metropolitan Nathanael of Gjirokastër celebrated, in memory of the event of the first divine service (after the collapse of the atheist regime), on January 27, 1991, 35 years ago.
At that time, the late martyred Father George Zaros (from Vouliarates) had officiated with priests from Greece, and a multitude of believers from the surrounding villages had gathered, who now felt free, alive, and that faith gave hope to their hearts.
Now, on the feast day of the Translation of the relics of John Chrysostom, the presence of Metropolitan Nathanael of Gjirokastër showed that Orthodoxy triumphed. As if in Albania there was not only a new restoration of icons, but a re-establishment from the ashes of an entire Church.
The Monastery of the Holy Trinity of Pepeli is so old that it has not been determined when it was built.
According to local tradition, from the dense forest that covered the area where the Monastery is located today, a strange light with various colors shone. This happened often and so residents from the surrounding villages gathered and searched the forest. And they discovered the icon of the Holy Trinity shining.
They took the icon with priests and placed it in the shrine of the church of Pepeli, for the people to embrace. However, the icon moved on its own to the original point of its discovery. There they built a small chapel, which later evolved into the famous Monastery of Pepeli.
The late Professor D. Evangelidis wrote in 1919 about this Monastery: "Existing in ancient times, it was rebuilt in the middle of the 18th century and is one of the most important."
The Monastery of the Holy Trinity of Pepeli is yet another proof that the longing for God never fades, no matter how many prohibitions there are, no matter what situations arise. We humans always cast our anchor deep into the sky.
