Ambassador Inid Milo and Counsellor Sonila Turshilla, together with Ambassador of the Republic of Kosova Haxhi Bajraktari and Deputy Ambassador Bujar Deskaj, visited the village of #Mandtritza on 21-22 May 2025.
This visit underlines the preservation of the Albanian national roots in Bulgaria.
Mandritza is one of the most touching testimonies of the resilience of the Albanian identity outside the borders of Albania.
Founded in 1636 by Albanians mainly from the Korca region, Mandritsa is a living treasure of our cultural heritage, bearing witness to the dispersion, survival, and dedication of Albanians to their origins.
We walked through the narrow streets of Mandritsa, its old stone houses, and heard the surviving stories told by Baba Sulltana, Katja, Hristo and others, still reflecting the Albanian language through the memories of the elderly, who preserved the language, traditional songs and rituals passed down through generations.
We were welcomed in the town of Ivaylovgrad by the Mayor of the town, Ms Ovcharova, and her team.
Ambassador Milo while praising Mayor Ovcharova for her contribution in promoting the region’s attractions, such as Mandtritza-the village of the Albanians, underlined the importance of the preservation of Mandritza and of the Albanian language still spoken by the inhabitants, like the Arbëresh settlements in Italy, demonstrating the most archaic forms of the Albanian language.
The visit continued to the Eco-complex called “Bukor Shtepi”-A beautiful house, an investment of Ivaylo Petrov, one of the founders of Mandritza Association.
Now the village has fewer than 70 permanent residents, most of them elderly women.
We met Baba Nora at the church of Saint Elena and Constantine, build in only 7 days on 1806. Time has stopped in this church with similar icons like those in Vithkuq.
Meeting with Katja Ilieva in her house built in 1890, with “qerpic”, with a wooden chimney, and she welcomed us by saying: “Flitni gluhën tonë dhe vatmë e pamë fshanë.”
We also visited #VillaAlmira Villa Armira/Вила “Армира), meaning “Reinforced Villa”, is a 1st-century suburban Roman villa, located in the proximity of Ivaylovgrad.
Albanian language for Four centuries unforgotten in Mandritza and still is spoken so beautifully by Baba Sulltana and others, who is the enciclopedia of Mandtritza.
We look forward to bringing more tourists to Mandritsa, especially from Korça, since the first Albanian to come to Mandritsa was from this region.