129 years ago, on October 3, 1895, the first Albanian language congress concluded.
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| The portrait of Girolamo de Rada and the the 'Garopoli' gymnasium at Corigliano Calabro, Province of Cosenza |
This congress was held in Corigliano Calabro, in the Province of Cosenza, and was widely reported in the Italian and European press at the time as a significant event. The theme of this Congress was the presentation of the grammatical, lexical, and phonetic aspects of the Albanian language, that ancient, sweet, and melodious language that the Arbëreshë had preserved and cultivated with love and exemplary patriotism.
The Congress was held at the 'Garopoli' gymnasium and was attended by 25 congressmen, linguists, writers, poets, journalists, and distinguished clergy of the Arbëreshë Church.
This linguistic and patriotic scientific event was closely followed by about 500 participants from various communes of Calabria, Campania, Puglia, and Sicily.
The participants in the Corigliano-Calabro Congress approved the establishment of the Albanian National Society, its statute, and its governing council with honorary chairman one of the most important figures of Albanian literature of the 19th century and the Arbëreshë world, Jeronim De Rada (Girolamo de Rada). The Albanian National Society was founded immediately after the Arbëresh Congress, in 1895.