"We are the sons of Skenderbeu"/ Himara, the heart of Labëria and a story with Gjon Kastrioti

Historian Pëllumb Xhufi, invited to "Alhqip", spoke about Himara and the Middle Ages.

" It was part of a three, that of Labëria, which included about 60 villages, where the heart was Himara. The history of the Middle Ages of this region of Labëria cannot be understood without Himara. Himara has been the center of uprisings.

It is enough to remember one fact. After the death of Skenderbeu, his son Gjoni came because the inhabitants of Himara called him. He went with two of his cousins, and they put themselves in charge of this uprising.

The uprising ended with the capture of the sanjakbey of Vlora who went to suppress that uprising. They captured him and took him as a trophy to the king of Naples.

If you go today to the village of Shirgji, which used to be a city, you will see the church of Shirgji. Shirgji was a venerated saint in Albanian lands, he is also in Çameri.

The Church of Shirgji still exists today and two double-headed eagles with royal crowns are carved on the entrance post. This was the coat of arms of Skanderbeg's descendants from Italy.

The identification of the Himarjotes with the Skenderbeu family continues in 1589, when Gregory the 13th wrote to the Pope that: We Himarjotes are the sons of Skenderbeu, we fought with Skenderbeu and he was our king".

Even later there are endless documents. I have also used many of them in a book about southern trees that I found in the archives of Venice. There you have names, even modern names that the Himarjots have, but there are also letters that they wrote to the Bailius of Corfu, the king of Naples, the king of Spain and even the king of Austria, where they are always presented as Albanians. They do not present themselves as a people, nor as Greeks,"  said Xhufi.