Hoçisht

Hoçisht is a village and a former municipality in the Korçë County, southeastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Devoll.[1] The population at the 2011 census was 4,461.[2] The municipal unit consists of the villages Hoçisht, Grace, Baban, Stropan, Eçmenik, Përparimaj, Grapsh, Çipan, Borsh, Bradvicë.[3]

Hoçisht
Municipal unit
Hoçisht
Coordinates: 40°36′N 20°55′E
Country	Albania
County	Korçë
Municipality	Devoll
Population  (2011)
• Municipal unit	4,461
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal Code	7009
Area Code	(0)874

A Greek school was operating in the village of Hoçisht from the middle of the 19th century, until incorporation to the Albanian state, while the local Orthodox community had established a trust fund (called Lasso) for the well being of the locals.[4] In the early 20th century the town of Hoçisht hosted additional Greek educational institutions, including primary and secondary schools for boys and girls, as well as a kindergarten.[5]

In 1905, during the Struggle for Macedonia, Greek revolutionary, Nikolaos Dailakis, had his hideout near the town.[6]

During the Socialist People's Republic of Albania the local church property was confiscated by the state. Today, from the 10 Christian churches in 1967 only 5 survive: Saint Nicholas, Saints Kosmas and Damian, Saint Constantine, Saint John and Saint Kyriake.[4]

At present, a Greek language institution is functioning in the town, as part of a joint Greek-Albanian initiative.[7]

Hoçisht is described as a historically mostly Orthodox Christian town with a historic Church of Cosmas and Damien in Satrivaç that functioned as a "Christian sanctuary" which, like others, was visited by Albanian Christians and Albanian Muslims alike, as well as Roma.[8]