Gjon Kastrioti - Religion

Religion

His religion was directly influenced by the international balance of political powers. It is believed that a popular saying in southern Albania "Where the sword is, there lies religion" (Albanian: Ku është shpata, është feja) have originated from Gjon Kastrioti. When he was an ally of Venice, in period 1407—1410, he was Roman Catholic. After he allied himself with Stefan Lazarević, despot of Serbian Despotate in period 1419—1426, he converted to Orthodoxy, and in 1431 he was converted to Islam because of he was a vassal of the Ottoman Empire.

In 1426 he donated the right to the proceeds from taxes collected from the two villages (Rostuša and Trebište in Macedonia) and from the church of Saint Mary, which was in one of them, to the Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Hilandar in Mount Athos where his son Reposh retired and died in 25 July 1431. Afterwards, in period between 1426 and 1431, Gjon Kastrioti and his sons, with the exception of Stanisha, purchased four adelphates (rights to reside on monastic territory and receive subsidies from monastic resources) to the Saint George tower and to some property within the monastery. In his honor the Saint George tower of Monastery of Hilandar was known as the Albanian tower (Serbian: Arbanaški pirg).

According to Noli, he died Roman Catholic. According to the archives of the Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos, he took monastic vows there and received the name Joachim, becoming an Orthodox monk, where he died.