Thousands of Albanians gathered in the capital on Thursday to pay their last respects to Archbishop Anastasios, who revived the country’s Orthodox Christian Church after the fall of the country's communist party in 1990.

The funeral service was attended by Orthodox patriarchs, archbishops, ecclesiastical delegations, representatives of the Vatican etc

People gather during the funeral of the late Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durres and All Albania, at the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, in Tirana, Albania, Thursday, Jan. 30,

Under Archbishop Anastasios Yannoulatos’ leadership, after the fall of communism, more than 400 parishes were reopened and several new churches were built.

Archbishop Anastasios, an ecumenical movement leader credited with helping to revitalize the Orthodox Church in Muslim-majority Albania, has died at the age of 95.

The late Archbishop Anastasios of Albania began his final journey today as his relic departed from the Cathedral of Athens at 10:00 a.m., accompanied by the

Once known as "the North Korea of Europe", Albania is turning to its millennia-old sites and rich cultural heritage to recast its image.

Anastasios' body will remain at the church until Monday morning, when it will be transported to Albania for a funeral service and burial.

Divine Liturgy and Trisagion at the Metropolis of Athens - Funeral Mass in Tirana on Thursday at his request - Metropolitan of Korica is the Supervisor of the Archdiocesan Throne

Archbishop Anastasios, a key figure in global Orthodoxy, died at the age of 95. He led the Albanian Orthodox Church since 1992, revitalizing it after its communist-era ban.

Greece's Orthodox Archbishop Ieronymos pays tribute to the late Albania's Archbishop Anastasios during a religious ceremony inside the Athens Orthodox Cathedral, in Athens, Greece, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025.

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania's Archbishop Anastasios, who revived the country's Orthodox Church after the fall of the communist regime in 1990, has died, the church said on Saturday. He was 95.