Kisha e Shën Marisë Vau i Dejes, Medieval Catholic church in Vau i Dejës, Albania

Kisha e Shën Mërisë in Vau i Dejës was a Gothic-Romanesque church built in the 13th century and destroyed with dynamite on 30 May 1969. A new church has been built near the ruins of the old one. The old church is depicted on the 1000 lekë banknote issued in 1996.

The church was built in the 13th century in a Gothic-Romanesque style and was listed as an Albanian cultural monument. On 30 May 1969 it was blown up with dynamite on the order of Fadil Ymeri, secretary of the party committee at the Vau i Dejës hydroelectric plant. In 1979 architect Gani Strazimiri filed a lawsuit, but the prosecutor justified the perpetrators, saying they did not know the church was a monument.

The church serves as a gathering place for the Catholic community in northern Albania and maintains religious practices passed down through generations. You can observe how locals continue to honor these traditions during your visit.

The rebuilt church stands beside the ruins of the old one, which was blown up on 30 May 1969; look for the surviving fragments of the earlier building next to the modern structure. The site lies in the Vau i Dejës area of Shkodër region, near the Deja hydroelectric works.

This structure appeared on the Albanian 1000 lek banknote in 1996, reflecting its importance as part of national heritage. This recognition makes it one of the lesser-known symbols of the country's history.