Gjonaj, Prizren

Gjonaj (Albanian: Gjonaj, Serbian Cyrillic: Ђонај/Đonaj) is a village in Prizren municipality, Kosovo. The village lies within the Has region.^[2]

Gjonaj Gjonaj (Albanian) Ђонај/Đonaj (Serbian)
village
Gjonaj
Coordinates: 42.250550°N 20.617239°E / 42.250550; 20.617239
Location	Kosovo
District	Prizren
Municipality	Prizren
Elevation	413 m (1,355 ft)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	4,818
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)

Etymology

The village name Gjonaj derives from the Albanian name Gjon.^[3][4]

History

The village Gjonaj is first mentioned in 1348 in the chrysobull of Serbian Emperor Stefan Dušan, along with eight other Catholic Albanian villages in the Prizren area, these villages are known with the names Gjinovci (Gjinajt), Magjerci, Bjellogllavci (Kryebardhët), Flokovci (Flokajt), Crnça, Caparci (Çaparajt), Shpinadinci (Shpinajt) and Novaci. ^[5][6]

In the place where Gjonaj is today may have stood the town of Guri i Hasit.^[7] A church in Gjonaj is possibly one of the oldest Roman Catholic churches in Kosovo.^[8] Gjonaj is considered to have been the birthplace of Andrea and Pjetër Bogdani.^[9]

Notable People

• Andrea Bogdani, 17th century Albanian scholar and priest.
• Pjetër Bogdani, 17th century Albanian priest, scholar and patriot.
• Elvis Rexhbeçaj, footballer (born 1997)*

References

1. 2011 Kosovo Census results
2. Nexhat Çoçaj (2014), Hasi-Enciklopedi Etnokulturore - Vëllimi II, fq. 8.
3. Gjonaj Family History - Ancestry
4. Albanian population of Dardania - Iljaz Rexha
5. Malcolm, Noel (1999). Kosovo : a short history. New York: HarperPerennial. ISBN 0-06-097775-2. OCLC 41603542. And Dusan's chrysobull of 1348 for the Monastery of the Holy Archangels in Prizren mentions a total of nine Albanian katuns
6. Popullsia Shqiptare E Kosoves Gjate Shekujve - Selami Pulaha, p. 16 ' Shqiptaret ishin te pranishem ne shek. XIV ne zonat e Prizrenit dhe te Shkupit. Ne krisobulen e car Stefan Dushanit dhene Manastirit te shen Mihailit dhe te Gavrilit (1348-1353) ne Prizren behet fjale per pranine e shqiptareve ne Rrafshin e Dukagjinit, ne afersi te Prizrenit dhe te fshatrave te Drenices. Ne te deshmohet per ekzistencen e nente katundeve blegtorale shqiptare ne afersite e Prizrenit te njohura me emrin Gjinovci (Gjinajt), Magjerci, Bjelloglavci, Flokovci (Flokajt), Crnca, Caparci, Gjonovci (Gjonajt), Shpinadinci(Shpinajt), Novaci.'
7. Elsie, Robert (2015). The tribes of Albania : history, society and culture. ISBN 978-0-85773-932-2. OCLC 949885098. p. 279.
8. Plesch, Valerie (2015). "Muslim Kosovars rediscover their long-forgotten Roman Catholic roots".
9. Elsie, Robert (2011). Historical dictionary of Kosovo. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7483-1. OCLC 694772524. Born in Gur i Hasit near Prizren about 1630, Bogdani was educated in the traditions of the Catholic Church, to which he devoted all his energy