Mother Teresa Cathedral

The Mother Teresa Cathedral dedicated to Saint Teresa of Calcutta in located in the city centre Prishtina. While the cathedral itself is primarily used for prayers and masses by Catholic Christians, many people use the opportunity of going up to the clock tower to overlook the city because of its 360-degree view, or just use the place around the cathedral to pass by. Originally, before the cathedral was started to be built, the place was since the early 20th century used by students going to school until the later named Xhevdet Doda Gymnasium was destroyed in 2008. Besides serving as an education facility, it was used “as a prison during the interwar period”.

By recording various audios inside and around the cathedral as well as on the clock tower, this project aims to show what daily life in and around the cathedral looks and sounds like nowadays. The inside of the cathedral can most of the time be characterized by silence except for the steps and whispers of people visiting it, while in the evenings and Sunday mornings it becomes a place of worship.

In contrast, the common sound of wind is typical for the surroundings, no matter whether you are staying in front of the cathedral on its left/right side, or on the clock tower. In addition, sounds of daily life can be heard, such as children playing nearby, people crossing the place on their way home or to work, the cars on the highway at the back of the cathedral, the market in front of the cathedral as a place of consumerism, or music of a café.