Mother Teresa

Birth Name: Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu

Date of Birth: 26 August, 1910

Place of Birth: Üsküp, Kosovo Vilayet, Ottoman Empire (now Skopje, Macedonia)

Date of Death: 5 September, 1997

Place of Death: Calcutta, West Bengal, India

Ethnicity: Albanian

Mother Teresa, or Teresa of Calcutta, was a Roman Catholic religious sister and missionary. She has been declared a saint by Pope Francis. During her lifetime, Mother Teresa lived in Ireland and India, and acquired citizenship in the latter.

Mother Teresa had said:

By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the heart of Jesus.

She was the daughter of Dranafile Bernai and Nichollë Bojaxhiu, who was involved in politics. Nichollë was born in Prizren, Kosovo Vilayet. Dranafile was possibly born somwhere near Gjakovë, Kosovo Vilayet. They were both of Albanian descent.

Some have stated that Nichollë may have been Macedonian. Others have also stated that he was of Vlach descent. It is not clear if there is any evidence for these claims.

Mother Teresa’s paternal grandfather was Lazar Bojaxhiu.

Sources: Genealogy of Mother Teresa (focusing on her father’s side) – http://www.geni.com

Death record of Mother Teresa – https://www.findagrave.com

Birthplaces of Mother Teresa’s parents – http://bjoerna.dk

Photo by Neftali/Bigstock.com