shën

Shën is the Albanian-language honorific meaning “Saint,” used as a prefix before the name of a Christian saint. It corresponds to the Latin sanctus and to the English “Saint.” In Albanian, the form Shën is used across Catholic and Orthodox communities and appears in liturgy, hagiography, church dedications, and public inscriptions. The spelling includes the diacritic ë, written as Shën, and is placed before proper names such as Shën Gjergj (Saint George) and Shën Pali (Saint Paul).

The prefix is widespread in Albanian-speaking areas, including Albania, Kosovo, parts of North Macedonia and Montenegro, and among diaspora communities. It commonly occurs in religious calendars and feast days, in the naming of churches or holy sites, and in place names or signs referencing saints. In Albanian-language religious literature, saints are typically introduced with Shën, reflecting the long-standing Christian traditions of the region.

Shën is not generally used as a standalone given name; rather, it functions as a title or honorific attached to the name of a saint in religious language, and it persists in everyday speech, inscriptions, and cultural practices related to saints. Its continued use illustrates the enduring influence of Christian tradition on Albanian linguistic and cultural life.