0 ▁and ▁ 1 3 7 0 , ▁the ▁spread ▁of ▁Catholic ism ▁in ▁Alban ia ▁reached ▁its ▁peak . ▁At ▁that ▁period ▁there ▁were ▁around ▁sevent een ▁Catholic ▁bishop rics ▁in ▁the ▁country , ▁which ▁acted ▁not ▁only ▁as ▁cent ers ▁for ▁Catholic ▁reform ▁within ▁Alban ia , ▁but ▁also ▁as ▁cent ers ▁for ▁mission ary ▁activity ▁in ▁the ▁neighbor ing ▁areas , ▁with ▁the ▁permission ▁of ▁the ▁po pe . ▁At ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 4 th ▁century , ▁the ▁previously ▁Orth odox ▁Auto ce phal ous ▁Arch bishop ric ▁of ▁O hr id ▁was ▁dis m ant led ▁in ▁favor ▁of ▁the ▁Catholic ▁r ite . ▁ ▁Renaissance ▁▁ ▁Christian ity ▁was ▁later ▁over shadow ed ▁by ▁Islam , ▁which ▁became ▁the ▁pre domin ant ▁religion ▁during ▁the ▁invasion ▁from ▁the ▁Ott oman ▁Empire ▁from ▁the ▁ 1 5 th ▁century ▁until ▁the ▁year ▁ 1 9 1 2 . ▁Many ▁Alban ians ▁emb rac ed ▁Islam ▁in ▁different ▁ways . ▁ ▁Alban ia ▁diff ers ▁from ▁other ▁regions ▁in ▁the ▁B alk ans ▁in ▁that ▁the ▁peak ▁of ▁Islam ization ▁in ▁Alban ia ▁occurred ▁much ▁later : ▁ 1 6 th ▁century ▁Ott oman ▁census ▁data ▁showed ▁that ▁san j aks ▁where ▁Alban ians ▁lived ▁remained ▁over wh el ming ly ▁Christian ▁with ▁Muslim s ▁making ▁up ▁no ▁more ▁than ▁ 5 % ▁in ▁most ▁areas ▁( O hr id ▁ 1 . 9 %, ▁Sh k od ra ▁ 4 . 5 %, ▁El bas an