He was known for protecting the Slavs in the region of Macedonia from Ottoman tyranny.
He organized the failed Himara Revolt against the Ottoman Empire.
In 1596 Athanasius sought to end Ottoman rule and contacted the Venetians, meeting with Angelo Basadonna, the provveditore of Corfu, in Butrint.
He then visited the Pope in Rome, where he asked for aid in the organization of an uprising in Macedonia.
[6] Athanasius went back to Albania in the summer of 1596, and stayed in Himara.