Variboba, one of its first students, was ordained as a priest in 1749 and returned to his native San Giorgio to assist his elderly father Giovanni, archpriest of the parish.

In later years, his polemic support for a transition to the Latin rites made him quite unpopular with both his parish and with the local church hierarchy in Rossano, in particular after his direct appeal to the Pope.

This loosely structured poem of 4,717 lines, written entirely in the dialect of San Giorgio Albanese and loaded with much Calabro-Sicilian vocabulary, is devoted to the life of the Virgin Mary from her birth to the Assumption.

Variboba is unique in early Albanian literature, both in his clear and simple poetic sensitivities and in the variety of his rhythmic expression, though the quality of his verse does vary considerably.

The strength of The life of the Virgin Mary interspersed as it is with folk songs, lies indeed in its realistic and down-to-earth style, often pervaded with humour and naivety, and in the fresh local colour of its imagery.