Slavic-language publications by the Propaganda Fide in Rome during the 17th and 18th centuries

Abstract

The present contribution aims to offer a comprehensive account of the publica-
tions in Slavic languages by the Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide in Rome
during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The books were printed in both
the Glagolitic, Cyrillic, and Latin alphabets, and texts include Catholic liturgical
books such as, for example, breviaries and missals, alphabet books, and works
by important theologians: Robert Bellarmine, Juan de Polanco, Juan de Jesús
María, and others. The Propaganda Fide also published a few multilingual titles
for special occasions such as the visit of the Swedish king Gustav III to Rome or
the burial of Princess Maria Clementina Sobieska, with texts in Slavic and many
other languages. The publishing activities of the Propaganda Fide in Slavic lan-
guages played an important role for the development of particularly the South
Slavic written languages, and the publications constitute a significant part of the
European cultural heritage.