Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.53745/ccp.50.97.1
The Croatian Literary Society of St. Jerome in Communist Yugoslavia – the Postwar Years
Danica Marčeta
Abstract
The Croatian Literary Society of St. Jerome was founded in 1868 under the patronage of the Archbishop of Zagreb, Juraj Haulik, with the aim of publishing fine and instructive literature enriched with Christian values. Through its publishing activities, it sought to reach the broadest segments of society–primarily peasants and workers—in order to promote the general education of the people by offering good, affordable, and popular books of an entertaining and educational nature. The Croatian Literary Society of St. Jerome is one of the oldest cultural institutions in Croatia, alongside Matica hrvatska and the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, and it continues to exist today. Throughout its long history, it has faced various difficulties, and after the Second World War it was dissolved, while its members and associates were accused of fascist activities. The new authorities, who were building the new state on atheistic foundations, sought to reduce the publishing activity of the Society to a minimum, thereby marginalizing its traditional role in the social and cultural life of Croatia. The property of the dissolved Society was taken over by the newly established Croatian Literary Society of Sts. Cyril and Methodius. The Society was named by the Catholic priest Svetozar Ritig, a strong advocate of the Slavic idea, which was prominent in Yugoslavia in the early postwar years. The Society’s publishing activity was limited to books of a religious nature: prayer books, manuals for religious instruction for youth and adults, calendars, almanacs, and journals. Many members and associates were convicted and deprived of the right to write and engage in public activity, and Jeronimian publications were removed from bookstores and libraries. Despite modest publishing activity subject to strict control by the Communist Party, the Society survived and operated in the former Yugoslavia, contributing to the preservation of Christian and traditional values among the Croatian people.preservation of Christian and traditional values among the Croatian people.
Keywords
Croatian Literary Society of St. Jerome; Catholic Church; Communist Party; the Danica calendar; Pavao Lončar
Hrčak ID:
350451
URI
Publication date:
23.8.2026.
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