Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.48188/so.6.15
Croatian as an international language in the 16th and 17th centuries: evidence from the Vatican Archives
Stjepan Krasić
; Dominican Monastery, Dubrovnik, Croatia
*
* Dopisni autor.
Sažetak
Aim: To perform a detailed analysis of documents from the 16th and 17th centuries concerning the Croatian language preserved in the Vatican archives.
Methods: The study was conducted in the historical archive of the former Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (Congregatio de Propaganda Fide) and focused on periods of intensive missionary activity and the linguistic policies of the Catholic Church during the 16th and 17th centuries, when strategies for the evangelization of Slavic peoples were be-ing formulated.
Results: Based on consultations with prominent linguists, the Catholic Church selected the Croatian language (lingua croat-ica) as the most suitable for communication with Slavic pop-ulations. Consequently, in 1599, the Academy of the Illyrian Language (Academia linguae Illyricae) was established at the Roman College, as “Illyrian” was at that time a common term used in Italy to refer to the Croatian language. This article presents the letter from Slovak linguist Theophilus Kristek to Spanish linguist Alfonso Carrillo, dated September 27, 1599, advocating for Croatian as the most appropriate Slavic lan-guage for inclusion in the educational system, and Carrillo’s subsequent letter to the Jesuit Superior General Claudio Acquaviva, dated January 24, 1600, recommending Croatian as the most suitable language for printing liturgical books for the Eastern Slavic peoples. The article further reproduc-es the Decree of Pope Gregory XV dated December 6, 1622 mandating the teaching of Illyrian and Arabic throughout the Venetian Republic; the Decree of Pope Urban VIII dat-ed October 16, 1623, which includes Hebrew, Greek (both classical and vernacular), Arabic, Chaldean, and Illyrian in the curricula of the most prestigious European universi-ties; the official instructions from the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, dated 17 December 1624, to all heads of religious orders concerning the thorough linguistic preparation of future missionaries; and the correspondence between the Congregation and the Dominican Order on the same matter, which concluded in 1628 with a text adopted by the General Chapter of the Order.
Conclusion: In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Croatian lan-guage acquired a prestigious status within European in-tellectual circles as an “international language”, enjoying equal importance with traditionally esteemed languages such as Hebrew, Chaldean, Greek, Latin, and Arabic. Church authorities promoted Croatian as a pan-Slavic language, elevating it to a status of an obligatory curricular study subject. It was studied at the most distinguished European universities, including those in Paris, Salamanca, Oxford and Bologna.
Ključne riječi
Croatian language; Academia linguae Illyricae; Slavic peoples; early language manuals; Faust Vrančić; Bartol Kašić
Hrčak ID:
337793
URI
Datum izdavanja:
10.11.2025.
Posjeta: 552 *