Original scientific paper
Occasional literary production in Split in the second half of the 18th century
Miroslav Rožman
orcid.org/0000-0001-7429-728X
Abstract
The Croatian literary production of the 18th century is not considered particularly abundant, the segment of it written in Croatian being even less plentiful. In Split, the dominant language of written forms was Italian, the language of education in Split and Dalmatia at the time. In 1700, Cosmi, the Archbishop of Split, founded the city`s first public school, Archdiocesan Seminary and gymnasium. The Illyrian Academy was founded approximately at the same time, while the exact time it ceased to exist is unknown. Furthermore, in 1767 the Economic Society of Split, existing until the end of the century, was established. Archdiocesan Seminary, together with the subsequently founded Economic Society of Split formed the focal points of city`s intellectual elite: the seminarian elite consisting of professors - members of the gymnasium staff, and the members of the Economic Society of Split; the most educated noblemen and citizens of Split. These circles are precisely where a certain degree of literary production is noted, both in poetry and in prose, especially related to various festive occasions. Due to the fact that Split did not have a printing office until the beginning of the 19th century , the majority of literary works of the Split circle has been preserved in manuscript. This work provides basic information on authors and their prose and poetry works written for three various festive occasions in the second half of the 18th century in Split. Chronologically, the first festive occasion was marked in 1770 when Ivan Luka Garagnin, the Archbishop of Split, had a new chapel and an altar built in the cathedral, and he had the remains of St. Domnius moved there from one of the older altars inside the cathedral. The texts for this occasion were collected by, at the time, still very young Rados Anton Michieli Vitturi, who later became a distinguished Dalmatian physiocrat, along with eight other authors. The collected texts were all dedicated to Archbishop Garagnin. The second festive occasion, the baptism of two young Jews from Split, took place in 1777, and the panegyrics written to mark it were dedicated to Archbishop Garagnin as well. The number of the authors who wrote texts for this occasion grew to fourteen. The texts are preserved in a lavishly bound manuscript book. The third and the most comprehensive collection of panegyrics was written at the end of 1789 and it was dedicated to Vincenzo Bembo, the 174th prince of Split, a captain, and a Venetian official to mark the end of his service in the city. The authors all belonged to the ranks of communal and church dignitaries, mostly members of the Economic Society of Split.
The first solemn recital was held, most probably, at the communal theatre on May 12, 1770 when the first larger Croatian musical work was performed; La Translazione di San Doimo, an oratorio by Julije Bajamonti . The second took place in the Convent of St. Clare, while it is highly likely that the third was, once again, performed at the communal theatre on December 2, 1789.
The texts this work refers to have not been analysed or reproduced. The goal was to draw attention to their existence and the circumstances they were written in. Concise notes on 29 authors of the texts are provided together with references to bibliography where this matter is more thoroughly analysed and texts integrally published.
Keywords
Split; 18th century; intellectual elites; literary production; Neoclassicism
Hrčak ID:
149977
URI
Publication date:
26.10.2015.
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