Printing and Old Romanian Books in the European Cultural Heritage

Abstract

Printing and Old Romanian Books (1508-1830) gained a well-established position in the European Cultural Heritage by the beginning of the 16th century, with the introduction of imprints in Cyrillic typeface, ahead of many European states. The first printing press was introduced in Wallachia in 1508, when hieromonk Macarie issued several religious books in Slavonic at Târgoviște, for Romanian Orthodox Christians and Slavonic people of Europe. Prints in Romanian would enter the cultural circuit as early as the fifth decennium of the 16th century. Transylvanian typographies started their activity by printing books in Latin and German. In 1535 Johan Honterus of Brașov (1498–1549) set a typography, thus establishing the city as one of the centres for the Lutheran believe in Transylvania. In 1544, the Romanian Catechism was published at Sibiu, a text that aimed to promote the Lutheran theology amongst Romanians. Between 1535 and 1557 over 50 works were published in Latin, Greek and German in the typography of Brașov, which then spread across many European countries. After deacon Coresi came to Brașov in the second half of the 16th century, several books were published with Cyrillic typeface in Slavonic, Romanian and bilingual editions for Orthodox Christians. The Romanian printing activity came to a standstill that lasted from the last decennium of the 16th century until the fourth decennium of the 17th century. The activity restarted during the reign of Matei Basarab in Wallachia (1632-1654) and Vasile Lupu in Moldavia (1634-1653). Printing was introduced in Moldavia in 1642 and, in comparison with Wallachia and Transylvania, Romanian was used as main language. Books in Greek, intended for the Orthodox faithful within the Ottoman Empire, were also printed. After 1812, the eastern part of Moldavia was annexed by Tsarist Russia. In 1814, a printing house that provided literature for the churches of the eparchy was set up in Chișinău, the capital city of the province. Some of the books would reach countries of Central and Western Europe or even cultural centres in Ukraine and Russia. In conclusion, books printed within the Romanian countries were mainly for religious purposes. Sets were issued in Romanian, Slavonic, Latin, German and Greek, for the use of Christians throughout both Western and Eastern Europe.