The Catholic church in Sofia and its chaplains during 
the second half of the 15th century Cover Image
  • Price 4.90 €

Католическата църква в София през втората половина на ХV век и нейните капелани
The Catholic church in Sofia and its chaplains during the second half of the 15th century

Author(s): Vassil Gjuzelev
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, History, Middle Ages, Theology and Religion
Published by: Фондация "Българско историческо наследство"
Keywords: Sofia; Dubrovnik documents; chaplains; Dubrovnik colonies; Sofia Catholic Community; Sofia Catholic Church;15th century;

Summary/Abstract: The trade activities of the Dubrovnik people in the Bulgarian lands were first regulated in 1230 by the Dubrovnik Charter of Tsar Ivan Assen II (1218–1241). Since then, Dubrovnik people have not only visited Bulgaria and actively traded with the local population, but also established colonies in some Bulgarian cities. Among them are Skopje, Sofia, Vidin, Tarnovo and Plovdiv. The first documented presence of Dubrovnik people in Sofia dates from 1376, when an appeal letter from the Dubrovnik administration was handed in to two noble merchants to pay off an accumulated debt. In the course of the Turkish conquest of Bulgaria and after the conquest of Sofia in 1385, the trade activities of the Dubrovnik people stopped for a while. Since the mid-15th century, the Dubrovnik colony in Sofia, consisting mainly of tradesmen, craftsmen and their families, has grown in numbers, and this process has greatly intensified from the 80s on. Gradually, Sofia gained a leading position over the other Dubrovnik colonies on the Balkans. This was conditioned not only by the central location of the city and its large role in the Ottoman Empire, but also by the residence of prominent and wealthy Dubrovnik people, whose relatives held leading positions in the government of the Republic itself, and to a large extent by the many people from Dubrovnik living in Sofia for a long period of time. The appearance of chaplains in the city and their activities is revealed on the basis of a significant number of Dubrovnik documents (testaments, court records, orders for liquidation or protection of property, contracts, etc.). The donations made by Dubrovnik merchants in Sofia in 1516 give a reason to be believed that it was then that the construction of a large Catholic church began. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, there were a number of other accounts of the life of the Catholic community in Sofia, in Dubrovnik documents and in a number of relations between visitators and some travelers.

  • Issue Year: 9/2018
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 449-457
  • Page Count: 9
  • Language: Bulgarian