The Belgrade printing house was a printing house established by count ( sr, knez) Radiša Dmitrović in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

Ottoman Serbia Most of the territory of what is now the Republic of Serbia was part of the Ottoman Empire throughout the Early Modern period, especially Central Serbia and Southern Serbia, unlike Vojvodina which had passed to Habsburg rule starting from the ...

(today the capital of

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

). It was the first printing house in Belgrade. After Dmitrović's death, the printing house was taken over by Trojan Gundulić, who organized publishing of the first and only book of this printing house, the Gospel, printed and edited in 1552 by Hieromonk Mardarije.

Under Dmitrović

Count Radiša Dmitrović, a Serb nobleman and native of

Herzegovina Herzegovina ( or ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Hercegovina, separator=" / ", Херцеговина, ) is the southern and smaller of two main geographical region of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Bosnia. It has never had strictly defined geogra ...

, bought the printing press and types and employed

Hieromonk Mardarije Hieromonk Mardarije ( sr-cyr, Јеромонах Мардарије; 1552–66) was a Serbian Orthodox hieromonk and one of the most important early Serb printers. Mardarije was the first Belgrade printer and last great printer of srbulje books. ...

as editor and printer. Some earlier sources speculated that the Belgrade in question was actually Berat in

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

or some other Belgrade on the Balkans. Dmitrović died before the first book was printed in his printing house. According to some sources, he died before the printing press he bought was even delivered to him, while some other sources say he died during the printing of the first book.

Under Gundulić

After Dmitrovićs death, the printing press was received by

Trojan Gundulić Trojan Gundulić ( it, Troiano Gondola; c. 1500 - c. 1555) was a merchant and printer from the Republic of Ragusa who is remembered for his participation in the printing of the first book in Belgrade, '' The Four Gospels'' ("Četverojevanđelje" ...

, a member of the noble Gondola family, who lived in the large colony of Ragusans in Belgrade as an illegitimate son of a Ragusan nobleman. Gundulić moved the press to his house, which was located in the part of the Belgrade called Zerek, near the Bayrakli mosque, which is today Gospodar Jevremova Street. Gundulić personally sold books in Belgrade. Gundulić did not find the printing business profitable, however, and did not continue with it.

Aftermath

Hieromonk Mardarije moved the printing press from Belgrade to the Mrkšina crkva monastery and established the

Mrkšina crkva printing house The Mrkšina crkva printing house ( sr, Штампарија Манастира Мркшина Црква; Мркшиначка штампарија) was a printing house established in 1562 in the Monastery of Mrkšina Crkva in village Kosjerić i ...

there. According to some sources, it was Mardarije who inspired first Dmitrović and then Gundulić to invest in the printing business and who organized all activities during the set-up of the printing house in Belgrade. A copy of The Four Gospels is kept in the treasury of the Blagoveštenje Monastery.

Under Dmitrović

Under Gundulić

Aftermath

See also

References

Sources

Further reading