The Belgrade printing house ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Београдска штампарија, Beogradska štamparija, separator=" / ") was a printing house established by count () Radiša Dmitrović in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

Ottoman Serbia Ottoman Serbia refers to the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman period in the history of Serbia. Various regions of medieval Serbia came under Ottoman rule already at the end of the 14th century, while the Serbian Despotate fell in 1459. Northern regions o ...

(today the capital of

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

). 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 Regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Bosnia (reg ...

, bought the printing press and types and employed

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

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

Berat Berat (; sq-definite, Berati) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, ninth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality. By air, it is north of Gjirokastër, west of Korçë, south of Tirana, and ea ...

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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 ( sr-Cyrl, Тројан Гундулић, ; c. 1500 - c. 1555) was a merchant and Printer (publishing), printer from the Republic of Ragusa who is remembered for his participation in the Belgrade printing house, ''The Four Gospels ...

, a member of the noble

Gundulić family The House of Gundulić (known in Italian language, Italian as ''Gondola'') was a noble family of the Republic of Ragusa, considered one of the most prestigious families of the republic. It had origins in southern Dalmatia and County of Tyrol, Tyro ...

, 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

Bajrakli Mosque Bajrakli Mosque (also spelled Bayrakli; ''bayrak'' is Turkish for "flag" and ''Bayrakli'' means "with flag"), or variations on that name, may refer to: * Bajrakli Mosque, Belgrade, Serbia * Bajrakli Mosque, Peja, Kosovo * Bayrakli Mosque, Samokov, ...

, 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 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