Šimun Kožicic Benja
Encyclopedia
Šimun Kožičić Benja was a Croatia
n nobleman, the bishop of Modruš
and the founder of the Glagolithic printing house in Rijeka
.
He was born into the prominent Benja-Kožičić family. His mother was Venetian from the Contarini household. While his parents wanted him to become a soldier he decided to enter the priesthood. After his education in Zadar and Rome
, he became a canon
and the prefect of the Church of St. John near the port in Zadar.
Pope Julius II
named him bishop of Modruš in 1509 in a time of uncertainty in Croatia
after the Croatian loss to the Ottoman Empire
in the Battle of Krbava Field
of 1493.
Kožičić wrote the well-known work Psaltir which was a small prayerbook which contained some basic Christian prayers, as well as some psalms and other songs for prayer and for use in mass
. These kinds of booklets were the basics which aspiring priests and other believers used to learn to read. On the first page of Kožičić's Psaltir, at the very top, was written a primer which contained all the Croatian letters written in Glagolithic script. After this came the Our Father, Hail Mary
and the start of the Apostles Creed.
At the Fifth Lateran Council
in Rome in 1513, Šimun Kožičić Benja lectured on the hardships of his homeland in a speech called De Croat[i]ae desolatione (Isolated Croatia) and sought help. After the Turks attacked Modruš, Benja travelled to Rijeka in 1530 and founded his Glagolithic printing press.
By 1531 he printed five more books in Glagolithic: Oficij rimski (a prayer book), Knjižice krsta (a book of rites), Misal hruacki (a missal
), Knjižice od žitija rimskih arhijerov i cesarov (a historic work about the Roman popes and emperors) and Od bitja redovničkog knjižice (a handbook about the proper conduct of clerics).
In 1532 he returned to Zadar where he died in March 1536. He was laid to rest in the Franciscan
monastery of St. Jerome in Ugljan, where his brother Ivan Donat put up a grave marker. A retrospective portrait of Bishop Šimun Kožičić Benja is located in the National Museum in Zadar.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n nobleman, the bishop of Modruš
Roman Catholic Diocese of Senj-Modruš
The diocese of Senj-Modruš was located in the historical Kingdom of Croatia, while it was in personal union with Kingdom of Hungary, and it was suffragan of Zagreb....
and the founder of the Glagolithic printing house in Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
.
He was born into the prominent Benja-Kožičić family. His mother was Venetian from the Contarini household. While his parents wanted him to become a soldier he decided to enter the priesthood. After his education in Zadar and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, he became a canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
and the prefect of the Church of St. John near the port in Zadar.
Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II , nicknamed "The Fearsome Pope" and "The Warrior Pope" , born Giuliano della Rovere, was Pope from 1503 to 1513...
named him bishop of Modruš in 1509 in a time of uncertainty in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
after the Croatian loss to the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in the Battle of Krbava Field
Battle of Krbava field
The Battle of Krbava field , was fought between the Ottoman Empire of Bayezid II and a Croatian army of the Kingdom of Croatia in personal union with the Kingdom of Hungary on September 9, 1493 in the Krbava field, a part of Lika region, southern Croatia...
of 1493.
Kožičić wrote the well-known work Psaltir which was a small prayerbook which contained some basic Christian prayers, as well as some psalms and other songs for prayer and for use in mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
. These kinds of booklets were the basics which aspiring priests and other believers used to learn to read. On the first page of Kožičić's Psaltir, at the very top, was written a primer which contained all the Croatian letters written in Glagolithic script. After this came the Our Father, Hail Mary
Hail Mary
The Angelic Salutation, Hail Mary, or Ave Maria is a traditional biblical Catholic prayer asking for the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Hail Mary is used within the Catholic Church, and it forms the basis of the Rosary...
and the start of the Apostles Creed.
At the Fifth Lateran Council
Fifth Council of the Lateran
The Fifth Council of the Lateran was the last Ecumenical council of the Catholic Church before reformation.When elected pope in 1503, Pope Julius II , promised under oath that he would soon convoke a general council. However, as time passed the promise was not fulfilled...
in Rome in 1513, Šimun Kožičić Benja lectured on the hardships of his homeland in a speech called De Croat[i]ae desolatione (Isolated Croatia) and sought help. After the Turks attacked Modruš, Benja travelled to Rijeka in 1530 and founded his Glagolithic printing press.
By 1531 he printed five more books in Glagolithic: Oficij rimski (a prayer book), Knjižice krsta (a book of rites), Misal hruacki (a missal
Missal
A missal is a liturgical book containing all instructions and texts necessary for the celebration of Mass throughout the year.-History:Before the compilation of such books, several books were used when celebrating Mass...
), Knjižice od žitija rimskih arhijerov i cesarov (a historic work about the Roman popes and emperors) and Od bitja redovničkog knjižice (a handbook about the proper conduct of clerics).
In 1532 he returned to Zadar where he died in March 1536. He was laid to rest in the Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
monastery of St. Jerome in Ugljan, where his brother Ivan Donat put up a grave marker. A retrospective portrait of Bishop Šimun Kožičić Benja is located in the National Museum in Zadar.