The fundamental characteristics of Glagolitism

Glagolitism is the Croatian continuation of the Cyrillo-Methodian tradition. The term encompasses the broad activities of Croatian Glagolitic clergy, who, unlike other Slavic groups, preserved the Glagolitic script and further developed its distinct form, known as Angular or Croatian Glagolitic.

In a broader sense, Glagolitism also includes literacy in the (Croatian) Cyrillic script. Its rich legacy comprises the Glagolitic liturgy, as well as Glagolitic chanting. Today, the phenomenon of Glagolitism is a subject of interdisciplinary study, attracting scholars from various fields, including philology, history, art history, theology, and liturgical studies.

Saint Methodius is regarded as the founding figure of Croatian Glagolitism. It is believed that during the 9^th century, while traveling from Rome to Constantinople, he passed through the region of Byzantine Dalmatia. Additionally, when Pope John X (10^th century) referred to Glagolitism in Croatia, he used the term Methodii doctrina (Latin for “the doctrine of Methodius”). Notably, the Diocese of Syrmia, currently governed by a Croatian bishop, traces its lineage to the archdiocese where Saint Methodius served as archbishop in the 9^th century.

In the realm of social history, Glagolitism played a crucial role in promoting knowledge and safeguarding Croatian identity. The Glagolites translated, copied, and disseminated Latin texts from medieval Europe into a vernacular language accessible to the people. They also stood as staunch defenders of Croatian identity, particularly during centuries of external pressures from the Romans, the Ottomans, the Germans, and the Hungarians.

In the history of the Church, Glagolitism embodies a unique privilege granted to the Croatian people—the right to celebrate the Catholic liturgy in a language other than Latin and to record rites in a script other than the Latin alphabet. This exceptional status, held by Croats for centuries, was extended to the wider Catholic Church only after the Second Vatican Council in the 20^th century.

In cultural history, Glagolitism is inextricably linked with the Croatian written tradition, which would be unthinkable without the numerous Glagolitic inscriptions on stone, parchment, and paper. Moreover, the Glagolites played a pivotal role in introducing Croatia to the Gutenberg Galaxy—the world of the printing press. The first Croatian printed book, the Misal po zakonu rimskoga dvora (“Missal According to the Law of the Roman Court”), was published on the 22^nd of February 1483, in the Angular Glagolitic script and in the Croatian Church Slavonic language. This significant date is now commemorated as the Day of the Croatian Glagolitic Script and Glagolitism.

This partnership produced some of the most renowned Czech Glagolitic texts, written in the Czech language using the Angular Croatian Glagolitic script. Among these works are the Bible, the Comestor, the Passionale, and the Golden Legend. According to the Czech palaeoslavist L. Pacnerová, the arrival of Croatian Glagolites in Prague brought with it a strong Slavic awareness, enabling a step towards the independence of the Czech language from the dominance of Latin.

The influence of Croatian Glagolitism also reached Poland, where Croatian Glagolites were invited to the Holy Cross Monastery in Kraków by Queen Jadwiga. However, the written works that may have emerged from this collaboration remain unknown to us.