Bozhidar Vukovich
Who was Bozhidar Vukovich?
Serbian printer in Venice
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Bozhidar Vukovich (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Božidar Vuković (c. 1466–c. 1539/1540), also known as Dionisio della Vecchia in Italian and Dionisius a Vetula in Latin, was an early publisher and editor of Serbian printed books. He was born in Podgorica, in the medieval principality of Zeta, which corresponds to modern-day Montenegro. He lived during a time of significant political change in the Balkans, as the Ottoman Empire's expansion pushed many educated Slavs westward into Italy and other European areas of learning and commerce. Vuković was among those who made this journey and eventually settled in Venice, which by the early 1500s had become Europe's leading city for the printing trade.
In Venice, Vuković founded the Vuković printing house, which focused on producing books in the Serbian Cyrillic script for Orthodox Christian readers. His business aimed to serve both the Serbian and broader South Slavic communities in diaspora and those still under Ottoman rule in the Balkans. He worked as a publisher, editor, and organizer, teaming up with craftsmen and scholars to produce important liturgical texts.
The printing house operated in two phases. During the first phase, from 1519 to 1521, it produced three books: a Psalter, a Liturgijar, and a Molitvenik (or Zbornik). These texts met the devotional and liturgical needs of Orthodox Christians and were a major step in spreading Serbian religious literature through the relatively new printing press. The second phase, from 1536 to around 1540, involved printing a second edition of the Molitvenik or Zbornik and a praznični Minej, also known as Sabornik, a collection of hymns and readings for feast days.
Vuković's work took place in a city already thriving with printers, yet he created a unique focus on Cyrillic-script books for an Orthodox audience. Venice had commercial and diplomatic relationships with the Ottoman Empire, allowing books printed there to reach readers across a wide region, from Dalmatia and Bosnia to Serbia and beyond. His publications went beyond religious use, contributing to the standardization of Serbian church language and script at a time when such efforts couldn't easily be undertaken within the Balkans.
Vuković died in Venice around 1539 or 1540, after spending the latter part of his life building an institution that continued after him. His son Vincenzo Vuković took over the printing house, furthering the family's contribution to Serbian literature into the next generation.
Before Fame
Božidar Vuković was born around 1466 in Podgorica, which was part of the medieval Slavic principality of Zeta. During his youth, the Ottoman Empire was expanding, having already conquered much of the Balkans. By the late fifteenth century, it had taken over Zeta and nearby regions. Because of this, many educated individuals and merchants from the area emigrated to cities in Italy, Hungary, and other parts of Catholic Europe, seeking refuge and new opportunities.
The specifics of Vuković's early education and the exact time he moved to Italy aren't documented. However, by the early 1500s, he was settled in Venice with enough resources and connections to start a printing business. He took on the Italian name Dionisio della Vecchia, showing some integration into Venetian society. His background in the Orthodox tradition and knowledge of Serbian literary and religious culture motivated and enabled him to focus his printing press on publishing religious works in Cyrillic script.
Key Achievements
- Founded the Vuković printing house in Venice, the first press dedicated to publishing Serbian Cyrillic books
- Published the Psalter, Liturgijar, and Molitvenik during the press's first operational period (1519–1521)
- Produced a second edition of the Molitvenik and the praznični Minej during the press's second period (1536–1540)
- Helped standardize Serbian ecclesiastical language and script through printed liturgical texts distributed across the Balkans and diaspora communities
- Established a family printing dynasty that continued under his son Vincenzo after his death
Did You Know?
- 01.Vuković used the Italian name Dionisio della Vecchia and the Latin name Dionisius a Vetula in his dealings with Venetian authorities and associates, reflecting his successful navigation of two distinct cultural worlds.
- 02.The Vuković printing house produced books in Serbian Cyrillic at a time when no printing press operated within the Ottoman-controlled Balkans, making Venice an unlikely capital of Serbian religious publishing.
- 03.His first period of printing, from 1519 to 1521, yielded exactly three books, while his second period, from 1536 to 1540, yielded two — a total output that was small in number but outsized in cultural significance.
- 04.Vuković's son Vincenzo continued operating the family press after his father's death, making the Vuković house a multigenerational contribution to early Serbian print culture.
- 05.The praznični Minej, or Sabornik, printed in the second period of the press's operation, was a liturgical anthology of hymns and readings for Orthodox feast days, demonstrating Vuković's sustained commitment to comprehensive ecclesiastical publishing.