A Sword in one Hand and a Pen in the Other

A Sword in one Hand

AND A PEN IN THE OTHER

Found in central Montenegro, nestled on a small plain and sitting in the shadow of Mount Lovćen - a mountain that holds a great respect in Montenegrin folklore - you will find the former royal capital and home to some of the country’s most renowned historical institutions, Cetinje. This 15th century town of 15,000 people has been the site of many of the nation’s most important events and is considered to be the place from which Montenegrin culture and spirituality was spread to the rest of the country.

When we consider the origins of the written word and the historical figures who mechanized the way in which words were transformed into prose and verse, our thoughts are generally transported to the dusty halls of renaissance Europe and the machinations of Joseph Gutenburg, the creator of the very first mechanical printing press and namesake of one of the most famous books in the world, the Gutenburg Bible. However, while Gutenburg may have gotten there first, on January 1st 1494, forty years after the very first complete book was printed, in an unassuming corner of the Adriatic, the Slavic language received it’s very own representation in print. On the Obod Hill, Cetinje from the heart of a press brought to Montenegro from Venice, by Ivan Crnojević, came Oktoih prvoglasnik (Octoechos of the First Tone) a book that would be the catalyst of Montenegro’s cultural and spiritual growth and place the nation at the forefront of Europe’s most culturally advanced nations. The Obod printing press, recognized as the oldest press in South-East Europe and the oldest state printing press in the world, became a vehicle for growth and development in the region, establishing a printing tradition that rivalled the times biggest European players, in Venice and Germany. At a time when the nations of Europe were battling for control and waging war with their neighbours, Montenegro defended it’s borders with a sword in one hand and a pen in the other. It was not only through the lives of soldiers that this ancient country was able to uphold it’s rich heritage, but through the stories and histories that came from the Obod Printing Press. This powerful tool allowed the rapid spread of information and was a great source of national identity and pride within the country, laying the foundations of a culture and spirituality that still exists to this day.

“For as long as there is Montenegro, there will be printing.”

During its use the press printed five works, including the Oktoih Prvoglasnik:

Oktoih petoglasnik (Octoechos of the Fifth Tone), which was probably printed during 1494 as a logical successor to the previous book; Psaltir sa posljedovanjem (Psalter with Additions), considered, from a technical view, to be the most perfect among the first five books; Molitvenik, a collection of texts with specific liturgical purposes and Četvrto jevanđelje – the last known incunabula from the Crnojević dynasty, which was most probably printed in 1496.

All five of these books were printed by Archimandrite Makarije, a remarkable individual who was not only a highly skilled printer, but one of Montenegro’s greatest thinkers. A gifted theologian whose work and legacy left a deep imprint in Montenegrin culture.

Sadly, the smooth running of the press was not to last without interruption as the indomitable power of the Ottoman Empire reached the Adriatic. The Ottoman invasion would see the pen drop from the hand of Montenegrins as it firmly clasped the hilt of the sword in a desperate attempt to repel the Ottoman advance.

Following the Ottoman victory, Montenegro’s then leader Đurađ Crnojević was forced into exile and the printing traditions of Montenegro were suspended. However, this tradition found new life with Montenegrins living abroad and Venice soon became a hub of Montenegrin printers and, in 1519, a printing house was established which would continue printing in Cyrillic until the mid-16th century.

Printing would not return to Montenegro until 1834, 340 years after the exile of Đurađ Crnojević, when Bishop Petar II Petrović Njegoš bought a printing press in St. Petersburg and established a printing house that would play a significant role in the rise of the Enlightenment in the Adriatic.

20 years after its inception, the printing house would play an incredible role in the defence of Montenegro’s freedom once again. When Omar Pasha Lata’s army attacked in 1852, the country’s ruler Prince Danilo Petrović, ordered the letters of the printing house to be melted down in order to replace the spent ammunition, fired in defence of the nation’s freedom. It was then that he exclaimed “For as long as there’s Montenegro, there will be printing!” True to his word, following the successful defence, printing would return to the country after restoration of the printing house in 1860.

Since 1860 the printing house has never ceased operation and continues to produce works to this day! These days the printing house is far more advanced than in its early years. However, while the methods may have changed, the printing house still remains an integral part of Montenegrin culture and will continue the centuries long tradition of printing for many years to come!