Primož Trubar | |
|---|---|
 Primož Trubar, woodcut by Jacob Lederlein, 1578 | |
| Born | 8 June 1508[nb 1] |
| Died | 28 June 1586(1586-06-28) (aged 78) |
| Occupation | Protestant Reformer |
| Movement | Lutheranism |
Primož Trubar orPrimus Truber[nb 2] (pronunciationⓘ) (1508[nb 1] – 28 June 1586)[1] was aSloveneProtestant Reformer of theLutheran tradition, mostly known as the author of the firstSlovene languageprinted book,[2] the founder and the first superintendent of the Protestant Church of theDuchy of Carniola, and for consolidating theSlovenian language. Trubar introducedThe Reformation in Slovenia, leading theAustrian Habsburgs to wage theCounter-Reformation, which a small Protestant community survived. Trubar is a key figure of Slovenian history and in many aspects a major historical personality.[1][3]
Trubar was born in the village ofRašica[4] (now in theMunicipality of Velike Lašče) in theDuchy of Carniola, then under theHabsburgs. In the years 1520–1521 he attended school inRijeka,[4] in 1522–1524 he continued his education inSalzburg. From there he went toTrieste under the tutorship of the Roman Catholic bishopPietro Bonomo, where he got in touch with theHumanist writers, in particularErasmus of Rotterdam.[5] In 1527 the bishop Pietro Bonomo assigned Trubar a priest position inLoka pri Zidanem Mostu.[5] In 1528 he enrolled at theUniversity of Vienna, but did not complete his studies. In 1530 he returned to the Slovenian Lands and became a preacher inLjubljana, where he lived up until 1565. While in Ljubljana, he lived in a house, on today's Fish Square (Ribji trg), in the oldest part of the city. Living in Ljubljana had profound impact on his work, he considered Ljubljana the capital of allSlovenes because of its central position in the heart of theSlovene lands and because its residents spoke Slovene as their first language, unlike several other towns in today'sSlovenia. It is estimated that in Trubar's period around 70% of Ljubljana's 4000 inhabitants attended mass in Slovene.[6] It was the language of Ljubljana that Trubar took as a foundation of what later became standardSlovene, with small addition of his native speech, that isLower Carniolan dialect.[6] Trubar considered Ljubljana's speech most suitable, since it sounded much more noble, than his own, simple dialect of his hometownRašica.[7] His decision to write in Ljubljana's variety was later adopted also by other Protestant writers, who also lived in Ljubljana during Trubar's time. He gradually leaned towards Protestantism and was expelled fromLjubljana in 1547.
In 1550, while a Protestant preacher inRothenburg, he wrote the first two books in Slovene,Catechismus andAbecedarium, which were then printed that year inSchwäbisch Hall by Peter Frentz.[8]Catechismus also contained the first Slovene musical manuscript in print.
Altogether, Trubar authored 22 books in Slovene and two books in German. He was the first to translate parts of the Bible into Slovene. After the exhortation byPier Paolo Vergerio, he translated theGospel of Matthew in 1555 and until 1577 in three parts published the translation of the entireNew Testament.[4] In period between 1561 and 1565 Trubar was the manager and supervisor of theSouth Slavic Bible Institute.[9] Eschatologically minded, he also endeavored to proselytize Muslims in Turkey with his books.[10]
Trubar died inDerendingen,Holy Roman Empire (now part of the city ofTübingen, Germany), where he is also buried.[2][11]
On June 4, 1952, the streetŠentpeterska cesta in Ljubljana was renamedTrubarjeva cesta after Trubar. It is one of the oldest roads in the city, first mentioned in 1802, and starts inPrešernov trg (Prešeren Square), named after Slovenia's national poet. The street is currently known for its high concentration of ethnic restaurants.[12]
In 1986, Slovene television produced a TV series, directed by Andrej Strojan with the screenplay written byDrago Jančar, in which Trubar was played by the Slovene actorPolde Bibič.
Trubar was commemorated on the10 tolar banknote[13] in 1992, and on theSlovene 1 euro coin in 2007. In 2008, theGovernment of Slovenia proclaimed the Year of Primož Trubar and the 500th anniversary of Trubar's birth was celebrated throughout the country.[14] Acommemorative €2 coin and a postage stamp were issued.[15][16][17] An exhibition dedicated to the life and work of Primož Trubar, and the achievements of the SloveneReformation Movement was on display at theNational Museum of Slovenia from 6 March to 31 December 2008.
In 2009, the Trubar Forum Association printed Trubar's Catechism and Abecedarium in modern Slovene, in a scholarly edition that includes both the Trubar-era Slovene and the modern Slovene translation with scholarly notes.[18]The "Sermon on Faith", a portion of the Catechism, is available in modern Slovene, English, German and Esperanto.[citation needed]
Since 2010, 8 June is commemorated in Slovenia as Primož Trubar Day.[19]Google celebrated his 505th birthday anniversary with a dedicatedGoogle Doodle.[20]
Books written or published by Trubar include:
| Settlements | Administrative seat:Velike Lašče
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