Multilingualism in the Croatian Past: Benedictines and the Rule of St. Benedict in the XIV. century

In Croatia the Benedictines arrived mostly likely in the VII. century. In their monasteries they developed scriptoriums which thankfully today give us an insight into writings and documents which would have very likely otherwise have been lost. Along with Latin the Benedictines in Croatia used the Old-slavic-croatian (hrvatskostaroslavenski) language. They wrote not only in the Latin script, but also in Cyrillic and glagolitic script which, given their ``tri-literate'' ability, made a distinct impression on Croatian culture. Pope Inocent IV played an important role in old Croatian multilinigualism and multi-literacy, who in 1252, at the request of the Benedictine monastery St Nicholas in Omi alj on the island of Krk, allowed the Benedictine clergymen the use of glagolitic script, and in church the use of old-slavic-croatian instead of Latin. Some of the most important monuments of Croatian culture are the work of the Benedictines: the Duke Trpimir inscription, the Povalj document, the Ba ka tablet and the Rule of Saint Benedict, the only preserved Glagolitic written Rule of Saint Benedict from the XIV. century, and probably the oldest known translation of St Benedict's Rule from latin to any other surviving language.