Primoz Trubar (1508-1586), Author and Protestant Reformer

Photo: Primoz Trubar on Slovenian 1 Euro coin

* 1986 - Slovenian television produced TV series about Primoz Trubar (directed by Andrej Strojan, screen play written by Drago Jancar, Trubar was played by Polde Bibic)

* 1992 - Trubar was commemorated on 10 tolar paper bill (Tolar was Slovenian currency since 1991 and until Slovenia joined the EU on May 1 of 2004)

* 2007 - Trubar commemorated on 1 euro Slovenian coin

* June of 2008 - Trubar commemorated on 2 euro commemorative coin to mark the 500th anniversary of his birth

* Fall of 2008 - The first Slovenian printed book, Catechism (1550) by Primoz Trubar is going into print after being translated into modern Slovenian language by the members of Trubar Forum.

It's impossible to overstate Trubar's legacy. In many people's opinion, there would be no Slovenians as a nation if it wasn't for Trubar's love for his people and Slovenian language.

Photo: "Kupferstich" - copperplate engraving of Primoz Trubar by an unknown author from around year 1600

On June 9, 1508, Primoz was born into a family of prosperous miller and carpenter in small village of Rasica, Dolenjska, near present day town of Velike Lasce. At the time this area, located on a busy crossroads of routes leading eastwards and to the coast, was under the rule of the Habsburgs.

He left his home at the age of 12, to go to school in Rijeka (today's Croatia).

In 1522-1524 Trubar was schooled in Salzburg and after that in Trieste. Under the tutorship of bishop Pietro Bonomo he acquired his first truly humanist education.

During his stay in Trieste, Trubar earned his living as church singer and personal secretary to the bishop. Influences upon his studies from this period fo Trubar's life: Virgil, Erasmus of Rotterdam and Jean Calvin.

In 1528 now 20 year-old Trubar traveled to Vienna to continue his studies. Unfortunately, a year later lectures there were discontinued. The invasion by the great Turkish army advanced all the way to Vienna.

In 1530 Trubar went back to Trieste where he was ordained into priesthood by the bishop Bonomo and he was granted his post of vicar in parish in Lasko.

Five years later he was appointed to the post of cathedral preacher in Ljubljana. Due to his reformation inspired sermons, his stand against pilgrimages and construction of new churches on top of the hills, he kept provoking a fierce reaction and had to - once more - flee to Trieste.

Trubar remained in Trieste for two years, broadening his education and making for himself a reputation as Slovenian preacher.

Only because of the considerable influence of his two friends, Bishop Bonomo and liberal bishop of the time Ivan Kacijanar, Trubar was able to return to Ljubljana in 1542, appointed as canon.

Only five years later, in 1547, Trubar was in exile again after being excommunicated by the ecclesiastical court. His property, including substantial library, was confiscated.

Photo: Statue of Primoz Trubar in Ljubljana

After 1547 Trubar spent the rest of his life in exile in Germany - except for a few shorter periods of time. Despite the difficult circumstances which weren't in his favour, he decided to fulfill his mission toward Slovenian people and Slovenian language by writing and printing books in Slovenian language.

In 1550 he completed his first two books: Cathechismus and Abecedarium. Both were printed in Tuebingen that same year and available in Ljubljana in the spring of 1551.

Trubar dedicated Cathechismus to all Slovenians and he meant all Slovenes, no matter what their regional name, and no matter what their local dialect.

Most likely that due to that fact and his great understanding of all the different groups of people living in Central Europe, Trubar was recently called "one of the first Europeans" by a German priest.

Primoz Trubar started Cathechismus with the following sentence: To all Slovenes mercy, peace, grace and true faith through Jesus Christ, I pray. (Vsem Slovenzom Gnado, Myr, Mylhost inu prauu Sposnaneboshye skusi Jesusa Christusa prossim.)

Photo above: Statue of Primoz Trubar in Celje by sculptor Boris Kalin

It is very obvious that his great love for everything Slovenian was the main source and reason for him to be willing to go through so much in order to provide God's word in the language that has never been printed before.

Nowadays it's hard to understand what an enormous task that was because Trubar had to decide on the script (gothic or latin), codes for Slovenian sounds and choose the dialect from the wide range of Slovenian dialects that were in use at the time.

Between 1561-1565 Trubar was the Head of Slovenian Protestant church in Ljubljana and during that period he also published books books in glagolitic and cyrillic scripts for Croatians and Serbians.

Above all Trubar throughout his life argued for Slovenian language being used in church worship. He advised government to establish Slovenian education system in which every parish should also employ a teacher.

As a result, he was exhiled again in 1565. He continued writing and publishing until his death in 1586. Trubar died in Derendingen (today part of the city of Tuebingen), Germany, where he is also buried.

Photo: Scanned first page of Trubar's first book, Catechismus, printed in 1550

Primoz Trubar wrote around 25 books in Slovenian, 2 in German as well as many forewords and dedications. In his opinion the only true faith comes from the Bible which everyone should be able to read and worship God in their own mother tongue.

He devoted his life to eliminate the lack of schoolbooks, translations of the Bible, and hymn books. Below are his most important volumes:

* 1550 - Catechismus (with hymns), Abecedarium

* 1555 - "Ta evangeli sv. Matevza" - The Gospel of St. Mathew

*1557 - "Ta prvi dejl tiga noviga testamenta" - The New Testament Part I and "Ta slovenski koledar" - Slovenian Calendar

*1558 - "En register%u2026.ena kratka postila"

*1560 - "Ta drugi dejl tiga noviga testamenta" - The New Testament Part 2

* 1561 - "Sv.Pavla ta dva listi" - Two letters of St.Paul

* 1564 - "Cerkovna Ordninga" - Church Canon

* 1566 - "Ta celi psalter Davidov"

* 1567 - "Ta celi Katekismus, sv Pavla listuvi" - Complete Cathechism, Letters of St.Paul

* 1575 - "Tri duhovske pejsni" - Three church songs

* 1577 - "Noviga testamenta posledni dejl" - New Testament Part 3

* 1579 - "Ta prvi psalm z nega trijemi izlagami" - The first psalm with interpretations

* 1582 - "Ta celi novi testament" - The complete New Testament