Mrkšina crkva printing house


The Mrkšina crkva printing house was a printing house established in 1562 in the Monastery of Mrkšina Crkva in village Kosjerić in Ottoman Serbia. This printing house was operational until 1566 and printed two srbulje books, The Four Gospels in 1562 and The Flower Triod in 1566. In 1567 the Ottomans destroyed the church and its printing house.

Location

Today the exact location of this printing house is unknown. There are different theories about exact location of the monastery and its printing house, but all of them agree that it was somewhere near Kosjerić. One of the most possible locations is above the county house and mouth of the river Kladoroba and Skrapež.

Printing

The books created in the printing house were edited and printed by Hieromonk Mardarije. According to some sources, it was Mardarije who inspired first Dmitrović and then Gundulić to invest in a printing business and organized all activities during the set up of the printing house in Belgrade. Some sources explain that Mardarije moved a printing press from Belgrade to Mrkšina crkva monastery. Two books were printed in the Mrkšina crkva printing house:
The Flower Triod is recognizable because in this book Mardarije preferred to use figural motifs instead of the ornaments. This book was printed on 1 September 1566 by Hieromonk Mardarije, priest Živko and deacon Radul. This was the last book printed in the Mrkšina crkva printing house in 1566.

Aftermath

In 1567 the Ottomans burned the church and its printing house, while the monks fled to Rača monastery, similar to monks from Rujno Monastery printing house who fled there after 1537. After the printing house became defunct in 1566, no other such operation existed in Ottoman Serbia until 1831.

Legacy

Two copies of the Four Gospels printed at Mrkšina crkva are still preserved in the Monastery of the Holy Trinity of Pljevlja, one copy in Monastery Ždrebaonik and two in Cetinje Monastery. A street in Kosjerić heading to the supposed place of the Mrkšina crkva is named Zoupan Mrkša.