PLOVDIV AS A CENTER OF CATHOLIC BOOK PUBLISHING: RELIGIOUS ORDERS, PUBLISHERS, AND PRINTING HOUSES (1878–1944)

The aim of this article is to explore the network of authors, publishers, and printing houses associated with the Sofia–Plovdiv Diocese. The literary activity of the diocese’s members, directed toward the spiritual needs and religious education of the Catholic community in the Plovdiv region, represents an aspect of the cultural and intellectual life that has thus far received relatively limited scholarly attention, particularly with regard to the post-liberation period. Within the same context, the study also examines the societies and organizations engaged in publishing and printing activities for the benefit of the community. The present research is based on data extracted from the bibliographic repertoire of the scholarly auxiliary platform “Catholic Book (1878–1944)”, which have been systematized and supplemented through investigations conducted at the Ivan Vazov National Library – Plovdiv and the Sts. Cyril and Methodius National Library.