Hieromonk Makarije

Hieromonk Makarije (died after 1528, Hilandar monastery) is the founder of Serbian and Romanian printing, having printed the first book in Serbian language and the first book in the territory of Walachia (part of modern day Romania).

Ordered by Djuradj Crnojevic, the ruler of Zeta (present day Montenegro) to found a printing works, he travelled for Venice, where he learned about printing, probably in printing works of Aldo Manuzio. After returning to Montenegro, he founded printing works in Obod, then capital, and later with the shifting of the capital moved to Cetinje where, in 1494, he printed the first book in Serbian language, an Oktoih (it is probable that the first two or four parts were printed in Venice, but the last four were printed in Obod).

After the fall of Zeta/Montenegro to Turks in 1499, Makarije fled to Walachia. In 1511, Makarije started a printing works in Trgoviste, where he printed the first books in this principality (but not the first books in Romanian since these were printed in Church Slavonic).

He then moved to Hilandar monastery, where he became the abbot. There he helped founding of the Hilandar printing works.

Makarije also wrote the treatise "On the Borders of Dacia" ("O medjah Dacije") preserved in Hilandar library.

Reference

* Slobodan and Miodrag Nedeljkovic: Графичко обликовање и писмо