The Synod of Cotnari and the Speculum Ordinis of Bartolomeo Bassetti OFMConv. (1642)

This presentation introduces a recently published volume and briefly outlines the circumstances of its creation. Although the history of the Moldavian Catholics has long been explored in Romanian and Hungarian historiography, many sources remain undiscovered in the archives. The volume is based on a manuscript entitled Speculum Ordinis, which had lain dormant for decades and contains the acts, decrees, and Moldavian ritual of the 1642 Synod of Cotnari - a photocopy of which was found in December 2021. This manuscript is a valuable source for understanding the history of Moldavian Catholics in the 17th century. Although Moldova belonged to the Bishopric of Bacăut,h e Polish bishops were not in residence. Consequently, priests from Italy, Poland, Hungary, and Bosnia conducted their pastoral work without proper ecclesiastical oversight. The synod attempted to restore order to this disciplinary and liturgical confusion, drawing inspiration from emerging processes in the Moldovan Orthodox Church and from the ideals espoused by missionaries dispatched by the Congregation of Propaganda Fide. Although the Synod of Cotnari ultimately failed to achieve its desired outcomes for various reasons, it remains a unique testament to Catholic confessionalization efforts in Orthodox Moldavia and offers important insights into the confessionalization paradigm on the eastern borders of the Catholic Church.

Antal Molnár is the former director of the Hungarian Academy in Rome (2011–2016) and is currently the director of the Institute of History at the HUN-REN Research Centre for the Humanities, as well as a full professor at Eötvös Lornd University in Budapest. His research primarily focuses on religious themes-particularly the study of Franciscan observance, the Hungarian and Balkan presence in Rome, Catholic missions, and the mercantile world in the Balkans during the 16th–17th centuries.

This event is jointly organized by “SMALLST – The Diplomacy of Small States in Early Modern Southeastern Europe” (ERC CoG 101043451) and “ORTHPOL – Orthodoxies and Politics: The Religious Reforms of Mid-17th Century in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe” (ERC StG 950287).