The teaching of canon law in Zagreb (1669–1946)
Poučevanje kanonskega prava v Zagrebu (1669–1946)

english

2026

volume 86, issue 1

canon law   communist regime   enlightened absolutism   Faculty of Law   Faculty of Theology   ideological intervention   Josephine reforms   legal continuity   legal succession   University of Zagreb

Univerza v Ljubljani, Teološka fakulteta
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

The teaching of canon law in Zagreb and its institutionalisation within the education system have been of fundamental significance. The universal character of canon law, together with its stability and continuity, has strongly contributed to the continuity of academic institutions in Zagreb. Canon law functioned as a factor of institutional continuity and legal succession, representing the only viable legal link between the Jesuit Academy founded in 1669 and the modern University of Zagreb, established in 1874. Although canon law has remained continuously in place to the present day, its status and treatment have undergone substantial changes due to ideological controversies, reforms, and periods of war. In certain periods, canon law served as a means of preserving academic institutions and higher education in Zagreb, while in others, notably during the era of Enlightened absolutism (the reform of 1777 and the Josephine reforms) and under the communist regime, it became a victim of anticlericalism, laicization, and ideological hostility. This article examines the role, function, and significance of canon law, including its teaching, academic chairs, and professors, across different phases of the development of academic institutions in Zagreb from 1662 to 1946 (or 1952), with particular attention to major political and academic turning points. It also analyses the forces and challenges that, at times, led to the full affirmation of canon law and, at others, to its marked marginalisation.

13.10.2026