SHORT ISTORIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE CATHOLIC REFORM/COUNTERREFORM IN 17TH CENTURY TRANSYLVANIA: EVOLUTIONS, FEATURES
SHORT ISTORIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE CATHOLIC REFORM/COUNTERREFORM IN 17TH CENTURY TRANSYLVANIA: EVOLUTIONS, FEATURES

Summary/Abstract: The European historical contributions of the last two centuries have tried to establish at the level of the analysis pattern two key-concepts meant to surprise the fundamental evolutions registered by the post-tridentine Catholicism: the ‘Catholic Reform’ and the ‘Counter-reformation’. Generally speaking, it has been considered that the notion of ‘Counter-reformation’ makes a direct reference to the auto-defense of the Catholicism when confronted to the Protestantism. But the Roman Church has needed also an auto-reformation of its members, a renewal of its institutional structures and a revival of the models and of the devotional practices by returning to the ideal of the early Christian religion (‘Catholic Reform’). From this point of view, the research aims to evaluate the main debates on the theme of the Catholic Reform/Counter-reformation as found in the Romanian historiographical field during the last two centuries, emphasizing the main ideas that have lead the historical researches especially during the communist and the post-communist period. Secondly, the study constitutes a historical analysis realized through reading the primary sources (published documents) and outlining the secondary literature (general papers, articles and studies), intending to show to what extent a larger interest for exploring the Transylvanian Catholic universe can be detected for the last 10 years compared to the previous decades. Finally, the research intends to show whether we assist at a conceptual and methodological innovation inspired by the patterns provided by the European historical literature, aspect that could prove the integration of the Romanian historical science in the universe of the European historical evolutions.

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