Plague Epidemics and Sacrificial Offerings along the Danube: Two Case Studies (1769–1814)

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship between plague epidemics, religious rituals, and community responses in the Diocese of Nikopol, Ottoman Bulgaria, from 1769 to 1814. Amid political and social instability, exacerbated by wars and brigandage, the region was struck by devastating plague outbreaks. Catholic missionaries sent to the Ottoman Balkans by the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith (Propaganda Fide) documented how local communities sought protection from disease through traditional sacrificial rites, such as the kurban. These animal sacrifices, perceived by the missionaries as a superstitious practice, were performed by Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Muslims alike. Through two case studies, this article highlights the friction between local religious practices and missionary efforts to maintain doctrinal purity, providing a deeper understanding of the challenges missionaries had to face in an attempt to enforce religious boundaries.