La polemica confessionale fra ortodossi e cattolici negli scritti di Gerasim Zelić

The interconfessional polemic which engulfed the Serbian Orthodox community living in the Dalmatian area close to the Triplex Confinium between the 17th and 19th centuries is a matter that has been intensively studied by historians, although with considerable differences regarding approach and results. The present paper summarizes the activities and the results of a research project dedicated to the personal and public fate of Gerasim Zelić (1758-1828), who as Vicar General of the Serbs of Dalmatia (1796-1810) was one of the main protagonists of the confessional polemic in Dalmatia. Firstly, the paper describes the activities that were carried out during the project, particularly the digitalization and on-line publication of a corpus of manuscript documents connected to Zelić. Secondly, it presents the results of a historical and culturological analysis conducted on the aforementioned documents, which have helped to clarify some unresolved questions pertaining Zelić’s actual involvement in the events related to the confessional question in Dalmatia.