Croatian language was taught in all church Universities in the 17th century as one of six world languages:

• Latin,
• Greek,
• Hebrew,
• Arabian,
• Caldean (Aramaic),
• Illyric (Croatian).

The decree ordering to learn these languages was issued by Pope Urban VIII in 1623, and it was decided that Croatian should be lectured at least for two years as compulsory subject at the following universities:

• University of Bologna,
• University of Padova,
• University of Vienna,
• University of Ingolstadt,
• University of Köln,
• University of Louvain,
• University of Paris,
• University of Toulouse,
• University of Salamanca,
• University of Madrid (Alcalà de Henares).

This hitherto completeley unknown fact has been published in a monograph by academician Stjepan Krasic, Pape i hrvatski knjizevni jezik u XVII. stoljecu, Zagreb – Citluk, Matica hrvatska, 2004. (Academician Krasic is professor of history at Papal University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome). See an interview with Stjepan Krasic at www.glas-koncila.hr. Stjepan Krasic also discovered that the University of Zadar, i.e. Universitas Jadertina, was founded in 1396, see here.