Why did religious writers dominate Basque literature from the 16th through the 19th centuries?

Religious writers dominated Basque literature from the 16th through the 19th centuries primarily due to the influence of the Council of Trent and the Counter-Reformation. During this period, Roman Catholic priests were the primary figures producing written materials in the Basque language, focusing on the creation of catechisms, sermons, and other religious texts.1

Because clerics constituted the vast majority of writers, religious topics remained the central focus of the literature for its first 300 years. This era saw the publication of significant religious works, such as the first Basque translation of the New Testament and Pedro de Axular’s Gero, a well-known religious text aimed at guiding the souls of the faithful. Throughout these centuries, these writers also used their work to advocate for the language, attempting to demonstrate that Basque was as useful and beautiful as other languages.1