With 11,482 articles, hundreds of maps and illustrations, and contributions from 1,500 scholars, The Catholic Encyclopedia has remained a standard reference work for both Catholics and Protestants for more than a century—a reference work so large that, when first published, it required the creation of a new publishing company to accommodate the printing. First published to fill a gap in early twentieth century reference works, The Catholic Encyclopedia has become one of the chief reference works on matters of the Bible, theology, history, and literature. Although first written by and for Catholics, this reference work has acquired an ecumenical and diverse readership from not only the Catholic Church, but from Protestants of all denominations.