56. Духовные школы

Along with the spread of the holy faith, spiritual enlightenment began to spread in Russia. Grand Duke Vladimir ordered the children to be collected and taught, and Saint Michael, Metropolitan of Kiev, gave instructions to the teachers on how to conduct this great work. Vladimir's son Yaroslav opened a school in Novgorod, where up to 300 children studied. There were schools in other cities, mainly at the cathedras of bishops. During the difficult times of the Mongol yoke, many of these schools were closed, but with the liberation of Russia from the Mongol yoke they began to arise again. Under Patriarch Filaret, a Greek-Latin school was established in the Chudov Monastery, which, however, did not last long. Under Patriarch Joachim, a school was opened in Moscow in the Zaikono-Spassky Monastery, which received the name of the academy. Here, at the invitation of the patriarch, two Greek scholars arrived, who had completed their studies at the University of Padua with doctoral degrees, hieromonks Ioannikios and Sophronius Likhuda. After the removal of the Likhuds, the academy fell into decay; Emperor Peter I restored it and entrusted it to the leadership of the enlightened Metropolitan Stefan Yavorsky. Stefan's friend Dimitri, Metropolitan of Rostov, set up a school in Rostov at his own expense, Metropolitan Philotheus Leshchinsky of Tobolsk - in Tobolsk, Archbishop John Maksimovich of Chernigov - in Chernigov, Job, Metropolitan of Novgorod, opened two schools in Novgorod - Greek-Latin and Slavic, where, at his invitation, they taught Likhud, and up to 14 grammar schools in different places in their diocese. Since the establishment of the Holy Synod, school affairs began to develop rapidly, and spiritual education acquired an estate-based character. Schools arise specifically for children of the clergy and have the goal of preparing students for the clergy. The maintenance of schools was made closely dependent on the episcopal sees. The schools were mostly attached to bishops' houses, in monasteries, which were not paid anything for the premises. Here, for the most part, government-paid pupils were housed, usually called bursaks, and the buildings where they were housed were called bursas. Mentors, monastics and those without families, also lived in the buildings. The home-grown pupils lived for the most part in rented apartments of several people. No matter how meager the means of maintaining the schools were, they multiplied in number, formed into one specific type, modeled on the southern Russian schools, and educated many saints and remarkable persons. By the end of the 18th century there were 36 seminaries, 115 theological schools and three academies (Kiev, Moscow and St. Petersburg). At the end of 1807, by order of Emperor Alexander I, the transformation of theological schools began. For this purpose, a special commission was composed of clergy and secular persons, headed by Ambrose, Metropolitan of Novgorod and St. Petersburg. The commission paid attention to the maintenance of theological schools, found the main source of their maintenance in candle income, expanded the range of sciences taught in them and divided all schools into 4 categories: academies, seminaries, district and parish schools; academies were intended for educational districts, seminaries for dioceses, district and parish schools for districts and villages. The first academy according to the new plan was opened in St. Petersburg in 1809, followed by the Moscow Academy in 1816, shortly after this in 1819 the transformation of the Kyiv Academy followed, and in 1842 the Academy was opened in Kazan. Following the transformation of the academies, the transformation of the seminaries and men's theological schools under their jurisdiction took place. Since 1843, schools for girls of clergy began to appear in our country - future wives and mothers of Church shepherds. The first of them was opened in Tsarskoe Selo in 1843, then in 1845 in Soligalich, which was later transferred to Yaroslavl, then in 1853 in Kazan, in 1854 in Irkutsk, in 1860 in Penza, etc. During the reign of Emperor Alexander II in 1867, a reform of theological schools took place, the means of maintaining them were significantly strengthened, and their educational activities were given a more harmonious organization. In 1884, some corrections were made to the charter of theological schools, indicated by experience. Currently, there are 4 theological academies, 57 seminaries, 184 theological schools, 13 women’s religious schools under the patronage of Her Imperial Majesty, and 61 diocesan women’s schools. You might be interested in: