Saint Petersburg Roman Catholic Theological Academy
Encyclopedia
The Saint Petersburg Roman Catholic Theological Academy was an institution of higher education preparing Roman Catholic theologians in the Russian Empire
. The Academy granted master's and doctorate degrees in theology
and was designed to prepare officers for senior positions in the Catholic Church hierarchy
. It originated at the Vilnius University
, but was transferred to Saint Petersburg
in the aftermath of the Uprising of 1831. The Tsarist authorities wanted to exercise greater control over the Academy and implement Russification
policies. After the October Revolution
in 1917, the Academy was moved to Poland where it became the Catholic University of Lublin. A new theological seminary was established in Moscow in 1993; it moved to the premises of the historical Saint Petersburg Academy in 1995.
established in 1803–1808 in the Augustine
monastery. After the Uprising of 1831, the University was closed leaving only two Academies – the Academy of Medicine–Surgery and the Theological Academy. Both of them were subordinated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (as opposed to Ministry of Education or Bishop of Vilnius). Vilnius Theological Academy was officially established on July 1, 1833. Courses included theology, scripture, homiletics
, Biblical hermeneutics
and archaeology
, history of Christianity
, canon law
, logic, ethics, classical, Polish, and Russian languages and literature, world and Russian history. The lectures were held in Latin and Russian languages. The Academy had about 40 students; the section devoted to the Armenian Catholic Church
had 7 students. Its rectors were Alojzy Osiński (former lecturer at the Liceum Krzemienieckie
; 1770–1842) and Antoni Fijałkowski (former professor at Vilnius University; 1797–1883). The Academy had 8 faculty members, who included philologist Leon Borowski, philosopher Anioł Dowgird
, historian Paweł Kukolnik. The Academy closely cooperated with Vilnius Priest Seminary. Around 1840, the Tsarist authorities suspected that the students were planning another uprising. Therefore the academy, including its students, professors, and library, was moved to Saint Petersburg
in August 1842. The Academy of Medicine–Surgery was also closed, transferring its assets to the University of Kiev. Vilnius
and Lithuania
were left without an institution of higher education.
on the Vasilyevsky Island in 1844. The purchase and reconstruction of the premises was financed with funds of closed Catholic monasteries. The consecration ceremony of the palace was attended by Emperor Nicholas I
. On that occasion the Academy was granted the title "Imperial Academy". All other Catholic academies became its subordinates. The number of students was limited to 40; the limit was increased to 60 after the Roman-Catholic Clerical Academy in Warsaw
was closed in 1867. From 1885 to 1917, the Academy published students' research papers in a yearbook. Most gifted students were sent for further studies to western universities. In 1906, the Academy had 13 faculty members. After the October Revolution
in 1917, the Academy was closed and moved to Poland where it became the Catholic University of Lublin.
The Academy continued to prepare theologians for western provinces of the Russian Empire. The students were mostly Polish and Lithuanian, with some Belarusians, Latvians, Germans. Its famous alumni and faculty included Antanas Baranauskas
, Jan Cieplak
, saint Zygmunt Szczęsny Feliński
, Vladas Jurgutis
, Aleksander Kakowski, Mykolas Krupavičius
, Zygmunt Łoziński, Maironis
, blessed Jurgis Matulaitis-Matulevičius
, Vincas Mykolaitis-Putinas
, Justinas Pranaitis
, Mečislovas Reinys
, Franz Anton Schiefner
, Juozapas Skvireckas
, Boļeslavs Sloskāns
, Julijans Vaivods
, Motiejus Valančius
. The Academy rectors were: Ignacy Hołowiński (1842–1855), Wincenty Lipski (1855–1857), Antoni Jakubielski (1857–1860), Aleksander Kazimierz Bereśniewicz (1860–1864), Dominika Stacewicza (1864–1876), Szymon Marcin Kozłowski (1877–1880), Antoni Franciszek Audziewicz (1880–1884), Franciszek Albin Symon (1884–1897), Karol Niedziałkowski (1897–1901), Longin Żarnowiecki (1901–1910), Aleksander Kakowski (1910–1913), Idzi Benedykt Radziszewski (1914–1917).
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. The Academy granted master's and doctorate degrees in theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and was designed to prepare officers for senior positions in the Catholic Church hierarchy
Catholic Church hierarchy
The term Hierarchy in the Catholic Church has a variety of related usages. Literally, "holy government", the term is employed in different instances. There is a Hierarchy of Truths, which refers to the levels of solemnity of the official teaching of the faith...
. It originated at the Vilnius University
Vilnius University
Vilnius University is the oldest university in the Baltic states and one of the oldest in Eastern Europe. It is also the largest university in Lithuania....
, but was transferred to Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
in the aftermath of the Uprising of 1831. The Tsarist authorities wanted to exercise greater control over the Academy and implement Russification
Russification
Russification is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attributes by non-Russian communities...
policies. After the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
in 1917, the Academy was moved to Poland where it became the Catholic University of Lublin. A new theological seminary was established in Moscow in 1993; it moved to the premises of the historical Saint Petersburg Academy in 1995.
In Vilnius
The academy traced its roots to the Supreme Theological Seminary of Vilnius UniversityVilnius University
Vilnius University is the oldest university in the Baltic states and one of the oldest in Eastern Europe. It is also the largest university in Lithuania....
established in 1803–1808 in the Augustine
Augustinians
The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
monastery. After the Uprising of 1831, the University was closed leaving only two Academies – the Academy of Medicine–Surgery and the Theological Academy. Both of them were subordinated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (as opposed to Ministry of Education or Bishop of Vilnius). Vilnius Theological Academy was officially established on July 1, 1833. Courses included theology, scripture, homiletics
Homiletics
Homiletics , in theology the application of the general principles of rhetoric to the specific department of public preaching. The one who practices or studies homiletics is called a homilist....
, Biblical hermeneutics
Biblical hermeneutics
Biblical hermeneutics is the study of the principles of interpretation concerning the books of the Bible. It is part of the broader field of hermeneutics which involves the study of principles for the text and includes all forms of communication: verbal and nonverbal.While Jewish and Christian...
and archaeology
The Bible and history
The Bible from a historical perspective, includes numerous fields of study, ranging from archeology and astronomy to linguistics and methods of comparative literature. The Bible may provide insight into pursuits, including but not limited to; our understanding of ancient and modern culture,...
, history of Christianity
History of Christianity
The history of Christianity concerns the Christian religion, its followers and the Church with its various denominations, from the first century to the present. Christianity was founded in the 1st century by the followers of Jesus of Nazareth who they believed to be the Christ or chosen one of God...
, canon law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
, logic, ethics, classical, Polish, and Russian languages and literature, world and Russian history. The lectures were held in Latin and Russian languages. The Academy had about 40 students; the section devoted to the Armenian Catholic Church
Armenian Catholic Church
|- |The Armenian Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church sui juris in union with the other Eastern Rite, Oriental Rite and Latin Rite Catholics who accept the Bishop of Rome as spiritual leader of the Church. It is regulated by Eastern canon law...
had 7 students. Its rectors were Alojzy Osiński (former lecturer at the Liceum Krzemienieckie
Liceum Krzemienieckie
Liceum Krzemienieckie was a renowned Polish high school, which existed from 1805 to 1831, and then in the interbellum period, from 1922 to 1939.-Beginnings:...
; 1770–1842) and Antoni Fijałkowski (former professor at Vilnius University; 1797–1883). The Academy had 8 faculty members, who included philologist Leon Borowski, philosopher Anioł Dowgird
Anioł Dowgird
Anioł Dowgird was a philosopher of Polish Enlightenment.Dowgird studied in Jesuit and Piarist schools, then joined the Piarist Order and took holy orders...
, historian Paweł Kukolnik. The Academy closely cooperated with Vilnius Priest Seminary. Around 1840, the Tsarist authorities suspected that the students were planning another uprising. Therefore the academy, including its students, professors, and library, was moved to Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
in August 1842. The Academy of Medicine–Surgery was also closed, transferring its assets to the University of Kiev. Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
and Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
were left without an institution of higher education.
In Saint Petersburg
In Saint Petersburg, the Academy settled in the former palace of the Russian AcademyRussian Academy
The Russian Academy or Imperial Russian Academy was established in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1783 by Empress Catherine II of Russia and princess Dashkova as a research center for Russian language and Russian literature, following the example of the Académie française...
on the Vasilyevsky Island in 1844. The purchase and reconstruction of the premises was financed with funds of closed Catholic monasteries. The consecration ceremony of the palace was attended by Emperor Nicholas I
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
. On that occasion the Academy was granted the title "Imperial Academy". All other Catholic academies became its subordinates. The number of students was limited to 40; the limit was increased to 60 after the Roman-Catholic Clerical Academy in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
was closed in 1867. From 1885 to 1917, the Academy published students' research papers in a yearbook. Most gifted students were sent for further studies to western universities. In 1906, the Academy had 13 faculty members. After the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
in 1917, the Academy was closed and moved to Poland where it became the Catholic University of Lublin.
The Academy continued to prepare theologians for western provinces of the Russian Empire. The students were mostly Polish and Lithuanian, with some Belarusians, Latvians, Germans. Its famous alumni and faculty included Antanas Baranauskas
Antanas Baranauskas
Antanas Baranauskas was a Lithuanian poet, mathematician and a catholic bishop of Polish town Sejny. Baranauskas is best known as the author of the Lithuanian language poem Anykščių šilelis. He used various pseudonyms, including A.B., Bangputys, Jurksztas Smalaūsis, Jurkštas Smalaūsis, and Baronas...
, Jan Cieplak
Jan Cieplak
Servant of God Archbishop Jan Cieplak was a Polish Roman Catholic priest and bishop.-Early life:...
, saint Zygmunt Szczęsny Feliński
Zygmunt Szczęsny Feliński
Saint Zygmunt Szczęsny Feliński, SFO was Archbishop of Warsaw and founder of the Franciscan Sisters of the Family of Mary. He was canonized on 11 October 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI.-Early life:...
, Vladas Jurgutis
Vladas Jurgutis
Vladas Jurgutis was a Lithuanian priest, economist, and professor. As the first chairman of the Bank of Lithuania he is unofficially considered to be the "father of the Lithuanian litas."-Biography:In 1902 Jurgutis graduated from a high school in Palanga and enrolled in the Kaunas Priest Seminary...
, Aleksander Kakowski, Mykolas Krupavičius
Mykolas Krupavičius
Mykolas Krupavičius was a Lithuanian priest and politician. He is best remembered for his involvement with the land reform in the interwar Lithuania....
, Zygmunt Łoziński, Maironis
Maironis
Maironis is one of the most famous Lithuanian romantic poets. He was born in Pasandravys, Raseiniai district municipality, Lithuania. Maironis graduated from Kaunas high school and went on to study Literature at Kiev University. However, in 1884, after one year of studies at the university, he...
, blessed Jurgis Matulaitis-Matulevičius
Jurgis Matulaitis-Matulevicius
Jurgis [George] Matulaitis was a Roman Catholic Bishop of Vilnius from 1918 to 1925 and founder of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On 28 June 1987, Pope John Paul II beatified him as the Blessed Jurgis Matulaitis-Matulewicz.-Biography:Matulaitis was the son of...
, Vincas Mykolaitis-Putinas
Vincas Mykolaitis-Putinas
Vincas Mykolaitis known by his pen name Putinas was Lithuanian poet and writer. He was also a priest, but renounced his priesthood in 1935.-Biography:...
, Justinas Pranaitis
Justinas Pranaitis
The Reverend Justinas Bonaventura Pranaitis or Pronaitis was a Lithuanian Catholic priest, Russian Master of Theology and Professor of the Hebrew Language at the Imperial Ecclesiastical Academy of the Roman Catholic Church in Saint Petersburg, Russia...
, Mečislovas Reinys
Mecislovas Reinys
Mečislovas Reinys was the Lithuanian Roman Catholic bishop, a professor at Vytautas Magnus University, a Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a social activist who publicly condemned racism and national hatred...
, Franz Anton Schiefner
Franz Anton Schiefner
Franz Anton Schiefner was a Baltic German linguist and tibetologist.Schiefner was born to a German-speaking family in Reval , Estonia, then part of Russian Empire. His father was a merchant who had emigrated from Bohemia...
, Juozapas Skvireckas
Juozapas Skvireckas
Juozapas Skvireckas was a Lithuanian archbishop of Kaunas .In 1911–1937 he translated the Bible into the Lithuanian language. During the occupation of the Baltic States by the Nazis, Skvireckas and his assistant, bishop Vincentas Brizgys, welcomed the Nazis. Skvireckas would provide chaplains for...
, Boļeslavs Sloskāns
Boļeslavs Sloskāns
Boļeslavs Sloskāns was a Latvian Roman Catholic bishop. He was born 31 August 1893 near Stirniene and died on 18 April 1981 in Leuven, Belgium....
, Julijans Vaivods
Julijans Vaivods
Julijans Vaivods was the Apostolic Administrator of Riga and of Liepāja from 10 November 1964 to his death, and Cardinal Priest of Santi Quattro Coronati from 1983 to his death...
, Motiejus Valančius
Motiejus Valancius
Motiejus Valančius was a Catholic bishop of Samogitia, historian and one of the best known Lithuanian writers of the 19th century.-Biography:...
. The Academy rectors were: Ignacy Hołowiński (1842–1855), Wincenty Lipski (1855–1857), Antoni Jakubielski (1857–1860), Aleksander Kazimierz Bereśniewicz (1860–1864), Dominika Stacewicza (1864–1876), Szymon Marcin Kozłowski (1877–1880), Antoni Franciszek Audziewicz (1880–1884), Franciszek Albin Symon (1884–1897), Karol Niedziałkowski (1897–1901), Longin Żarnowiecki (1901–1910), Aleksander Kakowski (1910–1913), Idzi Benedykt Radziszewski (1914–1917).