JOHN THE THEOLOGIAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN BITOLA AND SUBCARPATHIAN RUS: HISTORICAL CONNECTIONS, EDUCATIONAL PROCESS, GRADUATES

Abstract

The article investigates the historical ties of Subcarpathian Rus with one of the theological institutions in the Balkans - the St. John the Theologian seminary in Bitola. The deficient educational level of the Orthodox clergy in the early 1920s is characterized. The network of Orthodox seminaries in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes during this period is shown. Based on the documents of Serbian and Ukrainian archives, the stages of attracting students from Subcarpathian Rus to study in the Kingdom's secondary and higher spiritual and theological institutions are clarified. The role of the bishops-delegates of the Serbian Orthodox Church, who served the most for the departure of entrants to study in Macedonia, is assessed. For the first time in historiography, the names of the Transcarpathians who graduated from the seminary and were ordained as priests were established. The article also mentions other seminarians who were expelled for failure or transferred to other educational institutions. The article describes the seminary's curriculum, extracurricular activities, incentives system, and students' leisure time. The annual reports of the seminary also provide an opportunity to trace the way of reforming the educational institution's curriculum, increasing and decreasing the number of hours in certain subjects. The author concludes that Bitola Theological Seminary trained about 30 priests for Subcarpathian Rus and was among the most popular and respected in the region. The Orthodox clergy who graduated from the studios in Macedonia were highly educated and able to unite the faithful in the parishes. On this basis, the diocesan hierarchs entrusted the "Bitolians" with large parishes or problematic parishes where it was necessary to normalize the situation. The conclusions outline the prospects for further research.