Značaj Kežmarskog Liceja za istoriju srpskog školstva

Abstract

Slovakian town of Kežmarok was an important educational centre for Serbian students in the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century. There was the Lyceum, attended not only by Serbs, but also by students of other nationalities and religions. The Lyceum can be traced back to the 14th century, when there was a parochial school in Kežmarok that became Protestant after the Reformation. The fact that the Lyceum tolerated different religions was appealing to Serbian students. There were the departments of theology, philosophy and law. The Lyceum was officially founded in 1787. Serbian students, majority of whom were from southern Hungary, were mostly interested in the study of law and philosophy. After graduating from the Lyceum, their work left a significant mark on the Serbian cultural history. The most famous Serbian students that attended the Lyceum in Kežmarok in the first half of the 19th century were, among others, Jovan Sterija Popović, Lazar Lazarević senior, Dimitrije Davidović, Pavle Kengelac, Milovan Vidaković, Antonije Arnot, Georgije Lazarević. During the school year 1826-1827 there were around 50 Serbian students in Kežmarok. They founded a Serbian student organisation 'Societas Serbica', which was soon to be banned. Metropolitan Stefan Stratimirović chose which Serbian students would continue their education in Kežmarok, taking into consideration the opinion of the teachers and headmasters of the gymnasiums in Karlovci and Novi Sad: Karlo Rumi, Andrija Volni and Pavel Jozef Šafarik. Serbian Orthodox students wanted to continue their schooling in Kežmarok not only because of religious tolerance, but also because of the classical education. The classes were taught in Latin, and the students were also allowed to speak German while in the Lyceum. The students could study in the school building, where they could use its rich library. Unfortunately, there are not many written sources about the schooling of Serbian students in Kežmarok. So far, this topic has been researched by Živan Milisavac, Risto Kovijanić and Isidora Popović. Although they approached the topic seriously, it is mostly literary historians that are familiar with their data.