Tambov Theological Seminary: the background of the institution and the first years of its activity (1779-1802)

Abstract

The article describes the establishment and the first stage in the history of the Tambov Theological Seminary. The first theological school in the Tambov diocese appeared under the second Tambov bishop Pitirim (1685-1698). Saint Pitirim was a graduate of the monastery school at the Vyazemsky John the Baptist Monastery of the Smolensk diocese, where he later served as abbot. Having become the Tambov bishop, he built a special house at the bishop's court for candidates for ordination to the priesthood, where they underwent an initial course of study before being ordained. These were short-term courses where they were taught the basics of knowledge of the Holy Scripture, dogmatics and liturgical practice, as well as reading and writing. After the death of Bishop Pitirim, the Tambov diocese was abolished in 1699. With the revival of the Tambov diocese in 1758 and the appointment of Bishop Pakhomiy (Simansky) to it, the possibility of opening a Theological Seminary in the diocese began to be discussed. These were only the first steps towards opening a seminary. Bishop Feodosiy (Golosnitsky) replaced Bishop Pakhomiy at the diocese. On September 22, 1779, the Tambov Theological Seminary was established. Archimandrite Ioanniky (Berkut-Polonsky), abbot of the Tsar-Konstantinovsky Monastery, was appointed rector of the seminary. The first teachers were sent from the Ryazan Theological Seminary. The Synod proposed to build a seminary building using funds that remained from the 2,000 rubles allocated annually by the treasury. There was no room for a seminary in Tambov, and it was opened in the Nizhnelomovsky Kazan Monastery, which was very far from the diocesan center. While the seminary was getting its academic life in order, the rector was busy building a seminary building in the provincial capital. After the final finishing of the seminary building in 1790, all the students from the Nizhnelomovsky Monastery were transferred to the new building. The first seminary graduation took place that same year. In the first years of the Tambov Theological Seminary, people from other dioceses also studied there. In 1800, 131 students from the Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Simbirsk and Saratov provinces were studying at the Tambov Seminary. It became necessary to expand the building. This construction completed the first stage in the history of the seminary, associated with its internal and external arrangement.