The St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute (

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

: ''Institut de théologie orthodoxe Saint-Serge'') in

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, is a private university of higher education in Orthodox theology. Founded in 1925 by a group led by Metropolitan

Eulogius Georgiyevsky Eulogius (, born Vasily Semyonovich Georgiyevsky, ; 10 April 1868 – 8 April 1946 in Paris) was an Orthodox Christian bishop, who led elements of the Russian Orthodox diaspora in Western Europe from 1921 until his death. From 1931 he was head ...

, Anton Kartashev (historian, theologian, and last Minister of Religious Affairs of the

Russian Provisional Government The Russian Provisional Government was a provisional government of the Russian Empire and Russian Republic, announced two days before and established immediately after the abdication of Nicholas II on 2 March, O.S. New_Style.html" ;"title="5 ...

), Lev Liperovsky, and Mikhail Ossorguine, with the active support of Nobel Peace Prize recipient

John Mott John Raleigh Mott (May 25, 1865 – January 31, 1955) was an American evangelist and long-serving leader of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) and the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF). He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 19 ...

. It is under the canonical jurisdiction of the

Archdiocese of Russian Orthodox churches in Western Europe The Archdiocese of Russian Orthodox Churches in Western Europe was an autonomous archdiocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, headquartered in Paris. It comprised various Russian Orthodox parishes located throughout Western Euro ...

under the

omophorion In the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic liturgical tradition, the ''omophorion'' (, meaning " omethingborne on the shoulders"; Slavonic: омофоръ, ''omofor'') is the distinguishing vestment of a bishop and the symbol of his spiritual ...

of the

Russian Orthodox Church The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

. The institute has been in conformity with French legislation and the norms of European university education since its earliest years and is accredited by the ''Académie de Paris'' to deliver bachelor, masters and doctoral degrees. The mission of the institute is to form educated priests and laypeople, intending them to serve actively the Orthodox Church and representing it in ecumenical dialogue as well as in the religious and cultural life of their own country. Its faculty and graduate students conduct scholarly activities that have become world famous — research, publications, organizing international conferences (including, since the 1950s, the annual "liturgical week") and interfaith dialog.

History

The institute's building was originally a German Protestant church.

Friedrich von Bodelschwingh Friedrich "Fritz" von Bodelschwingh (; 14 August 1877 Bethel – 4 January 1946 Bethel), also known as Friedrich von Bodelschwingh the Younger, was a German pastor, theologian and public health advocate. His father was Friedrich von Bodelschwingh ...

bought the site to construct a church, a school and other facilities to help German workers in Paris. The original faculty and their immediate successors included some of the most notable names in Russian intellectual history: economist, philosopher and theologian

Sergei Bulgakov Sergei Nikolayevich Bulgakov (, ; – 13 July 1944) was a Russian Orthodox theologian, priest, philosopher, and economist. Orthodox writer and scholar David Bentley Hart has said that Bulgakov was "the greatest systematic theologian of the tw ...

who became the dean; Anton Kartashev;

Georgy Fedotov Georgy Petrovich Fedotov (, October 1 (13) 1886, Saratov, Russian Empire, – September 1, 1951, New York, US) was a Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neig ...

;

Boris Vysheslavtsev Boris Petrovich Vysheslavtsev (; 1877– October 5, 1954) was a Russian philosopher who belonged to the Russian Silver Age and Renaissance of Religion and Philosophy.Blagova, Tatiana. “Boris Vysheslavtsev on the Russian National Character.” ...

; Archpriest Basil Zenkovsky; Archpriest

Georges Florovsky Georges Vasilievich Florovsky (; – August 11, 1979) was a Russian Orthodox priest, theologian, and historian. Born in the Russian Empire, he spent his working life in Paris (1920–1949) and New York (1949–1979). With Sergei Bulgakov, V ...

, pioneer of Orthodox neopatristics and of the ecumenical movement; Archimandrite Cyprian Kern, patrologist and liturgist; Archpriest Nicolas Afanassieff, professor of canon law; New Testament scholar Bishop Cassian Bézobrazov; Léon Zander, another pioneer of the ecumenical movement;

Alexander Schmemann Alexander Dmitrievich Schmemann (; 13 September 1921 – 13 December 1983) was an influential Orthodox priest, theologian, and author who spent most of his career in the United States. Born in Estonia to émigrés from the Russian Revolution, ...

;

John Meyendorff John Meyendorff (; ; February 17, 1926 – July 22, 1992) was a leading theologian of the Orthodox Church of America as well as a writer and teacher. He served as the dean of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in the United States unt ...

; and diplomat

Constantin Andronikof Prince Constantin Eseevich Andronikof (, ''Konstantin Eseevich Andronikov''; ka, კონსტანტინე ანდრონიკაშვილი, ''Konstantine Andronikashvili'') (16 July 1916 – 12 September 1997) was a French diplo ...

, personal interpreter for several French presidents and prolific translator of Russian-language theological classics.

Education

The St. Sergius Institute: * Offers a complete program of licentiate, masters and doctoral degrees * Serves as a centre of theological education by correspondence * Is a centre of pastoral training * Provides teaching in the sacred arts, iconography and liturgical singing * Serves as a laboratory for research in religious history and science * Contains a library of more than 35,000 books and rare journals * Is a place of meeting and colloquia, including the annual "Liturgical Week" sessions Teaching is in the French language.

Notable alumni and professors

Alumni * Ignatius IV (Hazim) - Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East *

Professors Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a 'person who professes'. Professors ...

Nicholas Afanasiev Nikolay Nikolayevich Afanasiev (; 4 September 1893, Odessa — 4 December 1966, Paris) was an Eastern Orthodox theologian who was ordinary professor of the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris. Afanasiev was born in Odessa, in ...

* Élisabeth Behr-Sigel *

Olivier Clément Olivier-Maurice Clément (17 November 1921 – 15 January 2009) was a French Eastern Orthodox theologian who taught at St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris, France. He actively promoted the reunification of Christians (he was fri ...

* Sophie Deicha *

Paul Evdokimov Paul Nikolaevich Evdokimov () (August 2 Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/> O.S. July 20 1901 – September 16, 1970) was an Eastern Orthodox">Orthodox Christian theologian">Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. July 20 1901 – Se ...

* Anton Kartashov *

Atanasije Jevtić Atanasije Jevtić (Serbian Cyrillic: Атанасије Јевтић; 8 January 1938 – 4 March 2021) was a Serbian Orthodox prelate who served as the bishop of Banat from 1991 until 1992, and the bishop of Zahumlje and Herzegovina from 1992 ...

References

External links

Official website
(French)
OrthodoxWiki article
Eastern Orthodox seminaries Education in Paris Eastern Orthodox church buildings in Paris {{Seminary-stub

History

Education

Notable alumni and professors

See also

References

External links