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Tbilisi Theological Academy and Seminary ( ka, თბილისის სასულიერო სემინარია, tr; ) is a
seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...
in
Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...
, Georgia. It operated from 1817 to 1919 under the name Tiflis Theological Seminary in the Georgian exarchate 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 facility closed during the wake of the
Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...
and the subsequent 1921 invasion of Georgia. The building housing the seminary closed in 1917, and one of the major buildings the seminary used was eventually repurposed in 1950 to become the
Art Museum of Georgia The Art Museum of Georgia (AMG) ( ka, საქართველოს ხელოვნების მუზეუმი, ''sak'art'velos khelovnebis muzeumi''), alternatively known as Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts, is one of the l ...
. After Georgian independence in 1991 and the concurrent fall of communism and its discouragement of religion, there was interest in creating a successor. The institution reopened on new premises in 1993 as a higher educational institution of the
Georgian Orthodox Church The Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს სამოციქულო ავტოკეფალური მართლმადიდებელი ეკლესია, tr), commonl ...
. The institution's most famous attendee was Joseph Besarionis dze Jughashvili, better known by his Russianized name of
Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
. Stalin received a scholarship and attended when he was age fourteen in 1894. The language of instruction was Russian, and use of the
Georgian language Georgian (, ) is the most widely spoken Kartvelian language, Kartvelian language family. It is the official language of Georgia (country), Georgia and the native or primary language of 88% of its population. It also serves as the literary langu ...
was discouraged by the Russian priests who taught there. Stalin was a voracious reader in both languages. He became a cultural nationalist for Georgia. He participated in student politics and anonymously published poetry in Georgian in the local newspaper. Although his academic performance was good, he was expelled in 1899 after missing his final exams. While at the seminary, Stalin met a circle of friends who would go on to be influential in later Marxist politics, including joining the
Mesame Dasi Mesame Dasi ( ka, მესამე დასი) was the first social-democratic party in the Caucasus, based in Tbilisi, Georgia. It was founded in 1892 by Egnate Ninoshvili and M. G. Tskhakaya as a literary-political group, and became affilia ...
party. Another notable graduate was the poet Galaktion Tabidze.


History

Tiflis Theological Seminary opened in 1817. In 1838, the Swiss architects brothers Giovanni and Giuseppe Bernardazzi built a new building for the seminary opposite Paskevich-Erivansky Square (modern
Freedom Square, Tbilisi Freedom Square or Liberty Square is located in the center of Tbilisi, Georgia, at the eastern end of Rustaveli Avenue (in Georgian, it is თავისუფლების მოედანი ''Tavisuplebis moedani'', pronounced ). Under I ...
). In 1872, as part of a
Pan-Slavism Pan-Slavism, a movement that took shape in the mid-19th century, is the political ideology concerned with promoting integrity and unity for the Slavic people. Its main impact occurred in the Balkans, where non-Slavic empires had ruled the South ...
initiative under the leadership of Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich, a ban was introduced on the use of the
Georgian language Georgian (, ) is the most widely spoken Kartvelian language, Kartvelian language family. It is the official language of Georgia (country), Georgia and the native or primary language of 88% of its population. It also serves as the literary langu ...
for teaching in seminaries, as the seminary was seen as a hotbed of Georgian nationalism. All instruction was to take place in
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
instead. In 1903, construction began on a new complex of buildings in the Vake neighborhood of Tiflis, headed by architect Alexander Rogoisky. The seminary moved in 1912, and the old building became a hotel. It did not last long, though; in the chaos of the
Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...
, the buildings were requisitioned in 1917. The seminary may have operated on a temporary basis for a time, but it too eventually closed in the following years. One of old buildings in the complex used by the seminary was repurposed to house the
Art Museum of Georgia The Art Museum of Georgia (AMG) ( ka, საქართველოს ხელოვნების მუზეუმი, ''sak'art'velos khelovnebis muzeumi''), alternatively known as Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts, is one of the l ...
in 1950, the location it still occupies. The two main courses of instruction were Orthodox theology and rhetoric. Various related topics were also taught, including
Church Slavonic Church Slavonic is the conservative Slavic liturgical language used by the Eastern Orthodox Church in Belarus, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Slovenia and Croatia. The ...
, history, mathematics, literature,
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), ...
, and
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
.


See also

*
Nersisian School Nersisian School (, ''Nersisian Dprots''; ka, ნერსისიანის სემინარია, ; ) was an Armenian higher education institution in the city of Tiflis, then Russian Empire (now Tbilisi, Georgia). It operated exactly f ...
, another Orthodox school of education in Tiflis, but centered on the Armenian community


References


Bibliography

* *


External links

* (Georgian)
official website
(Russian)
official website
(English) {{coord, 41.6911, N, 44.8068, E, source:wikidata, display=title 1993 establishments in Georgia (country) Buildings and structures in Tbilisi Christianity in Tbilisi Eastern Orthodox seminaries Educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church Education in Tbilisi Georgian Orthodox Church Education in the Russian Empire 1817 establishments in the Russian Empire