MYLTSI THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL IN 1914–1919: ORGANIZATION, TEACHING, TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35774/gsip2025.02.208Keywords:
theological school, church education, World War I, evacuation, content of education, teaching methodology, teachers, studentsAbstract
The article examines the development of the Myltsi four-class theological school at the final stage of its functioning. The key topics considered in the article were: the place of the Myltsi theological school in the system of theological education, its development in the conditions of war and revolutionary changes, teaching staff and students, content and approaches to education.
The purpose of the article is to comprehensively research the history of the Myltsi theological school in 1914–1919. Theological schools provided primary theological education. Their graduates had the right to enter seminaries, in particular, the Volyn theological seminary. The main factors that influenced the functioning of the school during this period were analyzed, primarily war, evacuation, a significant complication of the economic situation, and other challenges of wartime. The school was evacuated in 1915 to Zhytomyr and Katerynoslav, then the educational institution returned to Zhytomyr in 1916, where it remained until 1919. This process took place under extremely difficult circumstances. Due to this, the school functioned in the provincial center for about three years.
Administrative, pedagogical and auxiliary positions in the school were established, as well as the personnel who occupied them. Teachers faced such difficult economic challenges as inflation, shortages of goods, etc. However, salaries also grew. The personal composition of students and its main characteristics were analyzed, in particular, the fact that students were mainly sons of church figures, often deceased, and came almost exclusively from the territory of three counties of the Volyn province: Volodymyr-Volynskyi, Kovel and Lutsk.
The features of the educational process and the content of subjects were determined. The education system was traditional for the beginning of the XX century and corresponded to the aspirations of church figures, on the one hand, to give students key knowledge and skills necessary for church work and to form patriotic beliefs about the Russian Empire, on the other hand, to respond the challenges of the time regarding secular education. In addition, at this time, for political reasons, new subjects were introduced, in particular the Ukrainian language and history of Ukraine. The traditional problem for theological schools arose – overloading of students and a decrease in the quality of education.
The termination of the school's functioning is associated with the capture of Eastern Volyn by the Bolsheviks, Western Volyn – by the Polish authorities. The school management was unable to find support and permission to continue work.
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