Serbian Orthodox Seminary of Prizren
| Prizren Seminary Српска Православна Богословија Св. Кирила и Mетодија; Призренска Богословија |
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Entrance
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Prizren, 20000 Kosovo |
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| Coordinates | 42°12′33″N 20°44′31″E / 42.209281°N 20.742049°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Public, provincial, spiritual |
| Established | 1872 |
| Rector | Teodosije, Bishop of Raška |
| Age | 15 to 18 |
| Houses | 2 |
| Colour(s) | Gray White |
The Serbian Orthodox Seminary of Saints Cyril and Methodius (Serbian: Српска Православна Богословија Св. Кирила и Методија), known as the Prizren Seminary (Призренска Богословија), is a Serbian Orthodox theological school. The school has produced scholars and educators, though its main mission is to create clergymen. The seminary was the first cultural-educational and political center of Serbs in Kosovo.
Serbian merchant Sima Andrejević founded the seminary in order to train men to serve as Orthodox clergymen and teachers. The teaching process in this school started in May 1871. Two years after its foundation, on 10 August 1872, a dormitory for students and another one for professors were added.
Under the direct leadership of Petar Kostić, it quickly became the center of Serbian culture and education in the Ottoman Empire during the first decades of 20th century. Located in the center of Prizren, the school soon came to be the cell of a first university in Kosovo, and this enabled the Orthodox, Serb population, to advance educationally and culturally at a time when Albanians were unable to access education, except for some Koran schools in Turkish, for boys only.
The Seminary was looted by Albanians during World War II, when many Serbian churches, monasteries and schools were destroyed. Between 1960–65, the seminary reached its peak and counted 400 students at that time. In 1970 it had 129 students and 12 teachers.
When the Kosovo War ended, on 12 June 1999, the majority of Serbs who were living in Kosovo at that time, were forced to flee, and those who were unable to, took refuge and hid themselves in the Prizren Seminary, where they were fed and protected by the UN peacekeeping Kosovo Force, until a place for them to settle was found. Serbs hiding in the Seminary were sent for Serbia in August 1999. After the refugee Albanians returned to Prizren, they burned and damaged Serbian buildings, including the Seminary.
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Wikipedia