- Ostroh Academy
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Coordinates: 50°11′41″N 26°18′17″E / 50.194596°N 26.304705°E
National University "Ostroh Academy" Національний університет "Острозька Академія" 
Established 1576 Type Public Rector I. D. Pasichnyk Academic staff 6 Students 3500 Location Ostroh, Ukraine Website www.oa.edu.ua National University "Ostroh Academy" (Ukrainian: Національний Університет Острозька Академія, translit.: Natsional'nyi Universytet Ostroz'ka Akademiia) is a Ukrainian self-governed (autonomous) research university that was re-opened in 1994 by the Presidential Decree of April 12, 1994. The university was re-opened in place of a historical Ostroh Academy that was founded in 1576 in Ostroh by a Ruthenian nobleman Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski.
Contents
History
In 17th century all the universities of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth got under influence of the Catholic or Protestant nobles. To counter this influence Count Konstanty Ostrogski, one of the most influential people in the Crown of Poland and a major partisan of the Orthodox faith, founded a large university-like school in his estate in Ostrog in what is now Ukraine. Ostrogski envisioned a lay academy, that would however strengthen the Orthodox spirit in the country and prevent mass conversions to Protestantism, Greek or Latin Catholicism, a process in full swing at the time.[1] and as such was first mentioned in Piotr Skarga's 1577 On the Unity of God's Church under a Single Shepherd and on Greek Dismissal of this Union.[2]
The school was founded some time between 1576[3] and 1580, but it did not start full activities until 1585.[4] Initially tasked only with translation of The Bible to Ruthenian (later published as the Ostrog Bible),[5] with time it grew to become a permanent institution of secondary education.
Large part of the funding came from Princess Halszka Ostrogska's testament of 1579, in which she donated six times sixty thousand Lithuanian grosz to local school, hospital and St. Spas' monastery near Lutsk.[6]
The school, while officially styled Academy rather than University, was modelled after European universities of the epoch. It taught the trivium (grammar, rhetorics, dialectics) as well as quadrivium (arithmetics, geometry, music and astronomy).[4] In addition to that, it also featured education in Latin, Greek and Ruthenian (predecessor to both modern Ukrainian and Belarusian), the only institution of higher education in the world teaching that language at the time.[4]
The first rector of the academy was Herasym Smotrycki, a noted Greek Orthodox writer of the epoch.[4] With time Ostrogski assembled a significant group of professors, many of them people expelled from the Jagiellonian University (such as the first dean of astronomy Jan Latosz) or conflicted with the king or the Catholic clergy. However, the political nature of the conflict between Ostrogski, Protestants and Catholics prevented the school from attracting enough professors of international fame.[1] It did however invite numerous Greek scientists from abroad, including Smotrycki's successors Kyrillos Lukaris, as well as Metropolitan bishop Kizikos, Nicefor Parasios, the envoy of the Metropolitan of Constantinople, and Emmanuel Achilleos, a religious writer. Some of the professors were also of local stock, including Jurij Rohatyniec, Wasyl Maluszycki and Jow Kniahicki.[7] The religious character of the academy was underlined by close ties to Orthodox monasteries of Derman, Dubno, Slutsk and later also Pochayov.[7]
While the school failed to attract as many students as the founder had envisioned,[4] it nevertheless became very influential as a centre of Ruthenian (that is Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian) culture and literature.[7] Among the notable alumni were religious writer Zacharius Kopystensky, hetman Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny, one of the fathers of Belarusian poetry Andrzej Rymsza and future exarchs of Lwów Gedeon Balaban and of Polotsk Meletius Smotrytsky, son of the first rector and a noted Orthodox writer and teacher.[7] It also became the alma mater of professors of the so-called brotherhood schools for Orthodox burghers being founded in late 16th century all around the country in accordance with the royal decree of 1585 by king Stefan Batory. After the foundation of Jesuit Collegium in Ostroh in 1624 the academy lost its significance and was closed around 1640.
The school was reactivated in 1994 and now occupies the buildings of the former Rococo Capuchin monastery (built in 1779).[8] Since October 2000 the university carries a title of National. It is one of the 14 research universities in Ukraine since July 2009. Ostroh Academy is the only elite university of Ukraine that is not located in a regional capital.
Notable Dates
- June 18, 1578 – Ivan Fyodorov with help of teachers printed first book in Ukraine - Bukvar (Alphabet book) and “Greek-Rus' Church Slavonic Reader”, which mentions about establishment of the Ostroh Academy.
- March 9, 1579 – niece of duke Konstanty Ostrogski – princess Halszka Ostrogska confirms in testament her contribution for St. Spas Monastery, village Dorosyni and Ostroh Academy of amount of 6 000 "cop money" in lithuenian count. This was first contribution for Academy.
- 1580 – with assistance of teachers Ivan Fyodorov printed first in Ukraine printed “Book of New Testament”, Tymophy Mykhailovych's “Книжка събраніе вещей нужнеЂйших вкъратцЂ скораго ради обрЂтенія в Книзе Новаго ЗавЂта” and first edition of science literature.
- May 5, 1581 – was printed first religious poetic calendar “Которого ся мЂсяца што за стар ых в Ђ ков д Ђ ело коротко е описаніе”, known in modern science literature as Andrew Rymshi's “Chronology”.
- July 12, 1581 – was printed "Ostrog Bible", with effort of Ivan Fyodorov and leaders of Academy this was first full printing of Eastern Orthodox's Old Testament.
Notable alumni
- Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny (1570 - March 20, 1622) — Ukrainian szlachta, Hetman of Ukraine (1614 – 1622).
- Ostroh Сleric — pseudonym of Ukrainian unknown writer-polemnist (end of 16th - beginning of 17th century).
- Meletius Smotrytsky (1577 - December 17(27), 1633) — Ukrainian linguist from Galicia, author and religious activist.
- Andrew Rymsha — Ukrainian writer and translator at the end of 16th century.
Departments
- The Department of Political Studies and Information Management
- The Department of Quantitative Economics
- The Department of Finance
- The Department of Romance and Germanic Languages
- The Department of Law
- The Department of International Relations
Rankings
The academy was ranked in the 6th place among Ukrainian traditional Universities according to official rating of the Ministry of Education & Science of Ukraine;[citation needed] 9th place among Ukrainian Universities according to "Ukrainska Pravda" newspaper;[citation needed] 3rd place among Ukrainian traditional Universities according to Correspondent Journal[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ a b (Polish) Tomasz Kempa (2007). Wobec kontrreformacji; protestanci i prawosławni w obronie swobód wyznaniowych w Rzeczypospolitej w końcu XVI i w pierwszej połowie XVII wieku. Toruń: Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek. p. 39. ISBN 9788374416443.
- ^ (Polish) Piotr Skarga (1577). O jedności Kościoła Bożego pod jednym Pasterzem i o greckim od tej jedności odstąpieniu, Wilno
- ^ (English) Ostroh Academy National University (corporate author). "Ostroh Academy National University". oa.edu.ua. http://www.oa.edu.ua/en/information/en_history. Retrieved 2011-05-10.
- ^ a b c d e (Polish) various authors (2003). Zofia Abramowicz. ed. Chrześcijańskie dziedzictwo duchowe narodów słowiańskich. Białystok: Uniwersytet w Białymstoku, Wydział Filologiczny. p. 329. ISBN 8389031787.
- ^ (Polish) various authors (1997-11-06). "Akademia Ostrogska". In Jerzy Wowk. Kultura polska w życiu Ukrainy; historia, dzień dzisiejszy, materiały z II międzynarodowej konferencji naukowej [Polish culture in the life of Ukraine: history, modern times; 2nd international conference papers]. Kultura polska w życiu Ukrainy. Kiev: Federacja Organizacji Polskich na Ukrainie; Główna specjalizowana redakcja literatury w językach mniejszości narodowych Ukrainy. p. 37. ISBN 9665520470.
- ^ (Polish) various authors (2002). Antoni Mironowicz, Urszula Pawluczuk, Piotr Chomik. ed. Szkolnictwo prawosławne w Rzeczypospolitej. Białystok: Białystok University Press. p. 22. ISBN 8390292858.
- ^ a b c d (Polish) Antoni Mironowicz (2003). Kościół prawosławny w państwie Piastów i Jagiellonów. Białystok: Białystok University Press. pp. 238–242. ISBN 8389031396.
- ^ (Polish) Grzegorz Rąkowski (2005). Wołyń. Pruszków: Rewasz. p. 321. ISBN 8389188325.
External links
- Culture Science in Ostroh Academy
- Ranking
- Ostroh Academy homepage
- The History of Ostroh Academy
- The chronicle of formation and revival
Categories:- History of Ukraine
- Education in Ukraine
- Universities in Ukraine
- Educational institutions established in the 1570s
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