On the establishment in the Imperial St. Petersburg Orthodox Theological Academy the department of “Church living word and reading”

The article presents the history of attempts to establish a new academic department «Church Living Word and Reading» in the Imperial St. Petersburg Orthodox Theological Academy at the beginning of the XX century for money of an individual. The benefactor was a nobleman A.A. Efremov, who believed that the Church’s preaching of many priests were in very poor condition in the early of 20th century. Academic Corporation, which fully agreed with this opinion, did everything possible to open the new department. However, the First World War and subsequent events prevented this unique project from implementation in the history of pre-revolutionary higher theological education.