George Fedotov's role in transformation of St. Vladimir's orthodox seminary into an academy

The article reconstructs in detail an important episode in the activity of a famous Russian historian-emigrant George Fedotov during “American period” of his life (1941-1951). The documents stored in the archive of the Orthodox Church in America (Suyosset, NY) are the basis of the research. The most important document among them is a historian project of transformation of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Seminary into an academy. The VIP All-American Orthodox Sobor in Cleveland (Ohio) approved this project in 1946 and it was successfully implemented. A special role of George Fedotov in this process was determined by the following circumstances. Firstly, his knowledge of history and current situation of Orthodoxy in the United States made it possible to justify convincingly the need for a higher theological school there. Secondly, his teaching experience at St. Sergius Orthodox Institute in Paris allowed him to assess the ability of his former colleagues and to invite some of them to America. Last not least, thirdly, his participation in the ecumenical movement has established his authority, which provided support for the project by the US counterparts.