Smolensk Theological Seminary in the system of higher education in Russia

This article analyzes the evolution of higher theological education in the Russian Orthodox Church. Using the example of the Smolensk Orthodox Theological Seminary, the author examines the path that theological schools have overcome in the process of reforming theological education. Particular attention is paid to how, based on the experience gained, difficult questions were resolved regarding the advisability of obtaining state accreditation by higher religious educational institutions. The Smolensk Theological Seminary acted as a pilot platform for testing those ideas and goals that were set long before the onset of a new stage in the development of religious education in Russia. At the moment, it is important to analyze and record the experience gained in the process of reforming higher theological education in order to contribute to the further progressive development of the theological schools of the Russian Church. The research was carried out on the basis of documents contained in the archives of the Smolensk Theological Seminary. As a methodological basis for this work, the author chose the historical and genetic approach, as well as the principle of consistency, in which a separate theological school is considered as part of a single educational space of the Russian Orthodox Church, and then - of the entire system of higher education in the country. The chosen methods made it possible to conclude that the fears caused by the inclusion of higher theological education in the orbit of state control were not confirmed. At the same time, there are problems that require further solutions, and above all - increasing the competitiveness of theological schools in the changing socio-economic conditions of the country and the world.