“Guardians of the Academic Sanctuary”. Petrograd Theological Academy in 1918

Based on published and archival sources, the article considers research and teaching activities of professors of the Petrograd Theological Academy in 1918. Paid is attention to the defenses of master’s dissertations, studies of students of higher theological educational institutions of Petrograd. Shown is a failed attempt made by the academy’s rector bishop Anastasiy (Alexandrov) and members of the teaching corporation (N. N. Glubokovsky, S. M. Zarin, V. S. Serebrenikov, I. M. Volkov, etc.) to save the academy by joining it as one of the faculties, entitled “Religious and Philosophical Institute”, to the Petrograd University. From the university side, professors E. D. Grimm, A. I. Vvedensky, I. A. Ivanovsky and N. Ya. Marr took part in the negotiations. Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, this supposed and developed symbiosis of the academy and the university did not take place. As a result, in 1918 the Petrograd Theological Academy ceased its activity until 1946, when it was opened again as Leningrad Theological Academy and Seminary. This article is redrafted version of the Act speech presented on the feast day of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy on October 9, 2018.