User:VisarHaxhifazliu/Bogoslavija

The Orthodox Seminary of Prizren, Bogoslovija (Serbian Cyrillic: Богословија - ) (Alb. Shkolla Ortodokse Serbe (IPMPZ); Srb. Serbian Orthodox Seminary of Sts. Cyrillus of Methodius (Serbian Orthodox Church); Eng. Serbian Orthodox School (IPMPZ) ), is known for being a school that trains and prepares orthodox clergymen for preaching the orthodox religion. This school has created scholars and teachers, even though its main mission is to create clergymen. Bogoslovija was the first educational-cultural and political center of Serbs in Kosovo.

Founder
Sima Andrejevic - Igumanov (Prizren, January 30 1804 — Prizren, February 24 1882) was a Serbian merchantman and church benefactor. He was born in Prizren where he got his first education in a monastery. He made his fortune through tobacco trade. He invested his fortune in building educational facilities for the common good. In 1872 he built a teachers' theological school in Prizren which produced a great number of theological students and teachers.In 1874, after Bogoslovija had been opened, to honor the name of Sima Andrejevic, from Belgrade arrives the marble plaque stating: “The deserving and honorable citizen of the magnificent city of Russia, St. Petersburg, Sima Andrejevic – Igumanov, with origin from Prizren, builds for the benefit of his brothers, the orthodox Serb people, who live in his homeland, in eternal commemoration to himself – in Prizren, August 10th, 1872.”

History of the Orthodox Seminary of Prizren
The Orthodox Seminary of Prizren, Bogoslovija, was established in 1870 by Sima Andrejevic - Igumanov in order to train men to serve as  Orthodox clergymen and teachers. The teaching process in this school started on May 1971Two years after its foundation, in August 10 1872, to this school was added a dormitory for students and another one for professors. Under the direct rule of Petar Kostic, it quickly became the center of Serbian culture and learning during the first decades of 20th century. Located in the heart of Prizren, this school soon came to be the cell of a first university in Kosovo, and this enabled the Orthodox Serb population to advance educationally and culturally at a time when Albanians were unable to access education, except for some Koran schools for boys in Turkish-language. "There were many monks here of army titles who, all day prayed, and all night rove through the city's neighborhoods and did mysterious deeds. It opened during the Ottoman rule with the intervention of Patriarchy, to leave a dangerous sign for the future." said on his book, Salajdin Krasniqi. In years 1960 - 1965, Bogoslovija reached its peak and counted 400 students at that time. When the Kosovo War ended, in June 12,1999 the majority of Serbs who were living in Kosovo at that time, were forced to flee, and those who could not do that, took refuge and hid themselves in Bogosolovija, where they were fed and protected by the Kosovo Force Troops until a place for them to settle was found. After the exiled Albanians returned to their homes in Prizren, as a sign of revenge they burned and damaged some of Serb buildings, including the Orthodox Seminary of Prizren. More damage was dealt to it during the protests which occured on March 17, 2004. On March 2007, the local company HIDROTERM together with Cultural Heritage without Borders(CHwB) worked together in restoring this educational institution to its former state. The tender for its restoration amounted to 1.3 million euros, 20% of which were managed by CHwB, and was supported by the European Agency for Reconstruction. During its restoration, HIDROTERM was the one to carry the physical work while being supervised by the CHwB. Other partners who took part in this project were Municipality of Prizren, Serbian Orthodox Church and the Institute for Protection of Monuments in Kosovo. In the summer of 2012, the Russian Orthodox Church decided to donate 200.000 euros to the Bogoslovija, in order for them to prepare for the accommodation of the new students. Bogoslovija's survival until these days, is the main proof that shows the humble and peaceful nature of the Albanian population in Kosovo.