Description of the attraction
The Jesuit Collegium in Polotsk was founded in the 16th century during the reign of Stephen Batory. Polotsk, a traditionally Orthodox city, was captured during the Lithuanian War in 1579. In order to establish Catholicism in him - the main faith of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the king turned to the Jesuit clergy with a request to establish a monastery and a collegium in Polotsk.
In 1580 the collegium was consecrated. From that moment on, Polotsk turned into a major European religious and educational center. In addition to religious disciplines, secular sciences are taught here: rhetoric, languages, music, ancient literature.
Despite the fact that Polotsk was a bone of contention between Russia and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, despite repeated devastation and fires, the collegium developed and grew, rebuilding better and more beautiful each time. In the 17th century, the collegium already had a library, an art gallery, a pharmacy, a charitable hospital, a theater and a printing yard.
In 1777, Catherine II, known for her sympathy for the Jesuit order, authorized the opening of a Catholic novitiate in Polotsk by special decree. After the ban on the activities of the Jesuit order in Europe, Polotsk becomes a kind of Jesuit capital. Prominent scientists and religious figures come here.
In 1812, by decree of Emperor Alexander I, the Polotsk Jesuit Collegium was transformed into an academy. In 1820, due to the authorities' concern about the missionary activities of the Jesuits on the territory of the Russian Empire, the academy was closed, and the Jesuits were expelled from Russia.
In the 19th century, the walls of the former Jesuit collegium first housed the Polotsk Higher School, then the Polotsk Cadet Corps. In Soviet times, a military hospital operated here. Since 2005, the former Jesuit collegium has housed two faculties of Polotsk State University: history and philology and information technology.
