New Arkhangelsk Theological Seminary

On January 20, 1841, the Bishop of Kamchatka, Kuril and Aleutian Innocent (Veniaminov) traveled across Siberia to Russian America and arrived in Sitka at the end of September of the same year ^[1] . December 17, 1841 he founded in Novoarkhangelsk, the capital of Russian America, Novoarhangelsk Theological College ^[2] . In a letter to Metropolitan of Moscow Filaret (Drozdov) dated April 30, 1842, Bishop Innocent reported that 23 people were studying at the school, aged 7 to 17 years, of which 21 were of indigenous origin. The curriculum was designed for four years ^[1] .

Already in 1843, Bishop Innocent transferred to Novoarkhangelsk a religious school from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky , combining it with Novoarkhanglsky, and in the same year he petitioned the Holy Synod to open a theological seminary in Novoarkhangelsk ^[2] .

On December 1, 1845, the New Arkhangelsk Theological School was transformed into the New Arkhangelsk Theological Seminary. The seminary was located in a wooden house in Novoarkhangelsk ^[2] .

In 1846, the Russian-American company built the building of a theological seminary according to the drawings of Bishop Innocent himself ^[1] .

The seminary students were both natives of Kamchatka and residents of Russian colonies in America, both Russians and descendants of mixed marriages. Initially, only the lower classes of the seminary were opened, then, gradually, the middle and senior. Accordingly, the number of students increased. In the academic year 1847/1848, 54 students studied at the seminary ^[2] .

The lack of cadres of administrators and teachers was the main problem for the seminary. Bishop Innocent even went so far as to ask the Russian-American company for a sailor, whom he identified in the seminary as assistant economist and superintendent of the seminary house, entrusting him with supervision of the students. This sailor soon passed away ^[2] .

The subjects of teaching at the Novoarkhangelsk Theological Seminary, in general, corresponded to the training course of the Theological Seminaries in Russia, although they were often completed not in full ^[2] .

In 1853, the first graduation of the New Archangel Theological Seminary took place. Six people graduated from the seminary, three of them in the first category ^[2] .

Soon after the opening of the seminary in Novoarkhangelsk, Bishop Innocent came to the conclusion that Novoarkhangelsk was not the best place for the seminary because of the constant acute shortage of teachers who were loaded with missionary and priestly duties. The existence of a seminary in Novoarkhangelsk was not very cheap. In addition, the authorities of the Russian-American Company, which was a monopolist, were not too supportive of the activities of Bishop Innocent and his missionaries. Another consideration in favor of transferring the seminary to the Asian part of the diocese was that young men from American tribes and Creoles did not show much hope: “Everything has been done on our part; and it turned out that of the American natives and Creoles, perhaps the 50th could be a missionary, and then under the supervision of non-creole. Consequently, the continued presence of the Bishop and the seminary in Sith will not help either. And the children of the Kamchatka clergy, although they give good hope for themselves, but they can not be brought up in Sith ” ^[2] .

In 1852, Bishop Innocent transferred his works to the Asian continent. In the same year, the Yakutsk region was annexed to the Kamchatka diocese, after which Bishop Innokenty decides to move the seminary to Yakutsk , which happened in 1858 ^{[2] [3]} .

• Priest Peter Litvintsev (1845-1857)
• Archimandrite Peter (Catherine) (January 15, 1857 - September 1858)