Spirit Academy
At first sight this educational institution is somehow reminding Valcdel from Herman Gess's well-known novel «Game in beads» - a city-university, whose inhabitants try to comprehend things improbable for uninitiated . There and here closed for an extraneous sight worlds . And there and here again ministering is on the first place - without dependence from "salary", a state of health, mood and private life. And there and here in a life one is guided by the strict charters regulating manner of behaviour and even a direction of thoughts. But Valcdel is closed on itself, its "inhabitants" does not show any interest in anything that falls outside the limits of their main employment - games by a glass beads. The academy is stirred with the future of the world and an estate of human spirit. We are talking of the oldest higher educational institution of Russia - the Moscow spiritual academy, that is in the Trinity-Sergey's monastery.
With my accompanying, the representative of the press-service of academy Alexander, we enter into Monastery gate. From under feet fly up pigeons… Walking stone blocks passing by ancient temples of a monastery. The road which Russian sovereigns and friars went some centuries, conducts in northern part of a complex where the two-storeyed brick Building of the former Imperial Halls - a rare monument of civil architecture of XVII-XVIII centuries already is seen.
And behind Halls - later constructions, not older than second half of XIX century. Buildings of Troitsk seminary and the Moscow spiritual academy: Class, Library, Hospital, Table. The complex of "the academic small town" is separated from actually monastic territory by a trellised pig-iron fencing. Besides, all its buildings are connected among themselves by covered transitions, and students move from one to another, not getting on the street.
On a way there on one of stands near the administrative building big map of Russia spotted with tags.
- Here cities where we have opened spiritual schools.
We have counted more than thirty.
- We hope, that soon them will be even more.
At the next stand hangs little gracefully issued announcements - in the form of rolls with the seals. We read: «Rules on preparation and pronouncing of sermons. Sermon volume - three-four thousand signs with blanks … the Student is obliged to say the sermon, reading at sight is not supposed … the Sermon moves on check to the teacher of homiletic theology not later than two weeks before pronouncing …» (Homiletic theology the science about church preaching is called.)
So, we will walk on halls.
The first tells about early christian period: breadboard models of the Roman catacombs where there were burial places of Christian martyrs, executed by order of the authorities … the Notorious Collosseo in church history where they were threw on worry to wild beasts for public amusement… the Temple of Sacred Sofia in Constantinople - what it were at byzantians. And also the earliest samples of Christian iconografy.
The second hall is dedicated to Russian Orthodoxy. Here too "remarks" (copy) of temples and an icon from which one has rushed to our eyes, unusual under the form - narrow and long.
Is a measured icon, - Alexander has explained, - especially Russian invention. When the baby was born, it was measured - and «in growth of the baby» represented sacred in which honour he is named. The sacred image accompanied the person during all life, and the "native" sacred exemplified to him.
