After the consecration of the house church in honor of the Apostles Peter and Paul of St. Petersburg State University on September 10, 2024, in the assembly hall of the historic building of the Twelve Colleges - the main building of St. Petersburg State University — a solemn ceremony was held to present His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia with the diploma of honorary Doctor of St. Petersburg State University.
The Academic Council of St. Petersburg State University decided: "To award His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia the title of Honorary Doctor of St. Petersburg State University for his outstanding contribution to the development of international, humanitarian and cultural cooperation."
Rector of St. Petersburg State University N.M. Kropachev, addressing the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church during the ceremony, in particular, noted: "You have passed the path that the academic council of our university has evaluated with the highest university award — the title of Honorary Doctor of St. Petersburg State University. This marks the outstanding contribution that Your Holiness has made to the development of the theological science of the Orthodox Church, to the return of theology to the family of university disciplines." At the end of his speech, the rector presented His Holiness with the distinctive marks of an honorary doctor (honoris causa) — a diploma and a mantle.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia addressed the participants of the solemn meeting with a speech.
His Holiness handed over a collection of his sermons and writings to the university library. The Primate of the Russian Church also handed over to the representatives of the university a set of commemorative medals made for the 15th anniversary of the enthronement of His Holiness.
Then the ceremony was attended by Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of St. Petersburg State University D.A. Medvedev, who presented the Rector of St. Petersburg State University N.M. Kropachev with the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree "for great achievements in scientific and pedagogical activities, training of specialists and many years of conscientious work."
The ceremony ended with the performance of the student anthem "Gaudeamus".
Then His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, accompanied by Metropolitan Varsonofy of St. Petersburg and Ladoga and N.M. Kropachev, got acquainted with the exhibition "University and Orthodoxy", which tells about the Institute of Theology of St. Petersburg State University, as well as about university temples and the importance of Orthodoxy at a university with a 300-year history.
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Since the founding of St. Petersburg University, one of the oldest universities in Russia, the foundations of theological knowledge have been taught there, and in 1816 the Department of Theology was opened.
In the XIX — beginning. XX centuries. The university teaches church history, theology and church law. A number of professors of theology were clerics of the Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul in the building of the Twelve Colleges.
In Soviet times, many scientists, while maintaining their faith, conducted research in related fields of humanities — literary studies, history, art history, as well as in social and natural sciences.
In the era of great challenges of the 21st century, the university not only revives the traditions of biblical-theological, church-historical, religious-philosophical research, but also successfully develops them.
The proposal to open the St. Petersburg State University Institute of Theology was discussed and unanimously adopted at a meeting of the Academic Council of the University on February 28, 2022. The Institute was established by the order of Rector N.M. Kropachev dated April 8, 2022.
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The title of Honorary Doctor of St. Petersburg State University is awarded to outstanding figures of science, education and culture, government and public figures who have contributed to the development of international scientific, cultural, economic and political cooperation. Among the honorary doctors of St. Petersburg State University are His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, poet Rasul Gamzatov, conductor, artistic director and director of the Mariinsky Theater Valery Gergiev, Chairman of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation Valery Zorkin, Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Alexander Bastrykin, Chairman of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping and others.