Celebrations dedicated to the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Kaluga Theological Seminary and the 30th anniversary of the revival of the theological school took place in Kaluga on October 3-4, 2026. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia sent greetings to the participants of the anniversary events.
The celebration began with a memorial service for the deceased mentors and students of the seminary. Metropolitan Clement of Kaluga and Borovsk led the divine service at the seminary church of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. Hierarchs, representatives of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church, and heads of theological schools who had arrived for the celebrations prayed together with teachers and students.
On the same day, a church history exhibition opened at the seminary. Documents, photographs and other materials, including those provided by Kaluga collectors and descendants of the clergy, introduced the guests to the main stages of the history of the educational institution. The tour was conducted by Archpriest Andrey Bezborodov. Then the solemn cancellation of the postal envelope issued for the anniversary took place. A gallery of portraits of its rectors was also opened in the seminary's auditorium.
The scientific part of the program was the All-Russian conference "Man in the World of High Technologies: Risks, Acquisitions, and Moral Choices", held as part of the XXIX Bogorodichno-Christmas Educational Readings. The participants discussed the issues of the spiritual life of young people, the preservation of family values and moral choice in the digital age. A number of presentations were devoted to the history of the seminary and the contribution of its graduates to Russian science. The plenary session ended with the presentation of jubilee medals and a performance by the combined choir of the seminary and the Kaluga Theological College.
The central event of the celebrations was the Divine Liturgy on October 4 at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kaluga. The divine service was performed by Metropolitan Clement of Kaluga and Borovsk, Metropolitan Vladimir of Donetsk and Mariupol, Archbishop Maximilian of Pesochensk and Yukhnov, Bishop Serafim of Biysk and Belokurikhinsky, Bishop Joseph of Mozhaisk and Bishop Makariy of Kozel and Ludinov. The archpastors were assisted by representatives of theological schools and clergy.
Teachers, students and graduates of the seminary, abbesses and sisters of monasteries, representatives of regional and city authorities prayed during the Liturgy. The chants were performed by the choir of graduates and students of the seminary and the choir of the theological college. After the service, a prayer of thanksgiving and prayer were offered to the Apostle John the Theologian, the heavenly patron of the theological school.
Metropolitan Clement congratulated the audience on the anniversary and presented the bishops with commemorative medals. The rector of the seminary, Archpriest Sergiy Tretyakov, was awarded the medal of St. Filaret (Amfiteatrov), Metropolitan of Kiev, first class. At the subsequent ceremony, awards were also given to representatives of the authorities and enterprises of the region.
As part of the anniversary program, the rectors of the Kaluga and Smolensk Theological Seminaries, Archpriest Sergei Tretyakov and Priest Dimitri Gamilovsky, signed a cooperation agreement. The document provides for cooperation in the fields of theology, education, research and information.
On this memorable date, with the blessing of Metropolitan Kliment, the monograph "Kaluga Theological Seminary: Pages of History" was published. Its authors, Archpriest Sergiy Tretyakov and a researcher at the seminary, E.V. Metalnikova, traced the path of the theological school from 1776 to the present day. The research is based on archival documents and materials from the pre-revolutionary press, some of which were first introduced into scientific circulation. A separate chapter is devoted to the revival of the seminary and its modern development.
Based on the websites of the Kaluga Diocese and Kaluga Theological Seminary. Photo: eparhia-kaluga.ru .