St.Tikhon's Orthodox University

is a university level educational institution of the Russian Orthodox Church. The university trains specialists in the field of Orthodox theology and Church history, Slavic and Russian philology, foreign languages, Russian history, teacher training, Church singing, as well as craftsmen in the field of iconography, mosaics, frescoes, the restoration of icons, the sewing of ecclesiastical vestments, etc., and art historians.

The idea of teaching theology on the university level in Russia goes back to the beginning of the XXth century and is associated with the names of famous Russian Orthodox hierarchs, such as Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) and Archbishop Theodor (Pozdeyevsky). At that time only future priests could receive proper theological training in the seminaries and theological academies. Thus, higher theological education used to be separated from university.

In the early 1920s Patriarch Tikhon gave his blessing to open an Orthodox university in Moscow. But this project was impossible to realize in the Soviet Russia. The history of our university began in 1990, when the first theological missionary courses for laity were organized at the parish of St. Nicolas in Moscow. In 1992 the theological courses were reorganized, and the St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Institute was established under the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II. It was officially registered by the Russian Ministry of Education in 1998, and in 2004 received a university status.

The education is now offered in the ten Faculties of Theology, Missions, History, Philology, Teacher training, Church arts, Church singing, Economics and Law, Sociology, Informatics. Basic theological study is a part of curriculum for students of all specialities. There is a Correspondence department at the university with 14 university’s branches all over Russia. Currently, there are over 2,500 students at the university.

The university’s system of teaching theological disciplines is made in accordance with the traditions of the Orthodox theological schools. The experience of foreign theological faculties, institutes and academies has also been incorporated into the teaching system. The Board of Post-graduate papers coordinates the defense of PhDs and Doctorates in Orthodox theology and Church history.

We have several publications series: New textbooks for theological schools, Modern History of the Russian Orthodox Church, New translations of the Church Fathers. For the last 10 years the university’s Publishing House has put out more than 160 titles.
The university staff currently includes about 500 professors and researchers, among them over 5o clergymen.

The Senate (Senatus academicus), the university’s supreme body, coordinates the spiritual and administrative life of the university. It is headed by the Rector, the Very Revd. Prof. Vladimir Vorobiev.

The university implements a number of scholarly and educational programs jointly with the State establishments, the institutions abroad, and scholarly foundations. We closely cooperate with the research and educational centers in Belorussia, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Holland, Italy, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland, Syria, and USA.

About 80 students from abroad have graduated from the university; our students regularly participate in the exchange programs. St. Tikhon’s professors travel abroad to give lectures, and professors and academics from abroad visit the university each year.