The Quarterly Journal of St. Philaret’s Institute

The article examines the history of the founding of the St. Sergius ­Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris and its first twenty years of existence. It pays particular attention to the historiographical discourses that shaped the Institute’s historical trajectory, the development of which was largely defined by complex historical circumstances — particularly during the early years of emigration and World War II, the establishment of relations with representatives of other Christian denominations, and the tension between continuity and a break with pre-revolutionary Russian theological traditions. Drawing on archival materials and contemporary testimonies, some of which are being introduced into scholarly circulation for the first time, as well as the Institute’s early publications and the works of its founders, the study analyzes the structure of this theological school within the broader context of the Russian Orthodox diaspora after the 1917 Revolution. By examining the Institute’s internal life and the activities of its professors and students at both the ecclesiastical and religious-social levels, the author rethinks the first two decades of the Institute’s existence, taking into account va­rious biogra­phical and institutional descriptions. Ultimately, the study offers an interpretation of the historical experience of St. Sergius Institute as a laboratory for the renewal of theological and pastoral education, contributing to the development of modern Orthodox theology in Western Europe. This publication is useful for researchers of the history of Russian ecclesiastical emigration and biographers studying the fate of ecclesiastical and public figures in exile.