Pelagić's Serbian Orthodox Seminary: A Contribution to the History of Serbian Education

The Orthodox Seminary, founded in 1866 in Banja Luka by Vasa Pelagić, was the best and most prestigious Serbian school in the Bosnian Pashalik in the last years of Ottoman rule. Two years later, Pelagić laid the foundations of the oldest Serbian reading room in Banja Luka. The work of the school was unthinkable without the help of patriotic Banja Luka citizens and occasional contributions from Serbia and Russia. A number of prominent Serbian national heroes, priests and teachers attended and graduated from the seminary. Based on available sources, periodicals and literature, the monograph presents the life of the seminary from its founding until its closure in 1875. The establishment of the seminary is viewed in the context of the overall development of Serbian education in the 19th century in the Bosnian Pashalik.