The Trappist Philosophical and Theological College and the origin of University instruction in Banja Luka

Nakon kratkoga podsjećanja na početke visokoga školstva u BiH općenito te u Banja Luci posebno, prikazuje se nastanak i način djelovanja visokoga filozofskog i teološkog učilišta u trapističkom samostanu „Marija Zvijezda“ kod Banja Luke. Iako je nastalo vjerojatno i prije 1907. godine, i bez prekida desetljećima djelovalo sve do 1944./1945. godine, to učilište je sve do danas posvema nepoznato i crkvenoj i općoj kulturnoj javnosti. Ne spominju ga ni ozbiljne studije. Tako za njega ne zna ni Univerzitet u Banja Luci koji svoje početke smješta tek u 1950. godinu kad je u tome gradu počela djelovati Viša pedagoška škola. Naspram tomu, ovaj prikaz, na osnovi do sada nepoznatoga „Liber Studiorum“, pronađenoga tek nedavno, koji u kontinuitetu od 1910./1911. do 1944./1945. godine bilježi što se događalo na tome učilištu, otkriva i prvi put predstavlja javnosti ovu zaslužnu odgojnu, obrazovnu i znanstvenu ustanovu Katoličke Crkve čiji je četverogodišnji studij teologije zadovoljavao sve najstrože kriterije visokoškolskog obrazovanja.After a short reminiscence about the beginnings of the university school system in Bosnia and Herzegovina in general, and in Banja Luka specifically, this study focuses on the origins and functioning of the philosophical and theological school in the “Marija Zvijezda” Trappist Monastery, near Banja Luka. Even though this college was established before 1907, and even though it functioned for decades without any hiatus until 1944/1945, it is almost unknown today both in the church and among the general public. This college is even unknown to Banja Luka University, which had its beginning in 1950,, when the Higher Pedagogical School was opened in that city. For the first time, this study presents an important educational and scientific institution of the Catholic Church to the public. This has been possible because of the recently discovered “Liber Studiorum” that reveals what happened at “Marija Zvijezda” during the period from 1910/1911 to 1944/1945. The facts and insights revealed in the article present the discovery of forgotten truths that will surprise many, even in church circles. It completely refutes the previous contention of the authorities that the higher education system in Banja Luke was only initiated in 1950, since the city already had by that time an established Higher Pedagogical School. The truth is that the tertiary education system in Banja Luka, as well as in Sarajevo and Mostar, had its origin before WWII, with the patronage of the Catholic Church. According to the present available documents, it is certain that the advanced philosophical and theological college at “Marija Zvijezda” was started at least in 1907. But we cannot exclude the possibility that it was started even earlier, because there are indications in the “Liber Studiorum” that the college existed before that time. Exactly when the college was established and when it developed its curriculum still needs to be established conclusively. We should not lose hope, however, that other documents have been saved somewhere, and that these will help when compared with the “Liber Studiorum”, to determine the beginnings of this college; to analyze the development of the college; to discover the names of the professors and students; to see what exactly the yearly curriculum consisted of; and to see how many priests, missionaries, parish priests and religious brothers came out of the college. In this article we do not examine the question of philosophy manuals and we touch only tangentially on the question of manuals for theology. The theme of possible philosophical, theological and cultural contributions by some professors to the scientific and spiritual thought of the time should also be further investigated. What we present here through the “Liber Studiorum” is the organization and duration of education in a monastic humanist high school (six years), a system of philosophical and theological study (two + four years), the procedure for setting examinations and assigning marks, the names of the first students and professors presented in the “Liber Studiorum”, and proof that the professors were qualified to teach. All this information is analyzed using the documents and praxis of the universal Church in comparison with the methods of study in the high monastic colleges of the Catholic Church of that time. If we add two years of philosophical study to the prescribed eight years in the high school system, then the most strict criteria of a school system are satisfied. We can then make a presupposition that formally and substantially this theological course of study lasting four years was a real college system in the modern sense of the word, because this college had qualified professors and followed a prescribed curriculu