Established in 2005, the school claims to perpetuate a 200-year tradition of Orthodox minority education in Zagreb.[4] Instruction at the institution is delivered in both Serbian and Croatian language.
Education at SPOG is provided without tuition cost to students,[5] with additional funding provided by the Serbian Orthodox Church in Croatia covering certain or most of the costs. The student body at the school is diverse, including students from Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary and Moldova. The school maintains an inclusive admission policy, welcoming students regardless of their background, religion, or nationality. SPOG is accredited by the Croatian Ministry of Education and is recognized by other countries in the region. Graduates of SPOG pursue further studies in Croatia, Serbia and abroad.[6] The inaugural graduating class was celebrated at the Monastery of St. Parascheva in Zagreb on June 24, 2009.[7]
Name
The institution derives its name from Kantakuzina Katarina Branković, a notable aristocratic figure in the XV century history of the region. She was the daughter of Đurađ Branković, the Serbian despot, and his wife, Irene Kantakouzene, a member of the Kantakouzenos family of the Byzantine Empire. Kantakuzina Katarina Branković resided for a period in the Zagreb area, where she played a role in fostering the growth and development of the local Orthodox Christian community. Notably, the Varaždin Apostol, hand-written Orthodox liturgical book created in 1454, is associated with her legacy in Zagreb area. It is the oldest preserved text in Cyrillic from the territory of present-day Croatia.
History
Although the modern day school was established only in 2005, the tradition of education organized by the Metropolitanate of Zagreb and Ljubljana dates back to early 1814.[5] At that time, lessons were conducted at the Metropolitanate's headquarters on Ilica Street.[5]
Serbian Folk Grammar School
In 1888, at the time when the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Metropolitan initiated the collection of funds for the establishment of a Serbian Folk Grammar School, which was founded in 1891 on Mesnička Street.[5] In 1893, the school was relocated to Margaretska Street where it was visited by Izidor Kršnjavi.[5] During this period, the school run a garden and a library within its walls.[5]
Serbian Autonomous Folk School
In 1897, the Serbian Folk Grammar School was renamed the Serbian Autonomous Folk School.[5] In 1899, the school celebrated the 50th anniversary of Jovan Jovanović Zmaj's artistic career.[5] The school relocated in 1900 to Petar Preradović Square, close to the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral.[5] The Teachers Council was established in 1906.[5] In 1909, the school moved to a new building in nearby Bogovićeva Street, where the Serbian Orthodox Gymnasium (SPOG) would later be established in 2005.[5] In 1913, the school received a visit from Zagreb Mayor Janko Holjac.[5] The school was discontinued during World War I, reopening afterward as a girls' boarding school in the newly established unified Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes.[5] It retained its name until 1922, when it was converted into a public institution and renamed the State Primary School of King Peter I The Liberator.[5]
Establishment of Serbian Orthodox Secondary School
Old building in Bogovićeva Street 7 (exterior & interior)
For the 2011–12 academic year, the school relocated to a newly constructed 6,000-square-meter campus in northern Zagreb, valued at €7 million.[17] The facility includes a library, computer lab, gymnasium, playground, student counselling offices, cafeteria, music hall, laboratories, chapel, terrace, garden, and quadrangle. Construction of the campus began in May 2010, with the cornerstone ceremony attended by Bishop Nikolaj of the Metropolitanate of Dabar and Bosnia, Bishop of Srem Vasilije, Bishop of Eastern America Mitrophan, and hosted by Metropolitan Jovan.[18]
Starting from May 2011, Serbian Orthodox Secondary School in collaboration with local office of International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims work on a series of workshops on psychological issues with first grade students.[38] They cover topics such as identity, violence, family dynamics, self-perception and self-confidence. Specific aspects of school student body are addressed, namely identity formation of adolescents - members of ethnic minorities.[38]
Meeting of Council of the Serbian language teachers
^Srbi u Zagrebu, Djean Medaković, Prometej, Novi Sad, 2004.
^ abcdefghijklmnopDuško Spasojević, Srpska pravoslavna opća gimnazija Kantakuzina Katarina Branković, Eparhijski upravni odbor Eparhije zagrebačko-ljubljanske, Zagreb, 2010
^Први матуранти Српске православне гимназије Катарина Кантакузина Бранковић, Парохијске вести-Гласник Српске православне црквене општине загребачке, Zagreb, May–August 2009.
This template includes both private and public educational institutions where teaching is done in Serbian language. It is possible that this list includes some private institutions where teaching is not done primarily in Serbian but that institutions are established by other institutions or associations of Serbian indigenous communities, Serbian diaspora, or by Serbian Government.