Maroutsaia School
Encyclopedia
The Maroutsaia School or Maroutsios was a Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....

 educational institution that operated in Ioannina
Ioannina
Ioannina , often called Jannena within Greece, is the largest city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a population of 70,203 . It lies at an elevation of approximately 500 meters above sea level, on the western shore of lake Pamvotis . It is located within the Ioannina municipality, and is the...

 from 1742 to 1797. The school reached its peak under Eugenios Voulgaris
Eugenios Voulgaris
Eugenios Voulgaris or Boulgaris or Vulgares was a Greek Orthodox educator, and bishop of Kherson . Writing copiously on theology, philosophy and the sciences, he disseminated western European thought throughout the Greek and eastern Christian world, and was a leading contributor to the Modern...

, one of the main representative of the modern Greek Enlightenment. This period also marked the first phase of renaissance of Greek education in Ioannina.

Under Eugenios Voulgaris

During the 18th century Ioannina was a cultural and educational center of the Ottoman ruled Greek world
Ottoman Greece
Most of Greece gradually became part of the Ottoman Empire from the 15th century until its declaration of independence in 1821, a historical period also known as Tourkokratia ....

, while education was flourishing. The Maroutsaia school was sponsored by members of the Maroutsis family, successful merchants and benefactors that were active in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

.

First schoolmaster of the Maroutsaia became the theologian and scholar Eugenios Voulgaris
Eugenios Voulgaris
Eugenios Voulgaris or Boulgaris or Vulgares was a Greek Orthodox educator, and bishop of Kherson . Writing copiously on theology, philosophy and the sciences, he disseminated western European thought throughout the Greek and eastern Christian world, and was a leading contributor to the Modern...

. Voulgaris apart from Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

 taught also Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

, Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

, and experimental physics
Experimental physics
Within the field of physics, experimental physics is the category of disciplines and sub-disciplines concerned with the observation of physical phenomena in order to gather data about the universe...

. In general he was an agent of modernization, advocated Newtonian science and philosophy, but on the other hand insisted that the Greek intellectual revival, which was underway, should remain theologically and socially conservative. Voulgaris also included John Locke
John Locke
John Locke FRS , widely known as the Father of Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social...

's epistemology in his teaching, as well as translations of works of Gottfried Leibniz
Gottfried Leibniz
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was a German philosopher and mathematician. He wrote in different languages, primarily in Latin , French and German ....

 and Christian Wolff
Christian Wolff (philosopher)
Christian Wolff was a German philosopher.He was the most eminent German philosopher between Leibniz and Kant...

. Although Voulgaris did not use the vernacular Greek language (Demotic) in his teachings, he was considered a progressive scholar.

Decline

However because of his progressive teaching methods Voulgaris was accused by conservative scholars, like Balanos Vasilopoulos
Balanos Vasilopoulos
Balanos Vasilopoulos was a Greek scholar, cleric and author. He made a significant contribution in the growth of Greek Enlightenment during the Ottoman occupation of the Greek world.-Life:...

, director of another local school of the city, the Balanios. In 1753 Voulgaris left Ioannina and he was succeeded by the theologian Tryphon of Metsovo, who continued the educational methods of the former.

The Maroutsaia faced financial problems during the following decades since the Maroutsis couldn't sponsor the school any more. The political instability in Venice faced with the French occupation of the city made this situation even more worse and in 1797 the school had to close due to financial difficulties. However, during the same year it reopened but with a new administration and name, Kaplaneios
Kaplaneios School
The Kaplaneios School was a Greek educational institution that operated in Ioannina from 1797 to 1820/1. The school evolved into the most significant intellectual center of the city through the work of Athanasios Psalidas, a major representative of the modern Greek Enlightenment...

, after Zois and Manthos Kaplanis who founded this new school.

Notable graduates

  • Theodore Kavalliotis
    Theodore Kavalliotis
    Theodore Kavalliotis was a Greek Orthodox priest, teacher and a figure of the Greek Enlightenment. He is also known for having drafted an Aromanian-Greek-Albanian dictionary.-Early life:...

  • Michail Papageorgiou
    Michail Papageorgiou
    Michail Papageorgiou was a Greek philosopher.He was born in Siatista in 1727. He studied philosophy in the Maroutsaia School of Ioannina under Eugenios Voulgaris. Later he visited Germany where he studied philosophy and medicine. He taught in his birthplace Siatista, and also in Selitsa, Meleniko,...

  • Athanasios Psalidas
    Athanasios Psalidas
    Athanasios Psalidas , was a Greek author, scholar and one of the most renowned figures of the modern Greek Enlightenment.-Early years and diaspora:...

  • Athanasios Tsakalov
    Athanasios Tsakalov
    Athanasios Tsakalov was a member of the Filiki Eteria , a Greek patriotic organization against Ottoman rule.Tsakalov was an Epirote born in Ioannina, in the Epirus province of Greece. In young age he left Greece to be with his father in Russia...

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