Serbian Orthodox Grammar School in Zagreb
It isn’t easy to be a Serb in Croatia, even in our days, when as a member of the European Union the former Yugoslavian republic is committed to respecting the rights of ethnic minorities. Serbs oftentimes have to conceal their nationality and faith in order to avoid friction at work, places of study, or with neighbors. The consequences of the Yugoslav Wars that set Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks on the opposite sides of the barricades are still felt in the Balkan lands stained with the blood of its numerous innocent victims. War is always evil, and I think that the people of former Yugoslavia clearly understand that “a bad peace” is truly better than “a good quarrel.”
Currently, Croatia has about one hundred and twenty thousand Serbs residing there, which is almost five times less than it was in the early nineties. Many Serbian churches and monasteries were destroyed or closed down, and the remaining churches had to make do with just a handful of parishioners. Tens of thousands of Serbs who once considered Croatia their native country were scattered all over the world. The refugees found asylum not only in the republics of the former Yugoslavia (especially in Serbia and Bosnia), but also in other European countries, as well as in Australia and the USA. People were forced to flee and leave their homes and property in an attempt to escape a ruthless war machine that spared no one, be they elderly, women, or children.
But the war, as happens sooner or later with almost every conflict, has ended and become a thing of the past—like a dreadful and terrifying memory (even if its aftershocks were still heard for many more years). Serbia and Croatia took steps towards one another in search of reconciliation. Some Serbs, unable to come to peace with forced emigration, decided to try and make it back home. True, they found their homes occupied, their property plundered, and locals hostile to them. Over the course of several years, their native land turned into foreign land that rejected those who hoped for the best as they rushed back to their native towns and villages.
Alas, such was the sorrowful fate of the undesired “returnees,” whom no one wanted to see again.
But historically, the Serbs in Croatia aren’t totally “alien migrants;” they have been living in many regions for hundreds of years, upholding education and culture, erecting educational establishments, Orthodox churches and tidy residential homes. As early as the beginning of the nineteenth century, a Serbian Orthodox school was opened in Zagreb in 1814—a highly-sought and successful institution that lived through the confusion of the revolution of 1848–1849 and the First World War. The school was liquidated under Hitler’s rule through the efforts of Pavelic’s Ustasha government. The Communists who came to replace the “leader” Ante Pavelic chose not to reopen it; Orthodoxy has been just as adversarial to the followers of Lenin and Stalin as it was to the Croatian Ustashe, which was tacitly supported by the Pope Pius XII of Rome.
In the beginning of the twenty-first century, Metropolitan Jovan (Pavlovic) of Zagreb-Ljubljiana, seeing how the Serbs who fled from Zagreb were coming back to the capital of Croatia (as well as other towns), appealed to the Ministry of Education for permission to open a Serbian Orthodox school. The authorities heard the request of the Vladyka. It was surprisingly easy to obtain the permit. Probably it was the benevolence of God that the Serbs, long-suffering from the hardships of wartime upheaval, were able to send their children to such school where no one would reproach them only because they were Orthodox Serbs. The grammar school was opened in the spring of 2005, even though the lessons were held on the premises of the downtown Serbian community. Truth be told, it was only a temporary solution. A few years later, in 2011, the school moved to a new building built in less than a year.
Serbian Orthodox Grammar School Kantakuzina Katarina Brancovic
Currently, the Serbian Orthodox Grammar School Kantakuzina Katarina Brancovic is located in the northern part of Zagreb on Holy Spirit Street. It is a relatively quiet part of the Croatian capital, far from its tourist attractions. One may get there by bus, as the city trams don’t go there. The school isn’t marked in any way—you see neither the Serbian flags, nor symbols, nor a corresponding sign at its entrance. That’s why I was at a loss searching for it. Did I come to the right place? However, an important landmark for me was the bell tower and cross at the school’s chapel.
On the premises of the grammar school
Inside, the school building looks spacious, cozy, and bright. Its complex includes study spaces, a canteen, a gym, an assembly hall, a terrace, a garden, a courtyard and a chapel. Everything looks new, neat, and a delight to the eye, as it creates comfortable atmosphere for the students.
The school hallways
“We accept children from the age of fourteen for only the last four years of education,” Protopresbyter Slobodan Lalic, the school principal, told me. “Unfortunately, we don’t have an opportunity to enroll children in junior classes. Generally, there are twenty students in each class, and we have students coming not only from Zagreb, but also other regions of Croatia.”
Protopresbyter Slobodan Lalic
Based on the principal’s words and what I personally saw there—there is no doubt that the students here enjoy the most favorable conditions, that are, probably, quite enviable for students from many other schools. Small-sized classes, highly qualified teaching staff, an opportunity for needy students to reside in a special dormitory (and have meals three times a day) paid for by the Serbian Church. The school offers its students a free second breakfast that includes sandwiches, yogurts, and drinks. It is a tuition-free school. Teachers receive a public-funded salary and all running expenses are covered by the Serbian Church. The best students are rewarded not only by the excellent grades, but they also take part in excursions organized by sponsors to various European countries.
Staffroom in the grammar school
Similarities
The school is integrated into the Croatian educational system, so the learning process is based on the curricula and programs approved by the Ministry of Education of Croatia. Serbian is the main language of study, with primary use of Cyrillic writing. Great attention is paid to learning Croatian (four lessons per week), but it’s essential to mention that these two languages are alike, and that’s why the Serbs and Croatians never have any linguistic problems understanding each other. It is different when it is necessary to use formal language, including during the examinations.
“Our students pass the school graduation exams in either Serbian or Croatian, and it’s by choice,” says Fr. Slobodan. “The commission is tolerant towards possible replacements of terms that don’t coincide in two languages. For example, a chemical element “azot”1 will be the same word in Serbian, while it”s “dushik” in Croatian. If a student writes “dushik” instead of “azot” in his answer, we won’t fault him for it.”
Differences
On the other hand, studying according to the programs of the Croatian Ministry of Education creates certain challenges. Perhaps one of the major problems is the understanding and representation of history, particularly of the twentieth century.
Zagreb has its own perspective on certain events of the Second World War, including the Balkan “Auschwitz”—Jasenovac—where, according to various estimates, tens or even hundreds of thousands of people were brutally slaughtered. The understanding of the issue of the Yugoslav Wars also has its own specifics, and it doesn’t correlate with the Belgrade view, or the opinion held by the Serbs.
“In Croatian terminology, there is the term, “Serbian aggression,” and that’s exactly how they treat the war of 1991–1995,” notes the principal. “From our point of view, we are talking here about the tragedy of the Serbian Orthodox population. Approaches differ dramatically, but we are able to find acceptable solutions… It is extremely important for us that, while studying at our school, the students don’t feel the consequences of that war. In many other schools, the children oftentimes feel like criminals, no less—only because they are Serbs.”
Students of the grammar school
According to Fr. Slobodan, this also presents problems in another context: Many Serbian parents are afraid to request that their children be taught “The Foundations of the Orthodox Faith,” despite the fact that they have the right to it. Regrettably, the children sometimes even have to conceal their identity in order to avoid being mocked or even beaten. In smaller towns, the level of disdain for Serbs remains relatively strong; in large urban areas, the situation seems better somehow.
The children sometimes even have to hide their identity in order to avoid being mocked or even beaten
The Serbian grammar school today is basically the only learning establishment in Croatia (under the umbrella of the Ministry of Education), where children study “The Foundations of the Orthodox Faith” without fear of being teased or persecuted. This school subject also has one worthy practical component: services at the school’s house church. The Chapel of St. Sava holds morning and evening services daily, with a Liturgy held each Saturday.
The interior of the grammar school’s Chapel of Saint Sava
“We have many faithful attending services here, and not only those who have some relation to the school,” says Fr. Slobodan. “But we intentionally avoid serving Liturgies on Sundays, as it is important for us that parochial life of the capital city is concentrated in the Transfiguration Church located in downtown Zagreb. Sadly, the development of Orthodoxy in Croatia is far from flourishing; we do serve a many funeral services with very few baptisms and even fewer church weddings. I guess, our obvious plus (among those minuses) is the unambiguousness of our relations with the state, as the status of the Orthodox Church is formally approved by a special agreement. The state offers us assistance, in particular, when it comes to repairs or the maintenance of our churches marked as heritage sites. Such assistance is truly important, as is also the financial help we receive in the area of education. All this helps the Serbian grammar school to retain the status of a successful and highly-sought project, unique in today’s Croatia.
