Churches of the Academy

In the life of the Theological Schools, church and worship are given first place. If students receive theoretical knowledge during lectures, then in church they learn in practice how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God (1 Tim. 3, 15). In church, students investigate their conscience to see if their inner spiritual structure corresponds to the goals and objectives of their life. Teachers and students receive spiritual comfort, spiritual help and blessing in the temple. Here, they are ordained as ministers of the Church, and their liturgical practice takes place. According to His Holiness Patriarch Alexius I, who was responsible for resuming worship services in the Church of the Protection of the Theotokos, the Academy church is "the heart of the Theological School, its sanctuary, the staircase, reaching to heaven for the elevation of prayers of faith to the Throne of God.