The exhibition “From the History of Spiritual Culture of Transcarpathia in the 17th-early 20th Centuries” is located in the Chapel of the Three Saints of the Castle Palace and the three adjacent halls. It chronologically covers a three-hundred-year period in the history of the region and is created on the basis of original exhibits from the museum’s collections.
The exhibition presents books and manuscripts from the 18th-19th centuries, icons and maps from the 18th century, a portrait of Bishop Andriy Bachynskyi, etc.
Two halls of the exhibition are dedicated to the history of the Uzhhorod Theological Seminary, which was located in the castle in 1776-1945.
The chapel is decorated with highly artistic religious paintings, executed in 1856-1857 by the artist Ferdinand Vydra and his students.
In 1857, the bishop of the Mukachevo Greek Catholic Diocese, Vasyl Popovych, built a chapel in the former knights’ hall of the castle. He consecrated the chapel on February 11, 1858, in honor of the Three Saints: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, the patrons of the seminary.
The largest part of the exhibition is devoted to the history of the Uzhhorod Theological Seminary, which was located within the walls of the Uzhhorod Castle for almost 170 years.
The third hall is devoted to highlighting the development of education in our region. For a millennium, education and culture were closely connected with the church and were under its care. The spread of Christianity in Transcarpathia required the training of priests, deacons, book scribes, etc.
The first schools appeared at the Mukachevo and Hrushevo monasteries. The main role in the development of public education in Transcarpathia in the 15th-19th centuries was played by parish schools.
The first schools appeared in the cities of Uzhhorod (1401) and Mukachevo (1552). In the 18th century. Such educational institutions are spreading massively in the region. An important stage was the opening of the Uzhhorod Gymnasium.
In 1640, the owner of the Uzhhorod Castle, Janos X Druget, moved the Jesuit college and school, opened there in 1613, to Uzhhorod from Humenne. In 1645, the construction of the premises for them was completed. The entire complex included the college, school, and church and was located on the site of the modern Cathedral and the episcopal residence.
In the fourth hall, the interior of the recreation room of the rector of the Uzhhorod Theological Seminary is recreated, where, mainly, furniture from the late 19th – early 20th centuries is presented.
