Dénes Dienes: History of the Reformed Church Collég in Sárospatak (Sárospatak, 2013)

FLOURISHING AND SCATTERING THE REFORMED COLLEGE IN THE 17TH CENTURY - The “most popular seminary of the Calvinist plague ”(1655-1671)

This outstanding pedagogue was able to truly implement acting and theatre in the school setting in Sárospatak. This was initially met with resistance, especially by rector János Tolnai Dáli, who shared Calvin’s severely critical perception of acting. As result of Zsuzsanna Lorántffy’s intervention, Comenius and acting were given the green light, and student performances were a great success. More and more people began to attend the theatre, so the stage had to be set up in open air. The final performance took place in the courtyard of the castle and the prince’s widow graced it with her presence. To Comenius’ mind, theatre and acting was not just something to delight others; for him it was nothing less than a pedagogical tool and another potential venue for teaching.

Because he was to a large extent influenced by the prophecies of Nicolas Drabik who visited him in Patak, in the beginning, Comenius believed that the Rákóczi family would liberate his country and save his fellow persecuted brothers. It was mostly this belief which motivated his decision to accept the invitation to Patak. But when Zsigmond Rákóczi unexpectedly died in 1652, it prompted Comenius to revisit his beliefs, causing him to reevaluate his political expectations. As a result, he returned to Lissa in the summer of 1654, but shortly afterwards he had to flee from there. The reason for him leaving Patak was not that he had not had enough support or that his educational reform had proved a failure as is noted in some historical records. His faith and hope in the liberation of his people led him onto a different path. But in this he was ultimately and irrevocably disheartened and had to find shelter in Amsterdam. It was here that he completed his last book; in a state of pennilessness and in utter poverty did his life and its immeasurable dedication come to an end.

The significance of Comenius’ work in Patak is inestimable. The college system became more transparent and its lower classes much more organized. With the systematic use of textbooks the time-consuming duplication of compendi- ums was to a great extent reduced. Introduced was a new method of teaching Latin. The dry practice of pushing grammar by itself was replaced by everyday examples and speaking exercises that made practical language teaching easier; the method encouraged the constant seeking of illustrations, which greatly supported the parallel acquisition of active and passive vocabulary expansion.

In 1650, Lorántffy Zsuzsanna established a printing press in Sárospatak. This greatly contributed to an increase in the quality of the school. Comenius’ books were the products of this very printing press. The collection of the library also increased significantly. When Prince Zsigmond Rákóczi died in 1652, he left a will by whose terms all the books of his private library were to be given to the school. Nearly two thousand volumes were moved from the castle to the school around 1658.

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Edition of Comenius’ Latin Grammar for beginners

THE “MOST POPULAR SEMINARY OF THE CALVINIST PLAGUE” (1655-1671)

The title of the chapter is an involuntary compliment from the Jesuits. It very well expresses the crux of the matter: the Reformed Church College of Sárospatak did indeed attract many students. The number of students in the lower