Archivistic documents on the activity of parish schools in internal Istria (1815-1869)

Abstract

In this short contribution the Author describes the beginnings and the activity of parish elementary schools in the interior of Istria during the period from 1815 to 1869. It is based on documents regarding schooling kept in deanery archives in Pazin and Pićan, the legal seats of the district schooling inspectorates. The parish schools belonged to the deaneries in Pazin, Pićan, Kršan, Buzet and Motovun. The documents concerning schools in the deanery archives of Pazin and Pićan are almost complete, while those of Kršan, Buzet and Motovun are scanty. The purpose of the Imperial court in Vienna was the cultural enlightenment of the subjects loyal to the Crown and Catholics loyal to the Church, by means of education in German at first, in the subject’s language later on. The initiator of this germanization of the Croat, Italian and Slovenian nationality in Istria was the dean Giovanni Eggenberg, the general schooling inspector for the Austrian Littoral, with the seat in Trieste. As the German language was unknown to Istrian pupils, the teaching had no effect. That is why the authorities introduced the native tongue as school language, and success was greater every year. There were male main schools, trivial schools, auxiliary schools and private schools; male, female and mixed schools; workday, holiday and Sunday school. Classes were organized so as to last 2-3 hours in the morning, and 2 hours in the afternoon in workday school, 2 hours in the morning for Sunday school. Workday school was obligatory for children from 6 to 12 years of age, Sunday school from 13 to 15 years of age. Teachers were normally curates, sometimes lay persons who were also church organists. School buildings were poor and ill-equipped, with few exceptions. Parish schools were abolished in 1869, and their activity was transferred to the competence of the State, that is to the competence of the Regional Government in Poreč.