Late 19th Century Missionary Schools in Sivas

Neşe Coşkun Özturan

Article Details

Late 19th Century Missionary Schools in Sivas

Authors:

Neşe Coşkun Özturan

Publisher:

Hakan YILMAZ

Main Topics:

Yakınçağ Tarihi (Diğer)

Journal:

Akademik Tarih ve Düşünce Dergisi Vol.11 Issue 6, pp.4370-7390

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

7/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001332366

pISSN:

2148-2292

Keywords:

Abstract:

 In the 19th century, when the central authority lost power due to social, economic and military reasons, the Ottoman country became a geography where missionaries operating under different Christian missionary organisations worked intensively. Sivas had a special place and importance for these missionaries who preferred settlements where different ethnic and religious groups lived together. The members of the Jesuit Missions des Jesuites en Armenie Oblates del Assomption et Soeurs de Saint Joseph, who received financial aid from the French political authorities, were the first missionary group to set foot in the city. After the Jesuit missionaries, who worked especially in the field of education, the American Protestant missionaries of the ABCFM, the American Board of Commissioners For Foreign Missions, arrived in the city. Unlike the Jesuit evangelisers, they were not only concerned with the education of children and youth in schools, but also tried to establish a presence in all areas of life through religious and industrial education practices, especially by communicating with Armenians living in the city. The third group of evangelisers were Swedish Protestants. They established an orphanage in the city, where they cooperated with the ABCFM missionaries and provided educational services to the children and youth staying in the orphanage. The Jesuit missionaries did not reach as many people as they had intended, but the ABCFM missionaries became important historical figures in the last century of the city under the Ottoman Empire.

 In the 19th century, when the central authority lost power due to social, economic and military reasons, the Ottoman country became a geography where missionaries operating under different Christian missionary organisations worked intensively. Sivas had a special place and importance for these missionaries who preferred settlements where different ethnic and religious groups lived together. The members of the Jesuit Missions des Jesuites en Armenie Oblates del Assomption et Soeurs de Saint Joseph, who received financial aid from the French political authorities, were the first missionary group to set foot in the city. After the Jesuit missionaries, who worked especially in the field of education, the American Protestant missionaries of the ABCFM, the American Board of Commissioners For Foreign Missions, arrived in the city. Unlike the Jesuit evangelisers, they were not only concerned with the education of children and youth in schools, but also tried to establish a presence in all areas of life through religious and industrial education practices, especially by communicating with Armenians living in the city. The third group of evangelisers were Swedish Protestants. They established an orphanage in the city, where they cooperated with the ABCFM missionaries and provided educational services to the children and youth staying in the orphanage. The Jesuit missionaries did not reach as many people as they had intended, but the ABCFM missionaries became important historical figures in the last century of the city under the Ottoman Empire.

 In the 19th century, when the central authority lost power due to social, economic and military reasons, the Ottoman country became a geography where missionaries operating under different Christian missionary organisations worked intensively. Sivas had a special place and importance for these missionaries who preferred settlements where different ethnic and religious groups lived together. The members of the Jesuit Missions des Jesuites en Armenie Oblates del Assomption et Soeurs de Saint Joseph, who received financial aid from the French political authorities, were the first missionary group to set foot in the city. After the Jesuit missionaries, who worked especially in the field of education, the American Protestant missionaries of the ABCFM, the American Board of Commissioners For Foreign Missions, arrived in the city. Unlike the Jesuit evangelisers, they were not only concerned with the education of children and youth in schools, but also tried to establish a presence in all areas of life through religious and industrial education practices, especially by communicating with Armenians living in the city. The third group of evangelisers were Swedish Protestants. They established an orphanage in the city, where they cooperated with the ABCFM missionaries and provided educational services to the children and youth staying in the orphanage. The Jesuit missionaries did not reach as many people as they had intended, but the ABCFM missionaries became important historical figures in the last century of the city under the Ottoman Empire.

 Osmanlı ülkesi, merkezi otoritenin sosyal, ekonomik ve askeri nedenlerle güç kaybettiği 19. Yüzyılda, farklı Hıristiyan misyoner teşkilatlarına bağlı olarak faaliyet gösteren misyonerlerin yoğun olarak çalıştıkları bir coğrafya olmuştur. Farklı etnik ve dini grupların bir arada yaşadığı yerleşimleri tercih eden söz konusu tebliğciler için Sivasın ayrı bir yeri ve önemi bulunmaktadır. Fransız siyasi otoritelerden finansal yardım alan Cizvit Missions des Jesuites en Armenie Oblates del Assomption et Soeurs de Saint Joseph adlı teşkilatın mensupları şehre ilk ayak basan misyoner gruptur. Özellikle eğitim alanında çalışmalar yapan Cizvit tebliğcilerin ardından şehre ABCFM yani American Board of Commissionaries For Foreign Missions isimli Amerika menşeili Protestan misyonerler gelmiştir. Cizvit tebliğcilerin aksine sadece okullarda çocuk ve gençlerin eğitilmeleri ile alakadar olmamışlar, özellikle kentte yaşayan Ermeniler ile iletişim kurarak yaşamın her alanında dini ve endüstriyel eğitim uygulamalarıyla varlık göstermeye çalışmışlardır. Üçüncü tebliğci grubu İsveçli Protestanlardır. Şehirde bir yetimhane kurmuşlar ve burada ABCFM misyonerleri ile iş birliği yaparak yetimhanede kalan çocuklar ve gençlere eğitim hizmeti vermişlerdir. Cizvit misyonerler amaçladıkları kadar çok sayıda insana erişememiş ancak ABCFM tebliğcileri kentin Osmanlı Devleti hakimiyetindeki son asrının önemli tarihi figürleri olmuşlardır.

Article Details

Late 19th Century Missionary Schools in Sivas

Authors:

Neşe Coşkun Özturan

Publisher:

Hakan YILMAZ

Main Topics:

Yakınçağ Tarihi (Diğer)

Journal:

Akademik Tarih ve Düşünce Dergisi Vol.11 Issue 6, pp.4370-7390

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

7/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001332366

pISSN:

2148-2292

Missionary

Education

Jesuit

Protestant SwedeMisyoner

Eğitim

Cizvit

Protestan İsveçli

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Neşe Coşkun Özturan

Publisher: Hakan YILMAZ

Main Topics: Yakınçağ Tarihi (Diğer)

Journal: Akademik Tarih ve Düşünce Dergisi Vol.11 Issue 6, pp.4370-7390

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 7/2025

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001332366

pISSN: 2148-2292

Issues

Authors:

Neşe Coşkun Özturan

Publisher:

Hakan YILMAZ

Main Topics:

Yakınçağ Tarihi (Diğer)

Journal:

Akademik Tarih ve Düşünce Dergisi Vol.11 Issue 6, pp.4370-7390

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

7/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001332366

pISSN:

2148-2292