The St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris

This article by Antoine Arjakovsky traces the history of the Saint Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris, founded in 1925, focusing on the theological crisis that shook it between 1935 and 1937. The study combines historical analysis and doctrinal exposition to reconstruct the sophiological controversy pitting Father Sergei Bulgakov, dean of the Institute, against the hierarchies of Moscow and Sremski Karlovci, as well as against some of his own colleagues, including Vladimir Lossky and Georges Florovsky. The article sets out the foundations of Bulgakov's sophiology — divine nature, uncreated and created Wisdom, Trinitarian freedom — and shows that this debate goes beyond institutional disputes to touch on the very conception of salvation and the Incarnation. It finally highlights the contemporary relevance of this legacy in post-Soviet Russia, where the reception of the Paris school reopens unresolved questions of identity and ecclesiology.