This study explores the history of the educational complex of Archigenia (female section 1857-1922, male section 1868-1894), from its founding in 1857 to its cessation of operation in 1922, the networks of professional mobility, and the social interactions of its graduates.
The investigation highlighted the different administrations under which the Archigenia operated and their corresponding educational choices and models: the “Archigenia” administration under the French educational system, the “Patriarchal” as a superior ‘national institution’, and that of the Greek Political Administration of Thrace in the form of the Arsakio. Despite the different educational models, consistent characteristics included continuous communication with pedagogical and musical European currents, the practical nature of the studies, a focus on meeting the educational needs of the Greek Orthodox communities in the region, and the adaptation of educational choices to the changing political circumstances, such as: the emphasis on “Greekness” subjects (Greek language, religion, ecclesiastical music), when national and religious competitions intensified or when the rapprochement with Turkish-speaking Orthodox from other denominations was pursued, and the reopening of the Boarding School to educate a larger number of female teachers during the peak of the anti-Bulgarian policy.
The establishment and operation of the Archigenia contributed to the modernization of the Greek Orthodox community in the field of education, marking a turning point in the life models of girls, who were usually confined at home until marriage, and a practical application of the radical philosophical-political view on the need for the education of all, regardless of socio-economic background. It was founded for the ‘benefit of the nation’ outside urban areas, where similar institutions were typically erected.
It played a role in the dissemination of Greek-speaking, with the extensive network of geographical mobility of its graduates from the teaching school, who usually obtained two degrees, as teachers and kindergarten teachers, to teach in the region, while in the Asia Minor section (northern and central), the network acquires a dual function, educational and/or matrimonial, as a way to combat Turkish-speaking.
The institution integrated its female graduates into the collective of “Archigenides”, strengthening their self-confidence, resulting in them remaining in the profession despite the constraints imposed by public and private spaces, with various adaptations of the “self”, and undertaking collective action with socio-political implications.
