Katedralskolan Through the Ages
Katedralskolan i Åbo was founded presumedly in 1276 for the education of boys to become servants of the Church. The schoolhouse was situated in the wall surrounding the cathedral and the school master kept everything and everyone in strict order.
Read more: Everyday school life
The pupils or scholars came from different parts of the country.
Read more: The scholars' parish tours
It was not easy all the time for the Church authorities to keep an eye on the pupils of the Cathedral school.
Read more: Keeping order
In the 17th century the school was subject to various reforms and it was relocated to another place in the wall surrounding the Cathedral.
Read more: School reforms
Åbo gymnasium, Turku Upper Secondary School, moved to a building at the Old Grand Place where it worked under the management of the chapter.
Read more: Turku Upper Secondary School
In 1872 Svenska klassiska lyceum i Åbo, The Swedish Grammar School of Turku, was founded and in this school the upper secondary school and the Preparatory School were incorporated. Later Reallyceet i Åbo, The Swedish school on practical lines, merged with Classicum, the grammar school.
Read more: Classicum
The schoolhouse of Classicum was used by the Defence during Finland's two wars.
Read more: Classicum during the wars
In the 1970's Svenska klassiska lyceum ja Åbo svenska flicklyceum, The Swedish Girls' Secondary School of Turku, were united and the old school name Katedralskolan i Åbo, The Cathedral School of Turku, was revived. In 1977 the name was transferred to signify the new upper secondary school at Gamla Stortorget 1, The Old Grand Place.
Read more: Katedralskolan i Åbo, the modern upper secondary school
Katedralskolan i Åbo has been a forerunner in respect of non-graded studies.
Read more: Katedralskolan today
Everyday school life
The Cathedral school was presumedly founded 1276 in connection with the chapter of Turku. The school was, as other cathedral schools, intended for the education of boys to become servants of the Church. The schoolhouse was situated in the wall surrounding the cathedral. The school master, the headmaster, was commissioned to teach the boys Latin, Grammar and Rhetoric. It can be assumed that the discipline was strict. The boys would sit on the floor where they had placed straws as seats. At the desk the master would stand dictating while the pupils would write on their slates. When the master heard his pupils a boy who did not know his lesson could be called up to the desk where he had to stretch out his hands. The teacher took the rod and gave him some beatings on his fingers. After that the pupil could go back to his place where the straws were coloured red by blood dripping from his hands.
The scholars' parish tours
The pupils of the Cathedral school were considered upper-school scholars. They came from different parts of the country, often enough from humble circumstances. In order to have the means to attend school in Turku the scholars made use of their holidays touring the parishes around Turku or their home districts, performing to people with songs. As a reward for their performances they often would get food and drink and perhaps some clothing. The songs that were sung by the scholars have been recorded in the song-book Piæ Cantiones.
Keeping order
The scholars' tours to the parishes often got out of hand due to drunkenness and fighting. When the reformer of Finland, Mikael Agricola, became master of the Cathedral school in 1539 he, therefore, opposed to the touring. Much earlier there had been a bishop of Turku who prohibited the practice. The prohibition did not, however, have the desired effect. In many other connections the ways of the pupils left a lot to be desired. The manners of the time were not always refined but quite ordinary citizens were very annoyed especially with the noise the Scholars made when they were out on the town. An act of regulations from about 1600 probably concerning the school has been preserved, and according to it the boys were not allowed to be noisy during the recesses and to tear the moss from the walls. State Archeologist C. J. Gardberg, who has shown much interest in the history of the Cathedral school, says that the prohibition suggests that at least part of the school was made of wood. Also cutting the master's chair with a knife was forbidden.
School reforms
In connection with the educational reforms in the Swedish realm in 1630 the Cathedral school was converted into a upper school which, ten years later, was established as a university, Åbo Akademi. The old Cathedral school was re-established to take care of the elementary education. The school could graduate its pupils directly to the university. It had a new house in the Cathedral wall nearly opposite the main entrance of the church. Up to the fire of Turku in 1827 the number of pupils increased to 300 and the school was, therefore, very crowded. After the big fire the pupils of the school were transferred to Rauma where the teaching continued some years ahead. In 1830 the educational system in Turku was totally re-organized. A new upper school was established in addition to the Cathedral school. In 1841 the latter was named Högre elementarläroverket, a secondary school, and it prepared the pupils for studies in the upper school from where they could continue to the university.
The School in front of the church after the 1827 fire
Turku Upper Secondary School
The new upper school was allotted a building at the old Town Hall square as a school house. The house had earlier been used as a court building. Owing to the fact that the town wanted a monumental building at the background of the Nicholai Square which had been designed in connection with the Town Hall square, the Court building was joined together with the adjacent building on the river side with a uniform façade. Later the Secondary school was accomodated in the other building. The everyday life in the Upper school, Åbo gymnasium, was colourful. The relations between teachers and pupils were often strained and the history of the school contains many incidents and crises. The rostrum with two compartments which still stands in the assembly hall of Katedralskolan was used when the chapter arranged disputations in connection with so-called pastoral theses. The young clergyman who was to defend his theses stood in the front compartment of the rostrum while the supervisor sat in the back compartment. The audience was comprized of, among others, the upper school pupils and one of them who knew Latin was allowed to ask questions, often without having any idea of what the subject really was about.
The School from 1830 onwards
The Upper Secondary entrance, formerly the door to the High Court
Upper Secondary pupils 9th Nov. 1864
Classicum
In 1869 the public education in Finland was separated from the Church. In the year 1872 new school regulations were issued and on the part of the secondary school and the upper school the reforms resulted in a fusion and the forming of Svenska klassiska lyceum i Åbo, Turku Grammar School. The pupils were of the age 11 – 18 years and the number now amounted to ca. 450 but soon it decreased considerably because, in course of time, there were five Swedish upper secondary schools. In the 1930's the total number of pupils decreased at such a rate that it became obvious that one of the schools had to be closed down. Svenska klassiska lyceum i Åbo had in the academic year 1937-38 only 127 pupils. The school to be closed was Reallyceet i Åbo and this school merged into Svenska klassiska lyceum starting from 1938.
Classicum during the wars
In the autumn 1939 the Second World War broke out and in the end of November Finland was drawn into it in her struggle against the Soviet Union. The premises of Klassiska lyceum were used by military units and made use of as, among others, quarters for work-companies of conscientious objectors. The older pupils had also to serve as soldiers and do heavy work-duty during Finland's two wars. In connection with the bomb-raids on Turku the school had to be closed.
Katedralskolan i Åbo, the modern upper secondary school
The Parliament of Finland decided that, beginning with autumn semester 1971, Svenska klassiska lyceum i Åbo and Åbo svenska flicklyceum, the Swedish girls' secondary school, were to be re-organized as a co-educational secondary school. The period of transition lasted until 1975 and after this all the secondary school forms went under the name Katedralskolan i Åbo. When the comprehensive school was introduced in Turku in the academic year of 1976-77 the upper secondary school was separated as an independent school unit with the same name. In the beginning of the next academic year the upper secondary Katedralskolan i Åbo then moved into the newly renovated schoolhouse with the distinguished address Gamla Stortorget 1, Old Grand Place 1.
Katedralskolan today
In 1989 Katedralskolan became an experimental upper secondary school with non-graded studies and it took part in the developing of the non-graded system and the right of option in the studies. From the end of the 80's until today the number of students has increased from 180 to 250.
