One of the few preserved Renaissance buildings in Trnava is the Oláh Seminary. After the Esztergom Archdiocese relocated to Trnava, the archdiocese school was also moved there. At that time, the education system had been organized by the Church in parishes since the Middle Ages, and there was already a successfully operating municipal school or parish school in Trnava. They were the lower level schools providing basic education, including reading, writing, basic math, Latin, church singing, and religion. In Trnava, the parish school was in a house near the church. Since the local municipality had financial patronage over the parish school, and gradually took over its responsibility, the school started to function as a municipal one. The archbishop, Mikuláš Oláh, merged the two institutions in 1554 due to the rivalry between the archdiocese and municipal school. The town had to ensure the salary and maintenance expenditures, while the Archdiocese committed to provide the teaching. Gradually, the Archbishop arranged financial independence and prepared new organisation regulations. All students were required to live in the school. Teaching was enriched by Latin and Greek literature, dialectics, and rhetoric. Besides attending lessons, poor students, in order to pay for their studies, had to beg for alms for one hour in the morning and in the afternoon. There were 24 places available in the three-year long priesthood study program. Three other schools – a Hungarian School, Lutheran School, and Calvinist School - operated in the town at the same time. In 1561, M. Oláh invited the Jesuits to the town, where they founded their first Austrian-Hungarian College. Their work, however, did not receive a positive response at that time and under adverse circumstances, after just six years, they left Trnava. Afterwards the Archbishop founded a Seminary – an educational boarding institute. The Jesuits continued the tradition of this institute after their return. In 1616, they opened a college with a six-year grammar school, this time successfully. Their work is considered part of the strategy which resulted in the establishment of Trnava University.

 

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