Saint Sava National College

In the 17th century Saint Sava was actually an old monastery built in Bucharest's historic centre, in the proximity of today's University Square. It was in the rooms of this monastery that Romania's first higher education institution was set up. The founding of this college in the late 17th century was brought about by a strong European influence, mostly Italian, that encouraged the rise of the national spirit. This assertion of a national awareness had the firm support of many writers and historians of the age.

In Wallachia (Southern Romania), the most remarkable representative of this trend was Constantin Cantacuzino, a writer and a boyar, who had been educated in Padua, Italy. He was a widely−travelled aristocrat and adviser to Prince Șerban Cantacuzino. As Constantin Cantacuzino was determined to have a college similar to the Italian ones set up in Bucharest, his brother's coming to power in 1678 made it possible for him to achieve his goal.[2] Saint Sava Princely Academy was therefore created by Wallachia's reigning Prince Şerban Cantacuzino and it was placed under the aegis of the Prince and of Dositheos II, Patriarch of Jerusalem. Cultural and religious allegiance accounted for the fact that tuition was carried on in modern Greek, a symbol of Byzantine civilization.

The first principal of the school was Sebastos Kyminitis, who had been educated in Constantinople. Saint Sava Academy thrived during the reign of Constantin Brâncoveanu's, who sketched out the curriculum and ensured the funds needed to run the school. A law given in 1707 demanded that "teachers should be understanding and principled; they should also have excellent reputation".[3]

• (in Romanian) Official site