Former Obedeanu Monastery, nowadays the Obedeanu School

The Obedeanu School in Craiova is the first school in Oltenia - attested since 1775 - and the precursor of the 2nd oldest secondary school institution in the Principalities. Together with the ”Annunciation and the Holy Emperors” Church of the former Obedeanu Monastery, a hospital for the poor and an asylum, the Obedeanu School was the epicenter of a religious, cultural and social settlement in the landscape of Craiova during the 18th and 19th centuries.

This school was attended by many personalities, such as Tudor Vladimirescu, Petrache Poenaru, Gheorghe Chiţu, Theodor Aman, Alexandru Macedonski, Eugeniu Carada, Constantin Argetoianu, Gogu Constantinescu, Nicolae Titulescu, dr. Constantin Angelescu, Constantin Nicolăescu-Plopşor and many more.

The school was established in the cellars of Obedeanu Church, founded by the great boyar Constantin Obedeanu.
This school at Obedeanu church in the years 1774-1775 was the first school in Oltenia, whereby Obedeanu's establishment began its great historical and cultural role.

It was, for 100 years, the only elementary school in Craiova and the second national school in Romanian language from Wallachia, after St. Sava. Once it was set up, the school was included in the education system of that time.

The school functioned, with some interruptions, from 1816 until 1821, being confirmed by legislative acts of organization. The study plan included the study of the Greek language, French language, arithmetic and the Romanian language, and since 1813 two teachers have been appointed for the study of the Romanian language. After Tudor Vladimirescu's Revolution of 1821 and the arrival of Grigore Dimitrie Ghica Vodă as ruler, he ordered the abolition of Greek schools, on the orders of the sultan. Thus, the school of Obedeanu Church became in 1822 a public school under the name of Princely School, with primary and upper classes, in which the young people of Craiova learned the Romanian, French and Greek languages. In the spring of 1825, the teachers Stanciu Căpăţâneanu and Grigore Pleşoianu, pupils of Gheorghe Lazăr and I. H. Rădulescu, set up at the Obedeanu Church the National School of Romanian Language, whose name will be linked to the entire subsequent evolution of the educational system in Craiova.

Between 1826 and 1832, due to the deterioration of the building and the socio-political conditions at that time, the school operated with great interruptions. In 1832, through the care of Stanciu Căpăţâneanu, Grigore Pleşoianu and Florian Aron, the third grade of the school together with the upper classes (future gymnasium) temporarily moved into the cellars of the Madona Dudu church, and the 1st and 2nd grades still operating in the school's building in the courtyard of Obedeanu Church.
After 1834, this school was entrusted with training teachers for rural schools, at that time called candidates. This mission ceased once the Normal School was set up in Craiova.

After the renewal of the Obedeanu establishment in 1858, the buildings that have long been used as a school lasted until 1888-1889, continuing to be school buildings – this time primary school following the new organization of education, until the old buildings of the Obedeanus, in ruins and with no one to take care of them, were demolished by the Craiova City Hall. The new buildings of the two primary schools - the Obedeanu School for Boys and the Zoiţa Brâncoveanu School for Girls - were built on the site of the old buildings and cellars next to the Obedeanu church.
According to the history of the Obedeanu church, between the two school buildings there is another building, built in 1900 with the purpose of a school cafeteria. The dividing wall between the church and the school was erected in 1968 on the initiative of the school.
It should be remembered that out of everything that was once the Obedeanu establishment, today only the church and a part of the wall surrounding the school on the west and north side are still standing.

From a legal point of view, following a decision of the Dolj County School Inspectorate in 2010, the Obedeanu School lost its legal capacity, becoming a structure of the School no. 12 "Decebal". Practically, it continued to function, with pre-school groups and grades I to VIII.

In terms of patrimony, the Obedeanu School has four buildings, two of which are historical monuments (the school building with entrance from Brestei Street and the one with entrance from Painter Oscar Obedeanu Street).

Source: www.monumenteoltenia.ro/