John Amos Comenius (; ; ; ; Latinized: ''Ioannes Amos Comenius''; 28 March 1592 – 15 November 1670) was a Czech

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

pedagogue Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

and

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

who is considered the father of modern education. He served as the last

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the Unity of the Brethren (direct predecessor of the

Moravian Church The Moravian Church, or the Moravian Brethren ( or ), formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestant denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohemian Reformation of the 15th century and the original ...

) before becoming a religious refugee and one of the earliest champions of universal education, a concept eventually set forth in his book ''Didactica Magna''. As an educator and theologian, he led schools and advised governments across

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

Europe through the middle of the seventeenth century. Comenius introduced a number of educational concepts and innovations including pictorial textbooks written in native languages instead of Latin, teaching based in gradual development from simple to more comprehensive concepts, lifelong learning with a focus on logical thinking over dull memorization,

equal opportunity Equal opportunity is a state of fairness in which individuals are treated similarly, unhampered by artificial barriers, prejudices, or preferences, except when particular distinctions can be explicitly justified. For example, the intent of equal ...

for impoverished children, education for women, and universal and practical instruction. He also believed heavily in the connection between nature, religion, and knowledge, in which he stated that knowledge is born from nature and nature from God. Being lifelong proud of his origin from

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

,"Clamores Eliae" he dedicated "To my lovely mother, Moravia, one of her faithful son...". Clamores Eliae, p. 69, Kastellaun/Hunsrück : A. Henn, 1977."Moravian by nation, language Bohemian, profession theologian, servant of Gospel from the year of grace 1616." It is his own identification in "Opera omnia didactica" 1657, http://www.uni-mannheim.de/mateo/camenaref/comenius/comenius1/p3/jpg/s468.html he nevertheless for most of his life – mainly due to the difficult wartime circumstances in the homeland and fear from religious persecution – lived and worked as an exile in various regions of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

and other countries:

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

. He turned down an offer to immigrate to the New England Colonies and take up the presidency of the newly founded

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Life and work

John Amos Comenius was born in 1592 in the

Margraviate of Moravia The Margraviate of Moravia (; ) was one of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown within the Holy Roman Empire and then Austria-Hungary, existing from 1182 to 1918. It was officially administered by a margrave in cooperation with a provincial diet. I ...

in the Bohemian Crown. His exact birthplace is uncertain and possibilities include

Uherský Brod Uherský Brod (; ) is a town in Uherské Hradiště District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administrati ...

(as on his gravestone in Naarden), Nivnice, and Komňa (the village from which he took his surname, which means "man from Komňa"), all these localities being situated in the Uherské Hradiště District of today's

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. John was the youngest child and only son of Martin Komenský (died ca. 1602–4) and his wife Anna Chmelová. His grandfather, whose name was Jan (János) Szeges, was of Hungarian origin. He began to use the surname Komenský after leaving Komňa to live in Uherský Brod. Martin and Anna Komenský belonged to the Bohemian Brethren, a pre-Reformation Protestant denomination, and Comenius later became one of its leaders. His parents and two of his four sisters died in 1604 and John, still a child, went to live with his aunt in Strážnice. Owing to his impoverished circumstances he was unable to begin his formal education until his later teens. He was 16 when he entered the Latin school in

Přerov Přerov (; ) is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 41,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Bečva River. In the past it was a major crossroad in the heart of Moravia in the Czech Republic. The historic city centre is we ...

, returning there later as a teacher 1614–1618. He continued his studies at the Herborn Academy (1611–1613) and at the

University of Heidelberg Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public university, public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is List ...

(1613–1614). In 1612 he read the

Rosicrucian Rosicrucianism () is a spirituality, spiritual and cultural movement that arose in early modern Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts announcing to the world a new Western esotericism, esoteric order. Rosicruc ...

manifesto '' Fama Fraternitatis''. Comenius was also greatly influenced by the Irish Jesuit William Bathe as well as by his teachers Johann Piscator, Heinrich Gutberleth, and particularly Heinrich Alsted. The Herborn Academy maintained the principle that every theory has to be functional in practical use, therefore it has to be didactic (i.e. morally instructive). In the course of his studies, Comenius also became acquainted with the educational reforms of Ratichius and with the report of these reforms issued by the universities of

Jena Jena (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 in ...

and

Giessen Giessen, spelled in German (), is a town in the Germany, German States of Germany, state () of Hesse, capital of both the Giessen (district), district of Giessen and the Giessen (region), administrative region of Giessen. The population is appro ...

. Comenius became rector of a school in Přerov. In 1616 he was ordained into the ministry of the Bohemian Brethren and four years later became pastor and rector at Fulnek, one of the denomination's most flourishing churches. Throughout his life this pastoral activity was his most immediate concern. In consequence of the

religious wars A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war (), is a War, war and conflict which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion and beliefs. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the exte ...

, in 1621 he lost all his property, including his writings. In 1627 he led the Brethren into exile when the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...

persecuted the

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

in Bohemia. In 1628 he corresponded with Johann Valentin Andreae. He produced the book '' Janua linguarum reserata'', or ''The Gate of Languages Unlocked'', which brought him to prominence. However, as the Unity became an important target of the Counter Reformation politics, he was forced into exile even as his fame grew across Europe. Comenius took refuge in

Leszno Leszno (, , ) is a historic city in western Poland, seat of Leszno County within the Greater Poland Voivodeship. It is the seventh-largest city in the province with an estimated population of 62,200, as of 2021. Leszno is a former residential cit ...

(Lissa) in Poland, where he was head of the gymnasium school and was furthermores given charge of the Bohemian and Moravian churches. In 1638 Comenius responded to a request by the government of Sweden and traveled there to draw up a scheme for the management of that country's schools. After his religious duties, Comenius's second great interest was in furthering the Baconian attempt at the organization of all human knowledge. He became one of the leaders in the encyclopaedia or pansophic movement of the seventeenth century, and, in fact, was inclined to sacrifice his more practical educational interests and opportunities for these more imposing but somewhat visionary projects. In 1639, Comenius published his ''Pansophiae Prodromus'', and in the following year his English friend Samuel Hartlib published, without his consent, the plan of the pansophic work as outlined by Comenius. These pansophic ideas find partial expression in the textbooks he produced from time to time. In these, he attempts to organize the entire field of human knowledge so as to bring it, in outline, within the grasp of every child. Comenius also attempted to design a language in which false statements could not be expressed. In 1641, Comenius responded to a request from the English

Long Parliament The Long Parliament was an Parliament of England, English Parliament which lasted from 1640 until 1660, making it the longest-lasting Parliament in English and British history. It followed the fiasco of the Short Parliament, which had convened f ...

and joined a commission there established to reform the system of public education. The

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

interfered with the latter project. According to

Cotton Mather Cotton Mather (; February 12, 1663 – February 13, 1728) was a Puritan clergyman and author in colonial New England, who wrote extensively on theological, historical, and scientific subjects. After being educated at Harvard College, he join ...

, Comenius was asked by Winthrop to be the President of

. The Winthrop in question was more plausibly John Winthrop the Younger than his father, since Winthrop junior was in England. However, instead Comenius moved in 1642 to Sweden. to work with Queen Christina (reigned 1632–1654) and the chancellor Axel Oxenstierna (in office 1612–1654) at the task of reorganizing the Swedish schools. The same year he then moved to Elbląg (Elbing) in Poland and in 1648 to England, this time with the assistance of Samuel Hartlib, who came originally from Elbląg. In 1650 Zsuzsanna Lorántffy, widow of George I Rákóczi Prince of

invited Comenius to

Sárospatak Sárospatak (; ; Serbian language, Serbian: Муд Стреам; Slovak language, Slovakian: ''Šarišský Potok, Blatný Potok)'' History The area has been inhabited since ancient times. Sárospatak was granted town status in 1201 by Emeric ...

. There he remained as a professor at the first Hungarian Protestant College until 1654, writing some of his most important works in this period. Comenius subsequently returned to Leszno. During the

Deluge A deluge is a large downpour of rain, often a flood. The Deluge refers to the flood narrative in the biblical book of Genesis. Deluge or Le Déluge may also refer to: History *Deluge (history), the Swedish and Russian invasion of the Polish-L ...

in 1655, he declared his support for the Protestant Swedish side, prompting Polish Catholic partisans in 1656 to burn his house, his manuscripts, and the school's printing press. The manuscript of ''Pansophia'' was destroyed in the fire. From Leszno he fled to take refuge in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

in the Netherlands. He lived in the Huis met de Hoofden and taught his grandson Johann Theodor Jablonski as well as the young patricians

Pieter de Graeff Pieter de Graeff (15 August 1638 – 3 June 1707) was a Dutch Republic, Dutch Aristocracy (class), aristocrat of the Dutch Golden Age and one of the most influential pro-state, republican Amsterdam regenten, Regents during the late 1660s and the ...

and Nicolaas Witsen. In 1659, Comenius produced a new edition of the 1618 Bohemian Brethren hymnal, ''Kancionál, to jest kniha žalmů a písní duchovních'' containing 606 texts and 406 melodies. In addition to addressing the psalms and hymns, his revision greatly expanded the number of hymns and added a new introduction. This edition was reissued several times into the nineteenth century. His texts in Czech were notable poetic compositions, but he used tunes from other sources. He also edited the German hymnal ''Kirchen-, Haus- und Hertzens-Musica'' (Amsterdam, 1661), which had been published under the title ''Kirchengesänge'' since 1566. In other writings, Comenius addresses both instrumental and vocal music in many places, although he dedicated no treatise to the topic. Sometimes he follows the medieval mathematical conception of music, but in other places he links music with grammar, rhetoric, and politics. Musical practice, both instrumental and vocal, played an important role in his system of education. It was in Amsterdam that Comenius would die, in 1670. For unknown reasons he was buried in Naarden, where visitors can see his grave in the mausoleum, located in the Kloosterstraat, devoted to him. Next to the mausoleum is the Comenius Museum.

Educational influence

For the greater part of the eighteenth century and early part of the nineteenth, there was little recognition of his relationship to the advance in educational thought and practice. However, the importance of the Comenian influence in education has been recognized since the middle of the nineteenth century. The practical educational influence of Comenius was threefold. He was first a teacher and an organizer of schools, not only among his own people, but later in Sweden, and to a slight extent in Holland. In his ''Didactica Magna'' (Great Didactic), he outlined a system of schools that is the exact counterpart of the existing American system of kindergarten, elementary school, secondary school, college, and university. The second influence was in formulating the general theory of education. In this respect, he is the forerunner of

Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher ('' philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects ...

, Pestalozzi, Fröbel, etc., and is the first to formulate the idea of "education according to nature," which became consequential during the latter part of the eighteenth and early part of the nineteenth century. The influence of Comenius on education is comparable with that of his contemporaries,

Bacon Bacon is a type of Curing (food preservation), salt-cured pork made from various cuts of meat, cuts, typically the pork belly, belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central in ...

and Descartes, on science and philosophy. In fact, he was largely influenced by the works of these two men. This comparison is largely due to the fact that he first applied or attempted to apply in a systematic manner the principles of thought and investigation, newly formulated by those philosophers, to the organization of education in all its aspects. The summary of this attempt is given in the ''Didactica Magna'', completed about 1631, though not published until several years later. The third aspect of influence was on the subject matter and method of education, exerted through a series of textbooks of an entirely new nature. The first-published of these was the ''Janua Linguarum Reserata'' (The Gate of Tongues Unlocked), issued in 1631. This was followed by a more elementary text, the ''Vestibulum'', a more advanced one, the ''Atrium'', and others. The '' Orbis Pictus'', published in 1658, became one of the most renowned and widely circulated school books over the next century. It was also the first successful application of illustrations to the work of teaching youth (though not the first illustrated book for children, per se). Relief Komensky

The educational writings of Comenius comprise more than forty titles. These texts were all based on the same fundamental ideas: (1) learning foreign languages through the vernacular; (2) obtaining ideas through objects rather than words; (3) starting with objects most familiar to the child to introduce him to both the new language and the more remote world of objects; (4) giving the child a comprehensive knowledge of his environment, physical and social, as well as instruction in religious, moral, and classical subjects; (5) making this acquisition of a compendium of knowledge a pleasure rather than a task; and (6) making instruction universal "to all men and from all points of view".

Theology

John Amos Comenius was a bishop of the Unity of the Brethren church that had its roots in the teaching of Czech reformer

Jan Hus Jan Hus (; ; 1369 – 6 July 1415), sometimes anglicized as John Hus or John Huss, and referred to in historical texts as ''Iohannes Hus'' or ''Johannes Huss'', was a Czechs, Czech theologian and philosopher who became a Church reformer and t ...

. One of his most famous theological works is the '' Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart''. The book represents his thinking about the world being full of various useless things and complex labyrinths, and that the true peace of mind and soul can be found only in one's heart where Christ the Saviour should dwell and rule. This teaching is also repeated in one of his last works, ''Unum Necessarium'' (Only One is Needed), where he shows various labyrinths and problems in the world and provides simple solutions to various situations. In this book he also admits that his former believing in prophecies and revelations of those days was his personal labyrinth where he got lost many times. He was greatly influenced by Boehme. In his ''Synopsis physicae ad lumen divinum reformatae'', Comenius gives a physical theory of his own, said to be taken from the

Book of Genesis The Book of Genesis (from Greek language, Greek ; ; ) is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its incipit, first word, (In the beginning (phrase), 'In the beginning'). Genesis purpor ...

. He was also famous for his prophecies and the support he gave to visionaries. In his ''Lux in tenebris'' he published the visions of Christopher Kotterus, Mikuláš Drabík (lat. ''Nicolaus Drabicius'') and Kristina Poniatowska. Attempting to interpret the

Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation, also known as the Book of the Apocalypse or the Apocalypse of John, is the final book of the New Testament, and therefore the final book of the Bible#Christian Bible, Christian Bible. Written in Greek language, Greek, ...

, he promised the millennium in 1672 and guaranteed miraculous assistance to those who would undertake the destruction of the Pope and the house of Austria, even venturing to prophesy that

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

Gustavus Adolphus Gustavus Adolphus (9 December N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December15946 November Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 16 November] 1632), also known in English as ...

, and George I Rákóczi, prince of Transylvania, would perform the task. He also wrote to

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

of France, informing him that the empire of the world should be his reward if he would overthrow the enemies of God.

Family

One of his daughters, Elisabeth, married Peter Figulus from Jablonné nad Orlicí. Their son, Daniel Ernst Jablonski (1660–1741), Comenius's grandson, later went to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

in 1693; there he became the highest official pastor at the court of King

Frederick I of Prussia Frederick I (; 11 July 1657 – 25 February 1713), of the Hohenzollern dynasty, was (as Frederick III) List of margraves and electors of Brandenburg, Elector of Brandenburg (1688–1713) and Duke of Prussia in personal union (Brandenburg–Pr ...

(reigned 1701–1713). There he became acquainted with Count

Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf Nikolaus Ludwig, Reichsgraf von Zinzendorf und Pottendorf (26 May 1700 – 9 May 1760) was a German religious and social reformer, bishop of the Moravian Church, founder of the Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine, Christian mission pioneer and a major f ...

(1700–1760). Zinzendorf was among the foremost successors to Comenius as a bishop (1737–1760) in the renewed Moravian Brethren's Church. His direct descendent, Jan Ferdinand Kallik (1939-____) was born in Prague and educated in South Africa. He now lives in California. All four of his children, Lynette, Peter, Alison, and Pamela are teachers.

Legacy

The Comenius Medal, a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

award honouring outstanding achievements in the fields of education research and innovation, commemorates Comenius.

Peter Drucker Peter Ferdinand Drucker (; ; November 19, 1909 – November 11, 2005) was an Austrian American management consultant, educator, and author, whose writings contributed to the philosophical and practical foundations of modern management theory. H ...

hailed Comenius as the inventor of

textbook A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions, but also of learners ( ...

s and primers.

Czech Republic

During the 19th-century

Czech National Revival The Czech National Revival was a cultural movement which took place in the Czech lands during the 18th and 19th centuries. The purpose of this movement was to revive the Czech Czech language, language, culture and national identity. The most pro ...

, Czechs idealised Comenius as a symbol of the Czech nation. This image persists to the present day. The Czech Republic celebrates 28 March, the birthday of Comenius, as

Teachers' Day Teachers' Day is a special day for the appreciation of teachers. It may include celebrations to honor them for their special contributions in a particular field area, or the community tone in education. This is the primary reason why countries ce ...

. The University of Jan Amos Komenský was founded in Prague in 2001, offering bachelor's, master's and graduate degree programmes. Gate to Languages, a project of lifelong education, taking place in the Czech Republic from October 2005 to June 2007 and aimed at language education of teachers, was named after his book ''Janua linguarum reserata'' (Gate to Languages Unlocked). Comenius is pictured on the 200

Czech koruna The koruna, or crown (sign: Kč; code: CZK, ), has been the currency of the Czech Republic since 1993. The koruna is one of the European Union's eight currencies, and the Czech Republic is legally bound to adopt the euro in the future. The ...

banknote A banknote or bank notealso called a bill (North American English) or simply a noteis a type of paper money that is made and distributed ("issued") by a bank of issue, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes were originally issued by commerc ...

. Asteroid 1861 Komenský, discovered by Luboš Kohoutek, is named in his honor.

Elsewhere in Europe

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, a local college is named after him. There is also square of his name nearby post Unity's of the Brethren church. In Poland, the Comenius Foundation is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to the provision of equal opportunities to children under 10 years of age. Pomnik_Komeniusza_w_Lesznie

, a teacher's college is named after him, which belongs to the

University of Miskolc The University of Miskolc (before 1990: ''Technical University of Heavy Industry'') is the largest university of Northern Hungary. Location Most of the buildings can be found in Egyetemváros ("University Town"), a part of the city of Miskolc. ...

. Comenius' name has been given to primary schools in several German cities, including

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

, Grafing, and Deggendorf. In

Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

the Czechoslovak government built a school after a catastrophic 1963

earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

and named it after Comenius (Jan Amos Komenski in Macedonian). In 1919 Comenius University was founded by an act of parliament in

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

, Czechoslovakia, now in

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

. It was the first university with courses in Slovak. The Comenius tower in

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

was completed in 2008 as an addition to the

headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

of the

Court of Justice of the European Union The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ( or "''CJUE''"; Latin: Curia) is the Judiciary, judicial branch of the European Union (EU). Seated in the Kirchberg, Luxembourg, Kirchberg quarter of Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, this EU ins ...

. The building houses many of the institution's translation services. The Italian film director

Roberto Rossellini Roberto Gastone Zeffiro Rossellini (8 May 1906 – 3 June 1977) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. He was one of the most prominent directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing to the movement with films such a ...

took Comenius, and especially his theory of "direct vision", as his model in the development of his didactic theories, which Rossellini hoped would usher the world into a

utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', which describes a fictiona ...

n future. Comenius is a

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

school partnership program. In the United Kingdom, the

University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Fir ...

's Western Bank Library holds the largest collection of Comenius manuscripts outside of the Czech Republic. He is commemorated in the

Calendar of Saints The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...

of the Evangelical Church in Germany on 16 November.

United States

In 1892, educators in many places celebrated the 300th anniversary of Comenius. Comenius Hall was built as the principal classroom and faculty office building on Moravian College's campus in Pennsylvania, and the Comenian Society for the study and publication of his works was formed. The education department at

Salem College Salem College is a private women's liberal arts college in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1772 as a primary school, it later became an academy (high school) and ultimately added the college. It is the oldest female educational esta ...

in North Carolina has an annual ''Comenius Symposium'' dedicated in his honor; the subjects usually deal with modern issues in education. The Comenius Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charity which uses film and documentary production to further faith, learning, and love.

Works

Latin

* ''Linguae Bohemicae thesaurus, hoc est lexicon plenissimum, grammatica accurata, idiotismorum elegantiae et emphases adagiaque'' ("Treasure of the

Czech language Czech ( ; ), historically known as Bohemian ( ; ), is a West Slavic language of the Czech–Slovak group, written in Latin script. Spoken by over 12 million people including second language speakers, it serves as the official language of the ...

"), 1612–1656 * ''Problemata miscellanea'' ("Different Problems"), 1612, non-existent, perished in fire while being prepared for printing. * ''Sylloge quaestionum controversarum'', 1613 * ''Grammaticae facilioris praecepta'', 1614–1616 * ''Theatrum universitatis rerum'', 1616–1627 * ''Centrum securitatis'' ("The Center of Safety"), 1625 * ''Moraviae nova et post omnes priores accuratissima delineatio autore J. A. Comenio'' ("Map of Moravia"), 1618–1627 * '' Janua linguarum reserata'', 1631 * ''Didactica magna'' ("The Great Didactic"), 1633–1638 * ''Via Lucis, Vestigata & Vestiganda'' ("The Way of Light"), 1641 * ''Januae Lingvarum Reseratae Aureae Vestibulum quo primus ad Latinam aditus Tyrunculis paratur'' ("Introduction to Latin"), 1648 * ''Schola pansophica'' ("School of Pansophy"), 1650–1651 * ''Primitiae laborum scholasticorum'', 1650–1651 * ''Eruditionis scholasticae janua, rerum & linguarum structuram externam exhibens'', 1656, doi:10.3931/e-rara-79809 (Digitized edition at e-rara). *'' Opera didactica omnia'' ("Writing on All Learning"), 1657 *'' Orbis Pictus'' ("The Visible World in Pictures"), 1658 * ''Gentis Felicitas'' (1659) * ''De bono unitatis et ordinis'' ("On Good Unity and Order"), 1660 * ''De rerum humanarum emendatione consultatio catholica'' ("General Consultation on an Improvement of All Things Human"), 1666 * ''Unum necessarium'' ("The One Thing Needful"), 1668 * ''Spicilegium Didacticum'', 1680

Czech

* ''O andělích'' ("About Angels"), 1615 * ''Retuňk proti Antikristu a svodům jeho'' ("Utterance against the Antichrist and his temptations"), 1617 * ''O starožitnostech Moravy'' ("About Moravian Antiquities"), 1618–1621 * ''Spis o rodu Žerotínů'' (Script about House of Žerotín), 1618–1621 * ''Listové do nebe'' ("Letters to Heaven"), 1619 * ''Manuálník aneb jádro celé biblí svaté'' ("Manual or Core of the Whole Holy Bible"), 1620–1623 * ''Přemyšlování o dokonalosti kŕesťanské'' ("Thinking About Christian Perfection"), 1622 * ''Nedobytedlný hrad jméno Hospodinovo'' ("Unconqerable Fortress (is) Name of the God"), 1622 * ''Truchlivý'', díl první ("The Mournful", volume I), 1623 * ''O poezí české'' ("About Czech Poetry"), 1623–1626 * ''Truchlivý'', díl druhý ("The Mournful", volume II), 1624 * ''O sirobě'' ("About Poor People"), 1624 * ''Pres boží'' ("Press of God"), 1624 * ''Vidění a zjevení Kryštofa Kottera, souseda a jircháře sprotavského'' ("Seeing and Revelation of Kryštof Kotter, Neibourgh of Mine and Tanner from Sprotava"), 1625 * ''Překlad některých žalmů'' ("Translation of Some Psalms"), 1626 * ''Didaktika česká'' ("Czech Didactic"), 1628–1630 * ''Škola hrou'' (''Schola Ludus'', "School by Play") 1630 * ''Labyrint světa a ráj srdce'' (" Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart") 1631 * ''Trouba milostivého léta pro národ český'' ("The Horn of the Year of Jubilee for Czech Nation"), 1631–1632 * '' Informatorium školy mateřské'' (School of Infancy), 1632 * '' Brána jazyků otevřená'' (The Gate of Languages Unlocked) 1633 * '' Orbis Pictus'', 1658

References

External links

The Correspondence of Jan Amos Comenius [Komenský] (566 letters)
i
EMLO

J. A. Comenius Museum in Uherský Brod

The National Pedagogical Museum and Library of J.A. Comenius

Comenius Museum in Přerov

Comenius Museum & Mausoleum, Naarden, NL

Comenius' biography

Comenius Foundation. US

Article by the psychologist Jean Piaget on the importance of Comenius
(PDF)

Unum Necessarium: The One Thing Necessary
Translation by Vernon H. Nelson provided courtesy o
Moravian Archives
Winston-Salem, NC
''Dveře gazyků otewřené''
Praha: .n. 1805. 280 s. – available at ULB's Digital Library
''Janua Linguarum Reserata Quinque-Linguis''
Amstelodami : Apud Ludovicum & Danielem Elzevirios, 1661. 881 s. – available at ULB's Digital Library
''Janua Linguarum reserata aurea''
Pragae : Typis Archi-Episcopalibus in Collegio S. Norberti excudebat paulus Postrzibacz, Anno 1667. 506 s. – available at ULB's Digital Library * * * *
''Orbis sensualium pictus''
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

* – translation by Charles Hoole, at Google Book Search
Orbis sensualium pictus trilinguis. Latin, German and Hungarian, 1708

''Orbis sensualium pictus trilinguis''
Leutschoviae : Typis Samuelis Brewer, Anno Salutis 1685. 484 s. - available at ULB's Digital Library
''Orbis Pictus, in hungaricum et germanicum translatus''
Po'sonban: Weber, 19. stor. 172 s. – available at ULB's Digital Library
''Orbis pictus von Amos Comenius''
ürnberg .n. 1770. 263 s. – available at ULB's Digital Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Comenius, John Amos 1592 births 1670 deaths 17th-century German bishops 17th-century writers from Bohemia 17th-century writers in Latin 17th-century Protestant theologians Bishops of the Moravian Church Burials in North Holland Czech bishops Czech educational theorists Czech emigrants Immigrants to the Dutch Republic Czech exiles Czech expatriates in Germany Czech expatriates in Hungary Czech expatriates in the Dutch Republic Czech male writers Czech people of Hungarian descent Czech people of the Moravian Church Czech philosophers Czech Protestant clergy Czech Renaissance humanists Czech schoolteachers Czech scientists Czech theologians Heidelberg University alumni People from Uherské Hradiště District Writers of the Moravian Church Philosophers of education Lutheran saints