A. A. Savich had a large influence on the Soviet historical science. This Belarus-born intellectual was among those who laid the basis for systemic study of the history of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine in the BSU, as well as for the BSU itself.
A. A. Savich was born in the village of Perevoloki, Grodno province. Both his father and grandfather were priests, and he followed in their footsteps: in 1910 he graduated from the Lithuanian Seminary, and, in 1914 – the St. Petersburg Ecclesiastical Academy.
Scientific talent of the young theologian was rewarded by the special prize for his «candidate research» dedicated to XVII–XVIII Belarusian and Ukrainian schools. A. A. Savich was invited to join the faculty while he was preparing for his Master’s examinations, but his scientific work was to continue in the Moscow University. The revolution of 1917 made A. A. Savich join the Saratov University. Here, under the guidance of Professors V. I. Veretennikov, M. K. Liubavsky and S. N. Chernov, he was preparing his thesis «West-Russian schools in XVI–XVIII cent.».
Russian Civil War forced him to continue his work elsewhere. A. A. Savich was invited to teach Russian History at the BSU. On November 16, 1921, he was appointed lecturer, soon – Assistant Professor and Professor. A. A. Savich lectured in history of Russian culture and «cultural movements» in Belarus in XVI–XVIII centuries, history of ancient Russia, public education in Belarus before XIX cent., organised study workshops and provided assistance in the study of historical chronicles, Moscow political literature of XVI cent., foreign documents about Russia dating XVI–XVIІ cent., 1649 Council Code of Alexis, Nakaz of Catherine the Great, other sources. He was the «Historical Subjects Board» member and among the authors of the 1st and 2nd issues of the «Proceedings of the BSU».
Core texts by A. A. Savich as a historian include «Russian Unitarian Schools of XVII–XVIII centuries», «Russian-Polish Relations in XVII (before the Truce of Deulino)» and «Cultural Movements in Belarus and Ukraine in ХVI–ХVII centuries». The results of his research were highly appreciated by the Minsk Society of History and Antiquities, A. A. Savich’s work also led to him being among the experts participating in the discussions on the restitution of objects of cultural value to Poland, he was among the expert board working on the «deliberated solution». In February, 1924 A. A. Savich was organising exhibition of the first university museum.
Soon A. A. Savich’s «interest in church» became an issue with the Soviets. The «quiet ousting» that happened to him in spring, 1924, can be considered a relatively fortunate event by the standards of that time. He moved to Perm to work at the local university, and soon became the head of the History of the USSR Nations Department in the Perm Industrial and Pedagogical Institute. While in the Urals, A. A. Savich published some serious works. Later he taught in the Yaroslavl Pedagogical Institute and managed to defend his doctoral thesis and to become one of the authors of the new generation of «Stalin» university textbooks on the USSR history.
1943–1947 was the new Minsk period of A. A. Savich’s life and scientific work: he was once again invited to work at the BSU and the BSSR Academy of Sciences. In the BSU he took charge of the Department of the History of the USSR Nations. A. A. Savich took part in the work on the «History of the BSSR». This job caused another exile for A. A. Savich. His 1946 texts were branded as a «description of the life of kings, rapturous narrative of the church history, all lacking the necessary class approach». In March 1947, the Party Bureau of the Faculty of History found the performance of the Department headed by A. A. Savich as utterly dissatisfying.
The historian’s later employment was with some higher educational establishments in Moscow as well as the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and a number of theology schools.