Once upon a time in ancient Athens there was a legendary school founded by the philosopher Aristotle, called the Lyceum or Lyceum. The Russian Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum is an elite educational institution that strives to be similar to the example of high antiquity, imbued with the spirit of romanticism and free thought. The Lyceum gave Russia many great names. It was founded in 1810 in Tsarskoe Selo and opened on October 19, 1811. The creators of the Lyceum turned not only to the ideal of antiquity, but also to Russian traditions: it is no coincidence that the outstanding historian Karamzin was among the trustees of the educational institution.
Once upon a time in ancient Athens there was a legendary school founded by the philosopher Aristotle, called the Lyceum or Lyceum. The Russian Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum is an elite educational institution that strives to be similar to the example of high antiquity, imbued with the spirit of romanticism and free thought. The Lyceum gave Russia many great names. It was founded in 1810 in Tsarskoe Selo and opened on October 19, 1811. The creators of the Lyceum turned not only to the ideal of antiquity, but also to Russian traditions: it is no coincidence that the outstanding historian Karamzin was among the trustees of the educational institution.
"The establishment of the Lyceum is aimed at the education of youth, especially those destined for important parts public service," read the first paragraph of the Lyceum charter. The author of the project for the creation of the Lyceum, M.M. Speransky, saw in the new educational institution not only a school for training educated officials. He wanted the Lyceum to educate people capable of implementing the planned transformation plans Russian state. The broadest knowledge, the ability to think and the desire to work for the good of Russia - these were the qualities that the graduates of the new educational institution were supposed to distinguish. It is no coincidence that in the new keynote speech addressed to students on the day of the grand opening, Associate Professor of Moral and political sciences Alexander Petrovich Kunitsy spoke about the duties of a citizen and war, about love for the Fatherland and duty to it. The boys remembered the words for the rest of their lives: “Love of glory and the fatherland should be your guides.”
The lyceum accepted children 10-12 years old, the number of students ranged from 30 (in 1811-17) to 100 (from 1832). During 6 years of study (two 3-year courses, from 1836 - 4 classes of one and a half years each), the following sciences were studied at the Lyceum: moral (God's law, ethics, logic, jurisprudence, political Economy); verbal (Russian, Latin, French, German literature and languages, rhetoric); historical (Russian and General history, Physiography); physical and mathematical (mathematics, principles of physics and cosmography, mathematical geography, statistics); fine arts and gymnastic exercises (penmanship, drawing, dancing, fencing, horse riding, swimming). The extensive program harmoniously combined humanitarian and exact sciences, gave encyclopedic knowledge. Great place was assigned to the “moral” sciences, which, as the lyceum charter stated, “...means all that knowledge that relates to the moral position of a person in society and, therefore, the concept of the structure of civil societies, and about the rights and responsibilities arising from this." The most important place in the training program was given to a deep study of Russian history. The development of patriotic feelings was closely connected with knowledge of the native country, its past, present, and future.
The lyceum's curriculum was changed several times, but it retained its humanitarian and legal basis. Graduates received the rights of having graduated from the university and civil ranks 14th - 9th grades. For those wishing to enroll in military service additional military training, and they were given the rights of graduates of the Corps of Pages.
The lyceum was a closed educational educational institution. The daily routine here was strictly regulated. The pupils got up at six o'clock in the morning. During the seventh hour it was necessary to get dressed, wash, pray to God and repeat the lessons. Classes began at seven o'clock and lasted two hours. At ten o'clock the lyceum students had breakfast and took a short walk, after which they returned to class, where they studied for another two hours. At twelve we went for a walk, after which we repeated our lessons. At two o'clock we had lunch. After lunch there are three hours of classes. In the sixth - a walk and gymnastic exercises. Pupils studied in total seven hours a day. Class hours alternated with rest and walks. Walks were taken in any weather in the Tsarskoye Selo Garden. The pupils' recreation consists of fine arts and gymnastic exercises. Among physical exercises at that time, swimming, horse riding, fencing, and in winter - skating were especially popular. Items that contribute aesthetic development- drawing, penmanship, music, singing - are still included in the secondary school curriculum.
In the first years of its existence (1811-1817), an atmosphere of passion for new Russian literature was created in the Lyceum, represented by the names of N. M. Karamzin, V. A. Zhukovsky, K. N. Batyushkov, and French literature Age of Enlightenment (Voltaire). This passion contributed to the unification of a number of young people into a creative literary and poetic circle that determined the spirit of the educational institution (A. S. Pushkin, A. A. Delvig, V. K. Kuchelbecker, V. D. Volkhovsky, A. D. Illichevsky, K. . K. Danzas, M. L. Yakovlev and many others). The circle published handwritten magazines “Lyceum Sage”, “Bulletin”, “For Pleasure and Benefit”, etc., creative literary competitions were held between its members, poems by lyceum students Pushkin, Delvig, Kuchelbecker and others. Since 1814, famous magazines began to be published (“Bulletin” Europe", "Russian Museum", "Son of the Fatherland"). Poetic creativity Lyceum students and their interest in literature were encouraged by the professor of Russian and Latin literature, Zhukovsky’s friend N.F. Koshansky and his successor from 1814 A.I. Galich.
The students read a lot. “We studied little in classes, but a lot in reading and conversation with constant friction of minds,” recalled Modest Korf. Replenishing the library was a constant concern of the Council of Lyceum Professors. In a letter to Pavel Fuss, answering the question whether new books reach the Lyceum, Alexey Illichevsky reflects on the benefits of reading: “Do newly published books reach our solitude? You ask me; can you doubt it?.. Never! Reading nourishes soul, forms the mind, develops abilities...". Lyceum students knew their contemporaries - Russian writers and poets - not only from their works. Illichevsky’s testimony from a letter to Fuss is interesting: “... until I entered the Lyceum, I did not see a single writer - but at the Lyceum I saw Dmitriev, Derzhavin, Zhukovsky, Batyushkov, Vasily Pushkin and Khvostov; I also forgot: Neledinsky, Kutuzov , Dashkova". Professor of Russian and Latin literature Nikolai Fedorovich Koshansky considered the basis literary education the ability to write, compose, and treated the poetic experiments of his students with approval. Often in class he suggested writing poems on a given topic. “How now I see that afternoon class of Koshansky,” Ivan Pushchin later recalled, “when, having finished the lecture a little earlier than the lesson hour, the professor said: “Now, gentlemen, let’s try feathers: please describe a rose to me in verse.”
The Lyceum was located in Tsarskoe Selo in a wing of the Catherine Palace. The building of the Lyceum of simple, strict forms, traditional for Russian classicism, forms, together with the church wing of the Great (Catherine) Palace, a single architectural ensemble, unusual and in its own way compositional construction and unique beauty. The building was built under Catherine II by architect Ilya Neelov. Main facade The building, facing the palace, has a portico of four columns of the Corinthian order; above the windows of the third floor there is a decorative frieze. The lyceum and church wings are connected by a narrow passage, the walls of which, cut through with arches below, seem to let the street pass through them. On the sides of the middle arch there were niches for decorative statues, above which were placed round bas-reliefs made by the Tsarskoe Selo modeler Grigory Makarov. The eastern façade of the Lyceum with its front porch is the most impressive. On this side, a three-span arch connecting the lyceum building with the church building harmoniously closes the perspective of the canal embankment separating Catherine Park from city neighborhoods. Through the arch you can see the turn of the street and Alexander Park. WITH west side From under the arches of the Lyceum there is a view of the street going downhill and the Catherine Park.
The Lyceum was the most modern educational institution of its time, due to which many of its students shared radical Political Views, participated in the Decembrist movement. After the attempted uprising of 1825, the government reorganized the Lyceum, establishing a restrictive regime for students, control over the selection of teachers and the direction of lectures. At the end of 1843, the Lyceum was reorganized into the Alexandrovsky Lyceum and in January 1844 it was transferred to St. Petersburg. In 1917, the lyceum was closed due to the abolition of class privileges.
Over the 33 years of the existence of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, 286 people graduated from it, including 234 in the civil sector, 50 in the military, 2 in the navy. Many of them joined the ranks of the bureaucratic nobility Russian Empire, became ministers, diplomats, senators, members State Council(Prince Gorchakov, future Minister of Foreign Affairs, N. Korsakov and others). They preferred a bureaucratic career scientific activity K. S. Veselovsky, Y. K. Grot, N. Ya. Danilevsky and others. The historical glory of the Lyceum was brought primarily by graduates of 1817 - A. A. Delvig, Decembrists V. K. Kuchelbecker, I. I. Pushchin. The great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin in in the truest sense glorified the Lyceum throughout the world.
The trustees of the Lyceum were Emperor Alexander I, the great Russian poets Derzhavin and Zhukovsky, the outstanding Russian historian Karamzin, M.M. Speransky, minister public education A.K. Razumovsky, Director of the Department of Public Education I.I. Martynov.
The first director of the lyceum was Vasily Fedorovich Malinovsky (1765 - 23.III.1814) - a graduate of Moscow University, diplomat, writer, who led the institution from its opening until 1814. Vasily Fedorovich was the author of one of the first projects for the abolition of serfdom (1802), and was a supporter of the state reforms of M.M. Speransky. First-year lyceum students spent “leisure hours” in the family of the lyceum director. At the end of March 1814, lyceum students attended the funeral of V.F. Malinovsky at the Okhtinskoye cemetery. In Pushkin’s “Program of Autobiography,” V. F. Malinovsky is also mentioned among the people who influenced his upbringing of the future poet. Malinovsky was replaced by Fyodor Matveevich von Gauenschild (1780 - 18.11.1830) - professor of German language and literature at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, an Austrian subject who lived in Russia in 1809 - 1829. Thanks to the patronage of S.S. Uvarov was not only a professor, but from January 1814 he was appointed director of the Noble boarding school at the Lyceum. In addition, in 1814-1816. corrected the position of director of the lyceum. Gauenschild, an educated man, quickly learned the Russian language and translated Karamzin’s “History” from the manuscript into German. The third director was Yegor Antonovich Engelhardt (1775-1862) - teacher and administrator. In 1812, he was appointed director of the Pedagogical Institute, a position he held for less than four years. Since March 1816 - director of the Lyceum. In October 1823 he resigns.
Among the first teachers of the lyceum were Alexander Ivanovich Galich (1783 - 9.IX.1848) - professor of Russian and Latin literature, later professor at St. Petersburg University (1819 - 1837); Ivan Kuzmich Kaidanov (2.II.1782 - 9.IX.1845) - Honored Professor of History of the Tsarskoe Selo Lyceum, corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences, in 1814 - 1816. conference secretary of the lyceum: author of a number of textbooks on general and Russian history and several historical research on ancient and universal history; Alexander Petrovich Kunitsyn (1783 - 1.VIII.1840) - associate professor (1811 - 1816), teacher of moral and political sciences in 1814-1820. at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. He completed his education in Heidelberg, was one of the best teachers of his time: an independent legal theorist. In 1838, Kunitsyn was chairman of the Committee for Supervision of Printing full meeting laws and was elected an honorary member of the university. In 1840 he was appointed director of the Department of Foreign Confessions.
An educational institution created to train government officials, thanks to a broad training program, comprehensive development students were raised by Russian citizens who became famous in the most different areas state and public life, science and culture. Perhaps the most striking characteristic of the Lyceum was its motto - “For the Common Benefit”.
Russian Civilization
Once upon a time, on the outskirts of Athens, near the temple of Apollo Lyceum, there was a school founded by the great philosopher of the past, Aristotle. It was called the Lyceum or Lyceum. On October 19, 1811, an educational institution under the same name opened in Tsarskoe Selo, near St. Petersburg. And, probably, its creators hoped that Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum will become a successor in some way famous school antiquity, of which here, in Tsarskoe Selo, the beautiful park architecture. However, she spoke not only about the world of eternal art. The parks preserved the memory of the glorious pages of Russian history - the battles of Peter the Great, the victory of Russian weapons at Kagul, Chesma, Morea.
History of the establishment of the Lyceum
“The establishment of the lyceum is aimed at the education of youth, especially those destined for important parts of the public service,” said the first paragraph of the lyceum charter. The author of the project to create a lyceum, M. M. Speransky, saw in the new educational institution not only a school for training educated officials. He wanted the lyceum to educate people capable of implementing the plans for the transformation of the Russian state. The broadest knowledge, the ability to think and the desire to work for the good of Russia - these were the qualities that the graduates of the new educational institution were supposed to distinguish. It is no coincidence that in a new program speech addressed to students on the day of the grand opening, associate professor of moral and political sciences Alexander Petrovich Kunitsyn spoke about the duties of a citizen, about love for the Fatherland and duty to it. The boys remembered the words for the rest of their lives: “Love of glory and the Fatherland should be your leaders.”
According to the charter, children of nobles aged 10-12 years were admitted to the lyceum. At the same time, no more than 50 people could be educated in an educational institution. The first, Pushkin course, accepted 30 students. The training lasted six years and was equivalent to university education. The first three years - the so-called initial course - studied subjects in the upper grades of the gymnasium. The next three years - the final course - contained the main subjects of the three faculties of the university: verbal, moral-political and physico-mathematical. The extensive program harmoniously combined the humanities and exact sciences and provided encyclopedic knowledge. A large place was given to “moral” sciences, which, as the lyceum charter stated, “...means all that knowledge that relates to the moral position of a person in society, and, consequently, concepts about the structure of civil societies, and about rights and responsibilities, arising from here."
Traditions of education in lyceums
One of the main tasks of lyceum education is to develop mental abilities and teach students to think independently. "Basic rule good methods or the method of teaching, - it was emphasized in the lyceum charter, - is not to darken the minds of children with lengthy explanations, but to stimulate its own action.” The most important place in the training program was given to a deep study of Russian history. The development of patriotic feelings was closely connected with knowledge of the native country, its past, present, and future.
Much attention was paid to the study of the biographies of great people - it was believed that historical examples would help the self-education of the individual and teach him great service to the Fatherland. When drawing up the curriculum, we took into account age characteristics pupils. In the first year, when the boys were 10-12 years old, a lot of time was devoted to learning languages: Russian, French, Latin and German. There were days when students were required to speak a foreign language among themselves.
The Lyceum was a closed educational institution. The daily routine here was strictly regulated. The pupils got up at six o'clock in the morning. During the seventh hour it was necessary to dress, wash, pray and repeat lessons. Classes began at seven o'clock and lasted two hours.
At ten o'clock the lyceum students had breakfast and took a short walk, after which they returned to class, where they studied for another two hours. At twelve we went for a walk, after which we repeated our lessons. At two o'clock we had lunch. After lunch there are three hours of classes. In the sixth - a walk and gymnastic exercises.
The students studied for a total of seven hours a day. Class hours alternated with rest and walks. Walks were taken in any weather in the Tsarskoye Selo Garden. The pupils' recreation consists of fine arts and gymnastic exercises. Among physical exercises at that time, swimming, horse riding, fencing, and in winter - skating were especially popular. Subjects that promote aesthetic development - drawing, penmanship, music, singing - are still included in the secondary school curriculum.
They tried to develop in future statesmen a sense of self-esteem and respect for the person of another person. They were taught that “all pupils are equal... and therefore no one can despise others or be proud of anything before others”; that teachers and tutors should always tell the truth, “for to lie to your boss means to disrespect him.” It was forbidden to shout at the uncles or scold them. There was no corporal punishment or official drill at the lyceum. Each pupil had a separate room. In the first years of study, grades were not given at the lyceum. Instead, professors regularly compiled characteristics in which they analyzed the student’s natural inclinations, his behavior, diligence, and success. It was believed that detailed characteristics helped work with the student better than an unambiguous assessment.
The students of the Lyceum were never idle. Here everything was aimed at developing mental interests, every desire for knowledge was encouraged. For example, Alexey Illichevsky collected materials for the biographies of great people of Russia, and Wilhelm Kuchelbecker compiled a dictionary containing extracts from the works of philosophical writers close to him.
The students read a lot. “We studied little in classes, but a lot in reading and conversation with constant friction of minds,” recalled Modest Korf. Replenishing the library was a constant concern of the council of lyceum professors. In a letter to Pavel Fuss, answering the question whether new books reach the lyceum, Alexey Illichevsky reflects on the benefits of reading: “Do newly published books reach our solitude? - you ask me. Can you doubt it?.. Never! Reading feeds the soul, shapes the mind, develops abilities...”
Lyceum students knew their contemporaries - Russian writers and poets - not only from their works. Illichevsky’s testimony from a letter to Fuss is interesting: “... until I entered the Lyceum, I did not see a single writer, but at the Lyceum I saw Dmitriev, Derzhavin, Zhukovsky, Batyushkov, Vasily Pushkin and Khvostov; I also forgot: Neledinsky, Kutuzov, Dashkov.” Professor of Russian and Latin literature Nikolai Fedorovich Koshansky considered the ability to write and compose to be the basis of literary education and approved of the poetic experiments of his students. Often in class he suggested writing poems on a given topic. “How I now see that afternoon class of Koshansky,” Ivan Pushchin later recalled, “when, having finished the lecture a little earlier than the lesson hour, the professor said: “Now, gentlemen, let’s try feathers: please describe a rose to me in verse.”
One of the favorite activities of lyceum students was meetings at which everyone was obliged to tell something - fictional or read. Gradually, the stock of poems, stories, and epigrams increased, and they were written down. Handwritten journals were created, and lyceum poets grew up, friendly competing with each other. And since 1814, their poetic experiments began to appear on the pages of Russian magazines.
Famous students of the Lyceum
At that time, students of many educational institutions had their own mottos, but hardly any of them had a motto more humane and noble than the one chosen by the lyceum students of the Pushkin course - “For the Common Benefit.” The directors of the lyceum, Vasily Fedorovich Malinovsky and Yegor Antonovich Engelhardt, the best professors and teachers, taught to live “For the Common Benefit”. During the 32 years of existence of the Imperial Lyceum in Tsarskoe Selo (from 1811 to 1843), 286 people graduated from this privileged educational institution. Within its walls different time Studied: the outstanding satirist M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, poet L. A. Mei, organizer of the society of utopian socialists M. V. Butashevich-Petrashevsky, philosopher, historian N. Ya. Danilevsky, compiler of the “Dictionary of the Russian Language” academician J. K. Grot. And yet, the lyceum owes its glory primarily to its first-borns, the graduates who entered the national history names of the poet A. S. Pushkin, poet, journalist A. A. Delvig, an active participant in the uprising on December 14, 1825 Senate Square, one of the most courageous, persistent Decembrists I. I. Pushchin, poet, Decembrist V. K. Kuchelbecker, navigator Rear Admiral F. F. Matyushkin, participant in the Turkish and Persian campaigns General V. D. Volkhovsky, prominent statesman, minister Foreign Affairs A. M. Gorchakov.
A.A. Tone. Tsarskoye Selo. Lyceum. 1822
IN late XVIII- at the beginning of the 19th centuries, noble children studied either at home with foreign tutors and educators, or in private boarding houses owned by foreigners. There was even a boarding house of the Jesuit Order in St. Petersburg.
People of high birth, but poorly educated, often ignorant, came to public service. As Karamzin wrote, a dusty genealogical scroll gave the right to be ignorant and occupy the most important positions in the state.
At the beginning of the reign of Alexander I, all of Russia wanted change. In 1802, the Ministry of Public Education was established. Education reform has begun.
By the will of Emperor Alexander I, educational institutions were opened for representatives of different classes: parish and district schools, gymnasiums. All of Russia was divided into 6 educational districts, and in each of them a university was in charge of education. In addition to the Moscow and German-speaking Dorpat universities, universities were opened in St. Petersburg, Kazan, Kharkov and Vilna, where teaching was conducted in Polish.
According to the university charter, the rector, deans and professors were elected by the professorial council. Universities received the right to free teaching. They were open to everyone: both students and free listeners (age and class did not matter).
The education reform faced a number of difficulties: lack of finances; lack of own scientific personnel; high tuition fees (students paid 2,300 rubles a year, 2,000 rubles a year paid for a boarding house); and with the lack of people willing to get a university education. In the very big university, Moscow in 1811 there were 215 students. Nobles traditionally preferred military education for their sons. Those wishing to receive a scientific education went to Germany or England. The native language and historical memory were lost.
The government had to overcome all these obstacles. For this purpose, the “General Rules of Public Education” were adopted, according to which people without a certificate of completion of an educational institution could not enter the service as an official.
Under these conditions, the leading representatives of society are putting forward the idea of organizing a new type of educational institution to raise the extremely low educational level bureaucracy and work improvement state apparatus. Initiative to create a privileged Lyceum educational institution belonged to the Minister of Public Education A.K. Razumovsky and Comrade (Deputy) Minister of Justice M.M. Speransky.
The name of the educational institution comes from the ancient Greek Lyceum. Lyceum was the name of a philosophical school on the outskirts of Athens, near the Temple of Apollo Lyceum. Here young men studied philosophy, arts, and gymnastics. Often classes were held in the form of conversations while walking through the shady gardens.
A discussion has developed in society around the Lyceum. They not only supported him, but also tried in every possible way to oppose his organization. Supporters of the Jesuit Order and opponents of the organization of the Lyceum proposed to reduce without mercy the “nonsense of the sciences”, to reduce syllabus through history, chemistry, astronomy, aesthetics, physics, and moral disciplines. But with the support of the emperor, the Lyceum was nevertheless organized.
It was created as a higher educational institution for highly gifted children of all classes. It was assumed that the Lyceum would be available to everyone, but the tsarist government remained cautious in its innovations, and clauses on the admission of children of all classes and equality of students were removed from the charter. However, training remains free.
The rules for admission stated: before being included in the lists of those elected, children must be personally presented to the Minister of Public Education A.K. Razumovsky, and, in addition, pass a series of exams.
In the advertisement for the 55th issue of St. Petersburg Gazette, which was published in July 1811, it was written: “Those entering the Lyceum must have some grammatical knowledge of Russian and French or German languages, knowledge of arithmetic, at least up to the triple rule, concept of general properties bodies."
Education at the Lyceum, designed for 6 years, consisted of two courses of 3 years each.
The first course was called elementary, gymnasium and included the following subjects:
grammar study languages (Russian, Latin, French and German),
moral sciences (God's law, philosophy and foundations of logic),
mathematical and physical sciences (arithmetic, geometry, trigonometry, algebra and physics),
historical sciences (Russian history, foreign history, geography and chronology),
the original foundations of graceful writing (selected passages from best writers and rules of rhetoric),
fine arts and gymnastic exercises.
Lyceum students took great interest in drawing, music, singing and gymnastic exercises. Dancing and fencing lessons were given by foreigners specially invited to the lyceum.
Horse riding training for young men began in 1816. Classes were held three times a week in shifts, without outside spectators and always with a tutor. The horses were regimental horses and were under the supervision of a groom.
Swimming lessons began in the summer of 1817 and were conducted by specially appointed two or three sailors. The place for exercise was a large bath in the royal garden. After swimming, medical control was carried out.
Testing of knowledge was always carried out in a solemn atmosphere. There were three-month, six-month, annual and three-year tests.
At the end initial course A public exam was held at the Lyceum. It was announced in advance in the newspaper: “The Imperial Lyceum of Tsarskoe Selo has the honor to notify that on the 4th and 8th of January from 10 am to 3 pm there will be a public test for first-time pupils, on the occasion of their transfer from junior to senior age.”
During the transfer exam, Alexander Pushkin, in the presence of Derzhavin himself, read his famous poem “Memoirs in Tsarskoe Selo.” The poems caused general delight. Derzhavin, with tears in his eyes, rushed to kiss the boy. Embarrassed, Pushkin ran away, and the great old man said that “soon the second Derzhavin will appear to the world: this is Pushkin, who outdid all the writers at the Lyceum.”
Repin Ilya Efimovich. Alexander Pushkin at the ceremony at the Lyceum, January 8, 1815. 1911
The second course covered the basic sciences of three university faculties: moral and political, physical and mathematical and verbal. Throughout the course, students were given an introduction to civil architecture.
Lyceum students who chose military career, additionally studied weapons, tactics, strategy and history of wars, military topography and plan drawing, review of military art, etc.
Unlike most educational institutions of that time, the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum had a ban on corporal punishment of students, enshrined in the lyceum charter. As punishment, they were left without a third course at dinner, or forced to kneel during morning and evening prayers.
In addition, there were also punishments that were divided into four degrees:
1 - Separating the offender to a special “black” table in the classroom.
2 – The name of the offender was written on the “black” board
3 – The offender was left on bread and water for no longer than two days.
4 - Imprisonment in a punishment cell. Solitary confinement, during which the offender is visited by the director, who admonishes him. This punishment should not last more than three days.
But the most terrible punishment for lyceum students was to lose the friendship and love of the teacher. A slightly stern look, a slightly colder attitude of the mentor had a much stronger effect and forced the naughty pupil to correct himself much sooner than the punishment cell and “black lists”.
For excellent success and exemplary behavior incentive measures existed at the Lyceum:
1 - the name of the excellent student was depicted on a white board in gold letters and displayed in the classroom.
2 - the distinguished student was given a book with an inscription from the director and professor of the science in which he showed excellent success.
3 - During the tests, those who distinguished themselves were awarded gold and silver medals.
Classes at the Lyceum began on August 1 and lasted until July 1, but July, the only month of “vacation” (vacation), the lyceum students had to spend in Tsarskoye Selo. Thus, throughout the entire six years of study (2060 “lyceum days”), the students were separated from their families and home, forming a single lyceum family.
Six days a week were training days. Usually the lessons were double: the same teacher taught the students for two hours in a row. At the same time, the classes were properly organized, studying alternated with rest and walks, so that the students did not feel overloaded.
6.00 rise, morning prayer. Tea with grainy bread
7.00–9.00 – classes
9.00-10.00 - walk in any weather
10.00-12.00 – classes
12.00 -13.00 – walk in any weather.
13.00 - lunch.
14.00 -15.00 – penmanship or drawing classes.
15.00-17.00 – classes
17.00 – tea with a bun, walk in any weather.
18.00 - lessons for the next day
20.30 – dinner, personal time
22.00 - prayer, sleep
Here is how Alexey Illichevsky wrote about this to his friend Pavel Fuss on April 26, 1812: “As for our Lyceum, I assure you, it cannot be better: we study only 7 hours, and then with changes that continue by the hour; we never sit still; who wants to study, who wants to go for walks; the lessons, to tell the truth, are not very great; and now summer is beginning, and from morning to evening we are in the garden, which is better than all the summer ones in St. Petersburg. By behaving modestly and studying diligently, there is nothing to be afraid of. Moreover, our parents visit us quite often, and the less often the visit, the more pleasant it is.”
In May 1817, the St. Petersburg Gazette invited the public and parents to the first final exams of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. 15 exams were spread over 17 days.
Each day the tests were carried out from 8 to 12 am and from 4 to 8 pm.
May 15 – Latin language.
16 – God’s law; The Minister and other important persons are present at both examinations.
17 – Russian literature.
18 – German literature.
19 – French literature.
21 – foreign geography and statistics.
22 – general history “with special attention to three last centuries" Among the guests at the exam are Karamzin and Vyazemsky.
23 – political economy and finance.
24 – natural, private and public law.
25 – criminal and civil law.
26 – domestic geography and statistics.
28 – pure mathematics.
29 – applied mathematics.
30 – fortification and artillery. Among the guests at the exam are Karamzin and Vyazemsky again.
31 – physics.
Let's read the testimony of graduate Alexander Pushkin:
“During a six-year course I studied at this institution and showed success: in the law of God and sacred history, in logic and moral philosophy, in natural, private and public law, in Russian civil and criminal law are good;
very good in Latin literature, in state economics and finance;
in Russian and French literature, also excellent in fencing.
In addition, I studied history, geography, statistics, mathematics and German.”
Hooray! Exams are over! The long-awaited Freedom lay ahead!
The years of imprisonment flew by;
Not long, peaceful friends,
We can see shelter of solitude
And Tsarskoye Selo fields.
Separation awaits us at the doorstep,
The distant noise is calling us,
And everyone looks at the road
With the excitement of proud, young thoughts.
The days of farewell have arrived. On June 9, a modest graduation ceremony for the first lyceum students took place in the presence of Alexander I. Director Engelhardt read a short report on the entire six-year course, Kunitsyn announced the approval of graduation. After this, each student was presented to the emperor with an explanation of ranks and awards. Alexander I thanked the director and the entire staff of teachers and gave warm farewells to the students.
Then the lyceum students' choir performed a farewell song by Anton Delvig, the music for which was written by Tepper de Ferguson, a music teacher and choral singing. This song, which became the Lyceum anthem, will be performed in the future at all Lyceum meetings.
Six years flew by like a dream,
In the arms of sweet silence,
And the calling of the fatherland
It thunders to us: March on, sons!
Thank you, our King,
You yourself united us young,
And in this holy solitude
Dedicated to the service of the muses.
Now accept the wrong ones
Careless joy of friends,
But in the hearts of the pure, the brave in truth,
Worthy of Your goodness.
Farewell, brothers! Hand in hand!
Let's hug one last time!
Fate for eternal separation,
Perhaps it united us!
Stop each other
You look with a farewell tear!
Keep it, oh friends, keep it
The same friendship, with the same soul,
Well, an ardent desire for truth,
That same young blood for glory,
In misfortune, proud patience,
And in happiness, love is the same for everyone.
The eyes of the students and mentors filled with tears. That same day, after lunch, they began to leave: there was no end to the goodbyes.
Director Egor Antonovich Engelhardt admonished his students with these words:
“Go forward, friends, in your new field!.. Keep the truth, sacrifice everything for it; It is not death that is terrible, but dishonor; It is not wealth, not ranks, not ribbons that honor a person, but good name, keep it, keep it clear conscience, here is your honor. Go, friends, remember us..."
Then the graduates took an oath: “...and last lyceum student one will celebrate the opening day of the lyceum on October 19.”
One of the most famous traditions at the Lyceum is the tradition after final exams break the lyceum bell, which for six years gathered students to classes.
Each graduate took a fragment as a souvenir in order to preserve for the rest of their lives a piece of love, warmth, care with which they were surrounded within the walls of the Lyceum, which became a second home for many.
For the very first release, Engelhardt ordered commemorative rings to be made from the bell fragments.
The cast iron ring in the form of hands intertwined in a friendly handshake became a priceless relic and sacred talisman for Pushkin and his lyceum comrades.
The director put these rings on the lyceum graduates - and they became “cast ironmen.”
To award distinguished lyceum students based on sketches by E.A. Engelhardt gold and silver medals were cast.
The image on them later became the coat of arms of the Lyceum.
Two wreaths, oak and laurel, personified Strength and Glory, the owl symbolized Wisdom, and the lyre, an attribute of Apollo, indicated a love of Poetry.
Above all this the lyceum motto was proudly inscribed: “For the Common Benefit.”
Large gold medal Vladimir Volkhovsky received the second gold medal - Alexander Gorchakov.
Wilhelm Kuchelbecker, Dmitry Maslov, Nikolai Korsakov, Semyon Yesakov and Sergei Lomonosov received silver medals. Modest Korf and Petr Savrasov graduated from the course with the right to a silver medal.
9 graduates of the lyceum received the title of titular councilor - class IX official, 7 graduates were enlisted as warrant officers in the guard. Before becoming officers, they still have to undergo a five-month training course.
The civil rank of titular councilor corresponds to the military rank of guards ensign. First of all, the IX class was awarded to gold and silver medalists and those eligible for a silver medal.
Weaker students received the rank of collegiate secretary - class X official, or first officer rank ensign, but not in the guard, but in the army. Not a bad start to a career for young men who have never served anywhere, because the lowest class in the “table of ranks” is XIV.
Here are the lines from Fyodor Matyushkin’s letter to his friend Sozonovich:
“Yesterday, dear Seryozha, we had a graduation:
The Emperor was present at it, there were no strangers:
everything happened so accidentally, suddenly;
I was released with the rank of collegiate secretary;
Of course you will congratulate me on the happy start of my service.
Without having done anything yet - to be in X class.
Of course, this is a lot, but we judge by comparison: some were issued by titular advisers, but not a word about it.”
Alexander Gorchakov, Sergei Lomonosov, Nikolai Korsakov, Wilhelm Kuchelbecker, Pavel Yudin, Pavel Grevenets and Alexander Pushkin will serve in the diplomatic service at the Collegium of Foreign Affairs.
The Department of Public Education is waiting for Fyodor Steven, Sergei Komovsky and Arkady Martynov.
Alexey Illichevsky, Anton Delvig and Konstantin Kostenetsky have been appointed to the Ministry of Finance.
Modest Korf and Mikhail Yakovlev will find employment in the Ministry of Justice, and Dmitry Maslov will work in the State Chancellery.
Guards ensigns will be Vladimir Volkhovsky, Semyon Esakov, Pyotr Savrasov, Ivan Pushchin, Alexander, Kornilov, Alexander Bakunin and Ivan Malinovsky;
army warrant officers - Konstantin Danzas, Nikolai Rzhevsky, Pavel Myasoedov, Alexander Tyrkov and Silvery Broglio;
Fyodor Matyushkin will serve in the navy.
Tsar Alexander Pavlovich ordered to allocate 10 thousand rubles from the treasury to equip those lyceum students who were poorer, and to pay each a stipend of at least 700 rubles in banknotes until he began to work.
If you come to Pushkin (Tsarskoye Selo) with a desire to visit the Catherine Palace and Park, take 40 minutes to visit the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum Museum. Most likely, you will not buy tickets to the Catherine Palace in the near future, since there are a great many people who want to visit the imperial chambers, and you will have time to visit the educational institution glorified by Pushkin.
The Tsarskoye Selo Museum-Lyceum is located 30 meters from the palace ticket office, in a four-story outbuilding.
There is information about ticket prices at the entrance:
ticket for adults – 150 rubles;
ticket for schoolchildren – 70 rubles;
ticket for students – 90 rubles;
ticket for pensioners – 50 rubles.
Photography in the museum – 200 rubles. (In the museum you can take photographs without using a flash for free).
The museum is open from 10:30 to 17:00. Closed on Tuesday.
The last Friday of the month is sanitary day.
Groups are allowed into the museum. Therefore, approach the porch near the entrance to the Lyceum and wait until at least 15 people have gathered. You will then be taken to the ticket office to purchase tickets. Literally a few minutes later, in the hall where the monument to young Pushkin is located, the guide comes up and the tour begins.
They will tell you about the creation of the lyceum in 1811, about the first 30 students, among whom was 14-year-old Pushkin.
Children from noble families, under the patronage of famous Russian figures, were taken to the lyceum at the age of 12 to 14 years. It is interesting that the first students learned that they would be in an educational institution for six years only in the evening on the day of admission, after the evening dessert. Imagine the reaction of very young children to this news.
Although all the students were nobles, the lyceum had spartan living conditions. The temperature in the rooms was maintained at 14-17 (!) degrees. The children got up every day at six in the morning. Within an hour it was necessary to go to the morning toilet, get dressed, pray and repeat yesterday's lessons.
The first two hours of classes began at seven in the morning. Then breakfast (“tea with white bun”) and a short walk. Two hours of classes, a walk and repetition of lessons. Three-course lunch at half past two in the afternoon.
After lunch 3 hours of classes classroom. In the evening, walk and exercise again and dinner at half past eight.
Every day the young pupils studied for at least seven hours.
The studies lasted from August 1 to July 1. Lyceum students also spent a month of vacation in Tsarskoe Selo.
At the Lyceum, it was customary that in each lesson the most successful students sat closest to the teacher. Young Pushkin could boast of the first desk in Russian and French literature classes.
Also, Alexander Sergeevich, thanks to his innate activity, succeeded in swimming, fencing, horse riding, and skating.
Despite the complex program, the students managed to publish their own newspaper, where they hand-wrote their epigrams, poems, stories and drew harmless caricatures of their friends.
Many pupils used the one free hour from nine to ten in the evening for reading and studying foreign languages. The wonderful library was located in the archway leading to the imperial palace.
At the Lyceum, classes taught French, German and Latin language. There were days when you could only speak given by teachers language.
Students were graded according to European system. The best grade is 1, unsatisfactory - 4. Interestingly, if a student “did not show any interest in the subject,” he was given a “0” and was not forced to learn the subject through force. Once Alexander Pushkin received a “0” in algebra, but the teacher just waved his hand: “Better go write your poetry.”
The students of the Lyceum together worried with all their hearts about the fate of the fatherland in 1812. Under the arch connecting the Catherine Palace and the wing of the Lyceum, grenadier regiments marched to the war. According to the recollections of the lyceum students themselves, they cried, ran after, and baptized the departing soldiers and officers.
In 1815, the first public exam was held, at which Derzhavin was present. Pushkin’s poem “Memories of Tsarskoe Selo” woke up the dozing Derzhavin. Pushkin himself saw the reaction to his poem, became agitated, ran away, and hid. That day, Derzhavin’s request to bring the young poet to him for a hug was not fulfilled. Subsequently, Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin was blessed by Gavrila Romanovich as his successor and continuer of Russian poetry.
Each course of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was invented by general meeting a motto that guided me through all my years of study. The motto of the Pushkin course “For the common benefit” is still considered the best in the entire history of the lyceum until 1918.
IN curriculum a lot of time was devoted to describing the life activities of great people of the past. The teachers believed that he was alive historical example should motivate young men to want to become better people. They were banned from the Lyceum Physical punishment– this was directly written down in the charter. From the first days, lyceum students were equal to each other, regardless of titles, merits of their ancestors and religion (in the first graduating class, half were Orthodox, the rest were Catholics and Lutherans). It was forbidden to shout at the serfs who looked after the students.
Perhaps all this influenced the fact that all the graduates of the first graduating class of the Imperial Lyceum glorified Russia. Among the most famous to us: Major General Vladimir Dmitrievich Volkhovsky, Chancellor of the Russian Empire Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov, Decembrist Ivan Ivanovich Pushchin.
Room number fourteen, in which Pushkin lived, studied, and wrote for 2060 days, looks like a closet. Small size, two walls do not reach the ceiling, a bed, a desk and a table for washing.
Thanks to the restorers who recreated the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum for the 150th anniversary of the Great Russian Poet. Thanks to the guides for the fascinating story about the lyceum and its first graduates, quoting Alexander Sergeevich’s poems.
...Wherever fate throws us,
and happiness wherever it leads,
We are still the same: we the whole world foreign land;
Our Fatherland is Tsarskoye Selo.
The reason for the opening of the Lyceum was the desire of Alexander I to create a special educational institution in which, together with several peers, they could receive comprehensive education young grand dukes, brothers of the emperor - Nicholas and Mikhail. However, in the end, a decision was made to expand the number of students, whose education ultimately boiled down to raising well-rounded, widely erudite young people who expected to build their careers in the field of public service. The very format of the educational institution - the lyceum - was not chosen by chance: it appealed to a long historical and cultural tradition based on the models of ancient educational institutions, including the one founded by the teacher of Alexander the Great, Aristotle in the 4th century BC. e. Lyceum.
There was a ban on corporal punishment at the Lyceum
The concept of a unique educational institution was developed in 1808 with the direct participation of M. M. Speransky, and therefore it offered new model not only the educational process, but was also designed to form new type personality, corresponding to the high ideals of Russian culture early XIX century. By the way, according to Speransky’s original idea, gifted representatives of different classes were supposed to be admitted to the educational institution, without any property qualifications, but in the final charter of 1810, the provisions on equality of students were eliminated. The Lyceum was assigned special place in the system of public education - it was actually equal in rights and privileges with universities; by the beginning of the century there were six of them: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Kharkov, Dorpat and Kiev. The idea of a collective community formed the basis of the Lyceum philosophy - the Lyceum was perceived as a family home, a special association of like-minded adepts selected for training according to strict criteria: “The Lyceum is made up of excellent students, as well as mentors and other officials, who, with their knowledge and morality, deserve the general trust "
On September 22, 1811, Alexander I signed the “Certificate to the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum,” after which representatives of the most distinguished Russian families were eager to place their sons in this educational institution. First entrance exams were carried out in three stages, and 36 out of 50 applicants for high rank future lyceum students. Based on the test results, 30 people were accepted for training. By the way, the entrance exams were held in the estate of the Minister of Public Education, Count A.K. Razumovsky, which was intended to emphasize the special, privileged position of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, since control over the selection of students was entrusted to the highest person V Russian education. The applicants differed in age: for example, Baron Modest Andreevich Korfu, the future director of the Imperial public library, was 11 years old upon admission, and Ivan Vasilyevich Malinovsky, to a close friend Pushkin - 16. It is worth noting that before entering the Lyceum, children were trained in the most different formats: in boarding schools (in particular, at Moscow University), gymnasiums (for example, St. Petersburg was famous) or home education.
Among the first 29 graduates: A. Delvig, A. Gorchakov, V. Kuchelbecker
The entire way of life of the students of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was subordinated to the education of a new breed of citizens. This even concerned the introduction of a special daily routine, once approved and practically unchanged, trying to harmoniously combine rest time and study hours. At 6 am the disciples woke up and went to prayer. The first morning classes took place from 7 to 9. At 9 o'clock there was a tea break, after which we went for a walk until 10. From 10 to 12 - “classes” again. Then another hour-long walk. Lunch was at one o'clock in the afternoon, and from two to five there were lessons in penmanship or painting, as well as others. additional classes, depending on the inclinations of the students. At 5 o'clock there was tea again, and then a walk, after which the pupils began to do their homework and review the material covered during the day. At 8.30 - dinner, and then until 10 pm rest or, as it was called according to the regulations, “recreation”. At 10 o'clock the students left for evening prayer, after which they went to bed.
Room No. 14, where Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin lived
Considering that the purpose of creating the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was to educate future statesmen, doing so important task was entrusted with a great deal, in our opinion modern ideas, staff of managers, professors, tutors, supervisors and other employees. Defining the main idea of the content of education, the director of the Lyceum, Vasily Fedorovich Malinovsky, emphasized that he tries to make sure that “those who educate and those who are educated form one class,” so that the student feels in the teachers not bosses, but friends. It should be noted that the Lyceum was then the only educational institution in the Russian Empire where children were not flogged.
The treatment of the students was extremely polite and tactful. Teachers and tutors called them by their last name, with the addition of the word “Mr.” By the way, the first director of the Lyceum, Vasily Fedorovich Malinovsky, the famous Russian diplomat and publicist, preached exceptional principles humanism and enlightenment. Special attention in creating a unique concept of education, he paid attention to issues of war and peace, believing that all humanity should participate in the struggle for eternal, universal peace. Being a man of very progressive views, he shared the theory of natural law and the idea of the social contract put forward by European philosophers and educators of the 18th century. It is interesting to note, however, that he was convinced of the sacredness monarchical rule, although he proposed measures that, with the help of certain constitutional articles limit absolutist tyranny in Russia, talking about the need to subordinate power to laws, which in turn must be an expression of the general will of the people.
Contemporary photography of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum
The most famous graduate The Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was, of course, Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. He communicated more with the most “incapable and lazy,” according to teachers, Anton Delvig, than with the diligent and diligent Alexander Gorchakov. It is curious that at first the Lyceum had a “ban on writing,” which was something like “ forbidden fruit" Naturally, the lyceum students still composed on the sly. And only later, with the special permission of Professor N.F. Koshansky, the ban was lifted. Many teachers noted Pushkin's abilities, but did not have much hope for him. One of the lyceum students’ favorite teachers, Professor Alexander Petrovich Kunitsyn, logically wrote in the reports about Pushkin’s successes: “ Good progress. Not diligent. Very clear." By the way, among the Lyceum poets, Pushkin was not immediately recognized as the first. The palm was successfully held by Alexey Demyanovich Illichevsky, who wrote fables, epigrams (especially on Kuchelbecker), and messages. Pushkin called him a “dear wit” and offered to pour out a hundred epigrams “on foe and friend.” In addition, Illichevsky had an amazing talent for drawing caricatures, preserved in the form of illustrations, for various “topics of the day” in the school collection.
It is noteworthy that all the professors of the Lyceum, except for David Ivanovich de Boudry, were young people who had barely reached the age of thirty. According to contemporaries, in particular, the first biographer of Pushkin, Pavel Vasilyevich Annenkov, Lyceum professors Alexander Petrovich Kunitsyn, Ivan Kuzmich Kaidanov, Yakov Ivanovich Kartsev, Nikolai Fedorovich Koshansky “should have been considered advanced people era in the educational field." Kunitsyn, Kaidanov and Kartsev graduated from St. Petersburg pedagogical institute and, as those who distinguished themselves, were sent abroad to continue their education. Their “improvement” took place in Göttingen, Jena, Paris - in the largest cultural and educational centers that time. It was considered important that teachers working with gifted students create programs themselves, teaching aids, and also engaged in scientific research. Thus, Professor Koshansky, who before the Lyceum taught at the Moscow University Noble Boarding School and had a Doctor of Philosophy and Liberal Arts degree, actively collaborated with magazines, published articles, translations, his own poems, published several textbooks and the anthology “Flowers of Greek Poetry.” While working at the Lyceum, he wrote Latin grammar, translated and printed the huge “Manual Book of Ancient Classical Literature”, the fables of Phaedrus, the works of Cornelius Nepos - all this was used by lyceum students in the learning process.