Cards

The first graduation from the lyceum students of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. The most famous lyceum students. The history of the institution of the Lyceum

the site remembered what famous personalities studied at the Lyceum, and at the same time, what they were like in their youth, comprehending the wisdom of science.

Alexander Pushkin

(1799 - 1837)

Of course, the most famous and respected graduate of the Lyceum can be called Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, who was already secretly crowned during his lifetime, calling him a genius and "the sun of Russian poetry."

It must be said that if Pushkin's father had not shown parental consciousness, the future great poet at the Jesuit Collegium in St. Petersburg. However, upon learning that Alexander I intended to open an educational institution in Tsarskoye Selo, the father immediately decided that his son should go there and nowhere else.

In fact, in the Lyceum, the children of noble families were supposed to live and study free of charge, who in the future were to occupy important government posts in the diplomatic and military parts. Despite the fact that there were many promising offspring, the Lyceum was ready to accept only thirty pupils under its shelter. It is worth noting that Pushkin was not of such high origin as to study together with the great dukes. His father began to bother, seek the protection and support of influential people and, finally, achieved his goal: his son was allowed to take the exam.

In the summer, young Pushkin went with his uncle Vasily Lvovich from Moscow to St. Petersburg and, having passed the exam, was accepted. Upon arrival at the Lyceum, the poet began to live in the same room with Ivan Pushchin, the future Decembrist. As close friends and teachers recalled, Pushkin was often absent-minded, changeable, restless and did not show any ability for mathematics - it was said that the poet even cried on the back desk, looking at the blackboard where the teacher wrote numbers and examples. Meanwhile, he perfectly practiced languages, studied history with enthusiasm and, most importantly, it was in the Lyceum that he discovered a talent for poetry, which was tirelessly guarded by the poet Vasily Zhukovsky, and later - Gabriel Derzhavin.

Alexander Pushkin, portrait by O. A. Kiprensky. 1827 year. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Alexander Gorchakov

(1798 — 1883) )

The last chancellor Russian Empire, Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov, from his youthful years distinguished the talents necessary for a brilliant diplomat. His idol was Count Ioann Kapodistrias, "the manager of Asian affairs" of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1815-1822.

“I would like to serve under his command,” Gorchakov said.

At the Lyceum, he comprehended not only the humanities, but also the exact and natural sciences. “The way of fortune, the wayward one, has shown you the path, both happy and glorious,” wrote his friend Alexander his teska, Alexander Pushkin. The poet's prediction came true - Gorchakov became the head of the Russian foreign policy department under Alexander II.

As Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Vyacheslav Mikhailov wrote in one of his works, “the essence of Gorchakov’s diplomacy was that, playing not so much on contradictions, but mainly on the nuances of European diplomacy, without a single shot, without any tough pressure, within several years Russia was free from all humiliating treaties and again entered a number of leading European powers. "

Alexander Gorchakov was a Knight of the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Ivan Pushchin

(1798-1859 )

Ivan Pushchin was one of the first close friends of Pushkin, with whom he shared a room at the Lyceum. In the future, Ivan Ivanovich became a Decembrist and told his friend about secret societies and the published book "Woe from Wit", which then stirred up reading Russia. However, at fourteen years old, he was an ordinary youth “with very good talents, always diligent and behaving prudently, who showed nobility, good breeding, good nature, modesty and sensitivity.

As an adult, Pushchin joined the Sacred Artel, became a member of the Union of Salvation, the Union of Welfare, and the Northern Society and belonged to the most revolutionary wing of the Decembrists. He was later sentenced to death, commuted to twenty years in Siberian penal servitude. In 1856, at the age of 58, he was returned from exile. A year later, he married the widow of the Decembrist Mikhail Fonvizin - Natalya Apukhtina. But the marriage did not last long: on April 3, 1859, Ivan Pushchin died at the Maryino estate.

Ivan Pushchin was sentenced to death, replaced by twenty years of Siberian hard labor. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Modest Korf

(1800 —1876)

"Sexton Mordan" - this is how the son of Baron Korf was nicknamed in the Lyceum.

The director of the Imperial Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, Vasily Malinovsky, spoke of the 12-year-old pupil in the most flattering terms, noting the diligence and neatness of the young man. Only among the qualities that could interfere with the young Corfu, he indicated "caution and fearfulness, preventing him from being completely open and free."

However, these qualities did not prevent Modest Andreevich from making a brilliant career. He managed the affairs of the committee of ministers, was the head of the secret committee for overseeing book printing, was the director of the St. Petersburg Public Library. His merits include the fact that he founded a special department of foreign books about Russia in the library, promoted the compilation of catalogs, and was also able to attract private donations to finance the institution.

"Sexton Mordan" - this is how the son of Baron Korf was nicknamed in the Lyceum. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin

(1826 — 1889)

When the future writer studied at the Lyceum, he was notable, first of all, for his gloomy appearance.

The memoirist and wife of Nekrasov Avdotya Panaeva recalled: “I saw him in the uniform of a lyceum student in the early forties. He came to him in the mornings on holidays. Young Saltykov did not have a cheerful expression even then. His big gray eyes looked sternly at everyone, and he was always silent. I remember only once on the face of a silent and gloomy lyceum student a smile. "

If Pushkin remembered the lyceum with warmth, then Saltykov-Shchedrin preserved in his memories the image of a state educational institution, in which he did not find a single close friend and where "pedagogy was gloomy in every sense: both in the physical sense and in the mental sense." However, the writer was right in his dissatisfaction: the educational system at the Lyceum has changed since the time of Pushkin.

"A kind of aristocratic freedom and comfort were replaced by a gray, leveled and rather harsh regime of a paramilitary boarding school." In the Lyceum of that time, the pupils were systematically punished: they were forced to stand in a corner and imprisoned in a punishment cell. According to the writer's memoirs, he was not a diligent student, but he knew languages well, had deep knowledge of political economy, Russian history and legal sciences.

If Pushkin recalled the lyceum with warmth, then Saltykov-Shchedrin preserved in his memories the image of a state educational institution, in which he did not find a single close friend. Photo: www.russianlook.com / www.russianlook.com

Lev May

(1822 — 1862)

For the diligence and success of the future Russian poet, he was transferred from the Moscow Noble Institute to the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, despite the fact that he was of non-noble origin and the family lived in great need.

The moment of takeoff of his creative career should be considered the day and hour when he became close friends with the publisher of the scientific and literary magazine "Moskvityanin" Pogodin, and later with the playwright Ostrovsky himself. May's works, which at first were not accepted by society and were branded as out of date and chamber, later became widely known, and the plots of the dramas in verse "The Tsar's Bride", "The Woman of Pskov" and "Servilia" formed the basis of the opera by composer Rimsky-Korsakov.

May translated The Words of Igor's Campaign from Old Russian into the literary language of the 19th century. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Fedor Matyushkin

(1799 — 1872)

The future polar explorer and Admiral Fyodor Matyushkin graduated from the Lyceum in the same year as Alexander Pushkin. A good-natured boy with a gentle character, but strong will, immediately fell in love with both fellow students and teachers. Literally in the first months of his studies, he showed remarkable talent for geography and history. Despite the fact that he had a lively character, he always remained modest, in the report card, in which they wrote the characteristics of each of the graduates, it was stated: “He is very well-behaved, with all his ardor, polite, sincere, good-natured, sensitive; sometimes angry, but not rude. "

Immediately after completing the course, he set off on a round-the-world voyage, and even later participated in Wrangel's expedition. These travels became daydreams that haunted him during his studies at the Lyceum and which Pushkin "fueled", drawing unseen and enchanting distant lands before Fyodor's imagination with the help of his lively speech and poetry. Curiously, Matyushkin did not have his own family and, having risen to the last anchor in St. Petersburg, he settled with a lyceum comrade Yakovlev. Later he moved to a hotel, where he lived for over 15 years. Only in the last years of his life did he build a dacha not far from Bologoye. Matyushkin outlived almost all of his classmates.

In 1811 Fyodor Matyushkin entered the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, which he graduated with Pushkin in 1817. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Mikhail Petrashevsky

(1821 - 1866)

Russian revolutionary Mikhail Petrashevsky also graduated from Tsarskoye Selo University - the organizer of the meetings of the "Petrashevists", who in 1849 were convicted of these very gatherings, despite the fact that although all its members were in some way "free-thinkers", they were heterogeneous in their views and only a few had ideas of a revolutionary nature.

In his youth, Fyodor Dostoevsky also attended meetings. It was then that a scandalous incident took place, which received the name "staged execution", when the convicts were given psychological pressure, having brought them to the scaffold, and held until the last minute, expecting that one of them would blur out the necessary information. At that time, the “convicted” had already been pardoned. It was a cute "joke" from Alexander II.

Petrashevsky himself, who kept at home literature on the history of revolutionary movements, utopian socialism, materialist philosophy, and also advocated the democratization of the political system of Russia and the liberation of the peasants with land, was exiled to an eternal settlement in Siberia.

Mikhail Petrashevsky once served as a translator at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Vladimir Volkhovsky

(1798 — 1841)

The future Major General Volkhovsky was a lyceum student of the first graduation. As often happened, for notable success in his studies, he was transferred from the Moscow University boarding school to the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, where he received the nickname "Sapientia" (wisdom) for the fact that he knew how to influence even the most stubborn and negligent classmates, and "Suvorochka" - diminutive of the name "Suvorov".

Volkhovsky was small in stature, but possessed a strong character and unbending will. At the end of the Lyceum, he was noticed in the organization "Sacred Artel" - which became the forerunner of the gathering of the Decembrists, and also participated in meetings with Ivan Pushchin and other members secret society... Later he was noted in the battles of the Russian-Turkish war and even was a consul in Egypt.

Volkhovsky was small in stature, but possessed a strong character and unbending will. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Nikolay Danilevsky

(1822 — 1885)

Russian sociologist, culturologist and founder of a civilized approach to history, graduated from the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum in 1843, passed his master's exam, and already in 1849 was arrested in the Petrashevsky case. An acquittal saved him from trial, but not from exile. Danilevsky was assigned to the office of the Vologda and then Samara governor.

It must be said that the authorities had grounds for suspicion of political unreliability: Danilevsky was fond of, like all "Petrashevists", the utopian socialist system of Fourier. However, fate turned out differently: Danilevsky did not lay his head on the chopping block, but went to investigate fishing along the Volga and the Caspian Sea, and then became famous by writing the historical and philosophical work "Russia and Europe".

Danilevsky was one of the first to pay attention to the signs of the decline and progress of civilization, and having collected extensive factual material, he proved the inevitable recurrence of social orders. A kind of idea of eternal return according to Nietzsche, but in its infancy. Along with Spengler, Danilevsky is considered the founder of the civilizational approach to history.

General information about the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum

Once upon a time in ancient Athens there was a legendary school founded by the philosopher Aristotle, called Lyceum or Lyceum. The Russian Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum is an elite educational institution that strived to be similar to the model 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 listed among the trustees of the educational institution.

"The establishment of the Lyceum aims to educate young people, especially those destined for important parts of the 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 outlined 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 are the qualities that the graduates of the new educational institution should have distinguished. It is no coincidence that in a new keynote speech addressed to the pupils on the day of the grand opening, the associate professor of moral and political sciences Alexander Petrovich Kunitsy spoke about the duties of a citizen and the war, about love for the Fatherland and duty to it. For the rest of their lives, the boys remembered the words: "Love for glory and fatherland should be your leaders."

The lyceum accepted children 10-12 years old, the number of pupils ranged from 30 (in 1811-17) to 100 (since 1832). During 6 years of study (two 3-year courses, from 1836 - 4 classes for a year and a half), the following sciences were studied at the Lyceum: moral (the law of God, ethics, logic, jurisprudence, political economy); verbal (Russian, Latin, French, German literature and languages, rhetoric); historical (Russian and general history, physical geography); physical and mathematical (mathematics, beginnings of physics and cosmography, mathematical geography, statistics); fine arts and gymnastics (calligraphy, painting, dancing, fencing, horse riding, swimming). An extensive program harmoniously combined the humanities and the exact sciences, gave encyclopedic knowledge. A large place was given to the "moral" sciences, under which, as the Lyceum charter stated, "... all those knowledge that relate to the moral position of a person in society and, therefore, the concept of the structure of civil societies, and of the rights and obligations arising from this are taken into account. ". The most important place in the training program was given to deep learning Russian history... The development of patriotic feelings was closely associated with the knowledge of the native country, its past, present and future.

The curriculum of the Lyceum has changed several times, but the humanitarian and legal basis has been preserved in it. Graduates received the rights of those who graduated from the university and civil ranks of the 14th - 9th grades. For those wishing to enroll in military service additional military training was carried out, and they were given the rights of graduates of the Corps of Pages.

The lyceum was a closed educational institution. The order of life 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. At seven o'clock classes began, which 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 they went for a walk, after which they repeated their lessons. We had dinner at two o'clock. After lunch - three hours of classes. In the sixth, a walk and gymnastic exercises. The pupils studied for a total of seven hours a day. The hours of classes alternated with rest and walks. The walks took place in any weather in the Tsarskoye Selo Gardens. The rest of the pupils is the practice of fine arts and gymnastic exercises. Among physical exercises at that time, swimming, horse riding, fencing, and skating in winter were especially popular. Subjects that contribute to aesthetic development - drawing, calligraphy, music, singing - are still in the secondary school curriculum.

In the first years of its existence (1811-1817), an atmosphere of enthusiasm for the 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 of the Enlightenment (Voltaire). This enthusiasm contributed to the unification of a number of young people in a creative literary and poetry circle, which determined the spirit of the educational institution (A.S. Pushkin, A.A. Delvig, V.K. K. Danzas, M. L. Yakovlev and many others). The circle published handwritten magazines "Lyceum sage", "Bulletin", "For pleasure and benefit", etc., among its members creative literary competitions were conducted, poetry of lyceum students Pushkin, Delvig, Kuchelbecker, etc., from 1814, famous magazines began to be printed ("Bulletin Europe "," Russian Museum "," Son of the Fatherland "). Lyceum students' poetry and their interest in literature were encouraged by the professor of Russian and Latin literature, comrade Zhukovsky N. F. Koshansky and his successor from 1814 A. I. Galich.

The pupils read a lot. "We did not study much in class, but a lot in reading and in conversation with constant friction of minds," Modest Korf recalled. The replenishment of 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, Alexei Illichevsky reflects on the benefits of reading: “Do newly published books reach our solitude? You ask me; can you doubt it? .. Never! Reading feeds soul, forms the mind, develops abilities ... ". Lyceum students knew their contemporaries - Russian writers and poets - not only from their works. Ilyichevsky's testimony from a letter to the same Fuss is interesting: "... until I entered the Lyceum, I did not see a single writer - but in the Lyceum I saw Dmitriev, Derzhavin, Zhukovsky, Batyushkov, Vasily Pushkin and Khvostov; I also forgot: Neledinsky, Kutuzov , Dashkova ". The porfessor of Russian and Latin literature Nikolai Fedorovich Koshansky considered the ability to write, compose as the basis of literary education, and approve of the poetry experiments of his pupils. Often in the classroom, he suggested writing poetry on a given topic. "As I see now that afternoon class of Koshansky," Ivan Pushchin later recalled, "when, having finished the lecture a little earlier than the appointed hour, the professor said:" Now, gentlemen, we will try feathers: please describe to me a rose in verse. "

The lyceum was located in Tsarskoe Selo in the 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's) Palace, a single architectural ensemble, unusual both in terms of its compositional structure and peculiar beauty. The building was built under Catherine II by the architect Ilya Neelov. The main facade of the building, facing the palace, has a portico of four columns of the Corinthian order; there is a decorative frieze above the windows of the third floor. The lyceum and church wings are connected by a narrow passage, the walls of which, cut at the bottom by arches, seem to let the street pass through. On the sides of the middle arch were niches for decorative statues, above which were placed round bas-reliefs made by the Tsarskoye Selo modeler Grigory Makarov. The eastern facade of the Lyceum with its front porch is the most spectacular. On this side, a three-span arch connecting the Lyceum building with the church building harmoniously closes the perspective of the canal embankment separating the Catherine Park from the city quarters. Through the arch you can see the turn of the street and the Aleksandrovsky Park. On the western side of the Lyceum, from under the arches, there is a view of the downhill street 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 decided to reorganize the Lyceum, establishing a restrictive regime for pupils in it, control over the selection of teachers and the direction of lectures. At the end of 1843, the Lyceum was reorganized into Aleksandrovsky 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 civilian part, 50 in the military, 2 in the naval. Many of them joined the ranks of the bureaucratic nobility of the Russian Empire, became ministers, diplomats, senators, members of the State Council (Prince Gorchakov, future Minister of Foreign Affairs, N. Korsakov and others). They preferred an official career scientific activity KS Veselovsky, Ya. K. Grot, N. Ya. Danilevsky and others. The Lyceum's historical glory was brought primarily by the graduates of 1817 - AA Delvig, the Decembrists VK Kyukhelbeker, II Pushchin. The great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin in the true sense made the Lyceum famous all over 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 of 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 March 1814) - a graduate of Moscow University, diplomat, writer, who led the institution from the moment of opening until 1814. Vasily Fedorovich was the author of one of the first projects of the abolition of serfdom (1802), was a supporter of the state reforms of M.M. Speransky. In the family of the director of the lyceum, the first-year students spent "leisure hours". At the end of March 1814 lyceum students attended the funeral of V.F. Malinovsky at the Okhta cemetery. In Pushkin's "Program of Autobiography", VF Malinovsky is also mentioned among the persons who influenced his upbringing of the future poet. Malinovsky was replaced by Fyodor Matveyevich von Hauenschild (1780 - 18 November 1830) - professor of German language and literature at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, an Austrian citizen who lived in Russia in 1809 - 1829. Thanks to the patronage of S.S. Uvarova 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 the director of the lyceum. Gauenschild, an educated man, quickly learned Russian and translated Karamzin's History from the manuscript into German. The third director was Yegor Antonovich Engelgardt (1775-1862), a teacher and administrator. In 1812 he was appointed director of the Pedagogical Institute, in this position he spent less than four years. From March 1816 - Director of the Lyceum. In October 1823 he retired.

Among the first teachers of the lyceum - Alexander Ivanovich Galich (1783 - 9IX.1848) - professor of Russian and Latin literature, later professor of St. Petersburg University (1819 - 1837); Ivan Kuzmich Kaidanov (2.II.1782 - 9.IX.1845) - Honored Professor of the History of the Tsarskoye 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 studies on ancient and general history; Alexander Petrovich Kunitsyn (1783 - 1 August 1840) - Adjunct Professor (1811 - 1816), teacher of moral and political sciences in 1814-1820. at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. He finished 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 over the Printing of the Complete Collection of Laws and was elected an honorary member of the university. In 1840 he was appointed director of the Department of Foreign Confessions.

The educational institution, which was created to train government officials, thanks to a wide training program, the all-round development of students, brought up Russian citizens who became famous in various areas of state and public life, science and culture. Perhaps the most striking characteristic of the Lyceum was its motto - "For the General Benefit".

Imperial Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum

Lyceum in 19th century drawings
Imperial Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum(since 1843 - Alexander Lyceum) - a higher educational institution in pre-revolutionary Russia, operating in Tsarskoe Selo from 1811 to 1843. In Russian history it is known, first of all, as the school that educated A.S. Pushkin and was praised by him.
The goals of the educational institution. Program
The Lyceum was founded by order of Emperor Alexander I in 1810. It was intended to educate noble children. According to the original plan, the younger brothers of Alexander I, Nikolai and Mikhail, were to be brought up in the Lyceum. The general offensive of reaction before the war of 1812, expressed, in particular, in the fall of Speransky, led to the fact that the original plans were abandoned. The program was developed by M.M.Speransky and is focused primarily on the training of state educated officials of the highest ranks. Children 10-12 years old were admitted to the Lyceum; the reception was carried out every three years. The Lyceum was opened on October 19 (31), 1811. Initially it was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Education, in 1822 it was reassigned to the military department.

The duration of training was initially six years (two three-year courses, from 1836 - four classes of one and a half years). During this time, the following disciplines were studied:

moral (the Law of God, ethics, logic, jurisprudence, political economy);
verbal (Russian, Latin, French, German literature and languages, rhetoric);
historical (Russian and general history, physical geography);
physical and mathematical (mathematics, beginnings of physics and cosmography, mathematical geography, statistics);
fine arts and gymnastics (calligraphy, painting, dancing, fencing, horse riding, swimming).

The curriculum of the Lyceum has changed several times, while maintaining a humanitarian and legal focus. Lyceum education was equated to university, graduates received civilian ranks of the 14th - 9th grades. For those wishing to enter the military service, additional military training was carried out, in this case, the graduates received the rights of those who graduated from the Corps of Pages. In 1814-1829, the Noble Pension operated at the Lyceum.

A distinctive feature of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was the prohibition of corporal punishment of pupils, enshrined in the Lyceum charter.

Lyceum in Tsarskoe Selo
Building

The educational institution was located in the building of the palace wing of the Catherine Palace. The wing was built in the 1790s by the architect Ilya Neelov (or Giacomo Quarenghi) for the grand duchesses, daughters of Emperor Paul I. In 1811, the building was significantly rebuilt by the architect V.P. Stasov and adapted to the needs of the educational institution. Consists of four floors. Each lyceum student had his own room - "cell", as Alexander Pushkin called it. In the room there is an iron bed, a chest of drawers, a desk, a mirror, a chair, and a table for washing.

Lyceum educators

The first director of the Lyceum was Vasily Fedorovich Malinovsky (1765-1814). After his death, Yegor Antonovich Engelhardt was appointed director. Among the first professors and teachers of the Lyceum, who had a direct impact on A. Pushkin and the generation of the Decembrists, were Alexander Petrovich Kunitsyn, 1782-1840, (moral and political sciences); Nikolai Fedorovich Koshansky, 1781-1831, (aesthetics, Russian and Latin literature); Yakov Ivanovich Kartsev, 1785-1836, (physical and mathematical sciences); Tepper de Ferguson, 1768 - after 1824, (music and choral singing) Alexander Ivanovich Galich, 1783-1848, (Russian literature); Fedor Bogdanovich Elsner, 1771-1832, (military sciences); David Ivanovich de Boudry, 1756-1821, (French literature); Sergey Gavrilovich Chirikov, 1776-1853, (fine arts), Evgeny Aleksandrovich Belov, 1826 - 1895 (history and geography).

Room number 14, where Pushkin lived

The first pupils

In 1811, the first pupils of the Lyceum were:

Bakunin, Alexander Pavlovich (1799-1862)

Broglio, Silver Frantsevich (1799 - between 1822 m and 1825 m)

Volkhovsky, Vladimir Dmitrievich (1798-1841)

Gorchakov, Alexander Mikhailovich (1798-1883)

Grevenits, Pavel Fedorovich (1798-1847)

Guriev, Konstantin Vasilievich (1800-1833), expelled from the Lyceum in 1813.

Danzas, Konstantin Karlovich (1801-1870)

Delvig, Anton Antonovich (1798-1831)

Esakov, Semyon Semyonovich (1798-1831)

Illichevsky, Alexey Demyanovich (1798-1837)

Komovsky, Sergei Dmitrievich (1798-1880)

Kornilov, Alexander Alekseevich (1801-1856)

Korsakov, Nikolay Alexandrovich (1800-1820)

Korf, Modest Andreevich (1800-1876)

Kostensky, Konstantin Dmitrievich (1797-1830)

Kuchelbecker, Wilhelm Karlovich (1797-1846)

Lomonosov, Sergei Grigorievich (1799-1857)

Malinovsky, Ivan Vasilievich (1796-1873)

Martynov, Arkady Ivanovich (1801-1850)

Maslov, Dmitry Nikolaevich (1799-1856)

Matyushkin, Fedor Fedorovich (1799-1872)

Myasoedov, Pavel Nikolaevich (1799-1868)

Pushkin, Alexander Sergeevich (1799-1837)

Pushchin, Ivan Ivanovich (1798-1859)

Rzhevsky, Nikolay Grigorievich (1800-1817)

Savrasov, Pyotr Fedorovich (1799-1830)

Steven, Fyodor Christianovich (1797-1851)

Tyrkov, Alexander Dmitrievich (1799-1843)

Yudin, Pavel Mikhailovich (1798-1852)

Yakovlev, Mikhail Lukyanovich (1798-1868)

"The establishment of the Lyceum has the goal of educating young people, especially those destined for important parts of the public service," - with these words began the Charter of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. However, the author of the project of the educational institution, Mikhail Mikhailovich Speransky, saw in the Lyceum not only a school for the preparation of educated officials. He wanted the Lyceum to educate people with new views, capable of implementing the outlined plans for transforming the Russian state: the beginning of the century encouraged the public to make bold plans for mass education, the abolition of serfdom, about the constitution ... Therefore, first of all, teachers were obliged to teach their pupils think independently and, secondly, develop their talents, which each graduate could use in the future for the good of Russia. "For the Common Benefit" - this motto, inscribed on the coat of arms of the Lyceum and on the graduation medals of lyceum students, once and for all determined their civic position and set life priorities.

HAPPY PRISONERS

Education at the Lyceum was designed for 6 years and consisted of two courses of 3 years each. The first course was called initial and included the grammatical study of languages (Russian, Latin, French and German), moral sciences (the law of God, philosophy and the foundations of logic), mathematical and physical sciences (arithmetic, geometry, trigonometry, algebra and physics), sciences historical (Russian history, foreign history, geography and chronology), the initial foundations of graceful letters (selected passages from the best writers and the rules of rhetoric), fine arts and gymnastic exercises (drawing, calligraphy, dancing, fencing, horseback riding, swimming).

The second course (final) covered the following sections: moral, physical, mathematical, historical, literature, fine arts and gymnastic exercises. Throughout the course, pupils were given an idea of civil architecture. Classes at the Lyceum began on August 1 and lasted until July 1, but also July, the only month of "vacations" (vacations), the lyceum students had to spend in Tsarskoe Selo. Like any prohibition, the prohibition to leave the territory of the Lyceum, caused the pupils to have the opposite effect - they jokingly called themselves prisoners and periodically dared to be AWOL.

Of fundamental importance was the recruitment of the Lyceum, where the best representatives of noble origin were admitted - physically healthy boys aged 10-12 years. As soon as the first students were gathered in one class, it became obvious: despite the fact that they all passed the entrance exams in Russian, French and German, arithmetic, physics, geography and history, the training levels of lyceum students differ significantly. Then the teachers wisely stepped back from the "educational race" and conducted classes so that none of the pupils lagged behind in their studies. They were even forbidden to dictate new material for school subjects until all lyceum students learned the lessons they had learned.

RIDDLE OF THE "LYCEAN SPIRIT"

Vasily Malinovsky - the first director of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, state councilor, a graduate of Moscow University, worked in the diplomatic field for many years, while simultaneously engaging in literary activities. An unusually erudite scientist of progressive views, a literary man who speaks and writes in many languages, a subtle and perceptive teacher, Malinovsky, in a very short period of his directorship, managed to create in the Lyceum a unique atmosphere of freedom, creativity, friendship, which was later called the "lyceum spirit." He paid special attention to the selection of professors who headed the departments - they were mostly young and energetic people, devoted to their work, who knew how to establish friendly, emotional contact with the lyceum students.

From the first year they were taught to live according to a schedule. A well-thought-out daily routine contributed to the accelerated development of lyceum students, who by the age of 16 - 18 became physically strong, hardened, hardworking, morally healthy people.

6 am - general rise, morning prayer, repetition of assignments

from 8 to 9 - lesson in class

from 10 to 11 - breakfast and a walk in the park

from 11 to 12 - the second lesson in classes

from 13 o'clock - lunch and a short break

14 hours - classes in calligraphy and drawing

from 15 to 17 - lessons in class.

after 5 pm - short rest, afternoon snack, walk, games and gymnastic exercises

from 20 to 22 - dinner, a walk in the park and repeating lessons

22 hours - evening prayer and sleep

LYCEUM TEACHERS

“The main rule is that pupils are never idle,” reads the “Resolution on the Lyceum”. In this regard, each professor considered it his duty and after school hours to engage the lyceum students with useful work. For example, the art teacher Sergei Gavrilovich Chirikov arranged literary meetings for pupils in his apartment. We are indebted to him for Pushkin's wonderful illustrations for our own poems. The teacher of "Russian literature" Nikolai Fedorovich Koshansky regularly gave poetic assignments to his students. As a result, handwritten literary magazines "Lyceum sage", "Inexperienced pen", "Bulletin" appeared in the lyceum environment. Yakov Ivanovich Kartsev, the founder of the Department of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, set up physical and mineralogical rooms at the Lyceum. At the same time, the lyceum authorities did not spare money for the purchase of the most modern scientific instruments for the physical office. A special machine for demonstrating the laws of magnetism and electricity cost the Lyceum a huge amount at that time of 1,750 rubles.

CHARACTERISTIC ON LYCEEIST

“Pushkin (Alexander), 13 years old. He has more brilliant than solid talents, more ardent and subtle than a deep mind. His diligence in teaching is mediocre, for diligence has not yet become his virtue. Having read many French books, but without a choice due to his age, he filled his memory with many successful passages of famous authors; quite well-read in Russian literature, knows a lot of fables and rhymes. His knowledge is generally superficial, although he is beginning to get used to some thorough thinking. Self-love together with ambition, which sometimes makes him shy, sensitivity with a heart, hot impulses of irascibility, frivolity and a particular talkativeness with wit are characteristic of him. Meanwhile, good-naturedness is also noticeable in him, knowing his weaknesses, he willingly accepts advice with some success. His talkativeness and wit took on a new and better form with a happy change in the way of his thoughts, but in his character there is generally little constancy and firmness. "

Lyceum Director V. Malinovsky

PUSHKINSKIY ISSUE

In 1817, the first graduation of the pupils of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum to the public service took place - the most famous and unique. It is famous for the names of the Chancellor of the Russian Empire Alexander Gorchakov, the navigator Fyodor Matyushkin, the Decembrists Ivan Pushchin, Wilhelm Kuchelbecker, Vladimir Volkhovsky, the poet Anton Delvig, the composer Mikhail Yakovlev and, of course, Alexander Pushkin. In total, during the existence of the Lyceum in Tsarskoe Selo (1811-1844), he gave 12 members of the State Council, 19 senators, 3 honorary guardians, 5 diplomats, more than 13 district and provincial leaders of the nobility, as well as numerous scientists and artists.

An unheard of pedagogical innovation for those times was the abolition of any corporal punishment in the Lyceum and the complete equality of pupils. Other types of penalties were in use: putting a name on a black board, a special table in the classroom for the offender, solitary confinement in a punishment cell. In future statesmen, they tried to develop self-esteem and respect for the personality of another person. They were taught that no one can despise others or be proud of anyone else, that teachers and governors should always tell the truth, it was forbidden to shout at uncles and scold them. The lyceum students did not feel any material oppression either: each pupil had a separate room, in it there was a class table (desk), a chest of drawers and an iron bed, polished with copper ornaments, covered with canvas.

In the first years of study, grades were not given at the Lyceum. Instead, the professors regularly compiled characteristics in which they analyzed the natural inclinations of the student, his behavior, diligence, and success. It was believed that a detailed characteristic helped the work with the student better than a single-digit grade.

Its library was of great importance in the life of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. Unrelenting attention was paid to the religious education of young men. In addition to planned studies according to the law of God, the pupils read the Bible on their own. On Sundays and holidays, lyceum students attended services. All the students attended spiritual singing classes and studied it with great diligence.

In 1816, the training of young men in horseback riding began, in 1817, swimming classes, no less popular among lyceum students, were introduced. The place for exercise was a large bath in the royal garden. After swimming, medical control was carried out. The pupils of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum were supposed to be excellent at balls in a secular society, so the famous dance teachers Guard and Eberhardt were invited to them.

The Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, indeed, became a progressive and outstanding educational institution for its time. Many innovations mastered by the teachers of that era are still successfully applied in modern practice. The noble motto "For the Common Benefit", which united the best young men of the beginning of the century, became the basis for educating people with a state mind, who care for the well-being of their country and people.

10 most famous students of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum

Alexander Pushkin

(1799 - 1837)

It must be said that if Pushkin's father had not shown parental consciousness, the future great poet would have studied at the Jesuit Collegium in St. Petersburg. However, upon learning that Alexander I intended to open an educational institution in Tsarskoye Selo, the father immediately decided that his son should go there and nowhere else.

Alexander Gorchakov

(1798 — 1883) )

The last chancellor of the Russian Empire, Alexander Mikhailovich Gorchakov, was distinguished from his youthful years with the talents necessary for a brilliant diplomat. His idol was Count Ioann Kapodistrias, "the manager of Asian affairs" of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1815-1822.

“I would like to serve under his command,” Gorchakov said.

Ivan Pushchin

(1798-1859 )

Modest Korf

(1800 —1876)

"Sexton Mordan" - this is how the son of Baron Korf was nicknamed in the Lyceum.

Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin

(1826 — 1889)

When the future writer studied at the Lyceum, he was notable, first of all, for his gloomy appearance.

(1822 — 1862)

Fedor Matyushkin

(1799 — 1872)

Mikhail Petrashevsky

(1821 - 1866)

In his youth, Fyodor Dostoevsky also attended meetings. It was then that a scandalous incident, called the "staging of the execution", took place, when the convicts were subjected to psychological pressure, bringing them to the scaffold, and held until the last minute, expecting that one of them would blur out the necessary information. At that time, the “convicted” had already been pardoned. It was a cute "joke" from Alexander II.

Vladimir Volkhovsky

(1798 — 1841)

Volkhovsky was small in stature, but possessed a strong character and unbending will. After graduating from the Lyceum, he was noticed in the organization "Sacred Artel" - which became the forerunner of the gathering of the Decembrists, and also participated in meetings with Ivan Pushchin and other members of the secret society. Later he was noted in the battles of the Russian-Turkish war and even was a consul in Egypt.

Nikolay Danilevsky

(1822 — 1885)

culture art society society

The Tsarskoye Selo Imperial Lyceum became the most legendary educational institution in Russia immediately after its establishment. The initiator of its appearance was the Emperor Alexander I, a brilliant teaching staff and a talented director, with their pedagogical and personal talents, brought to light several generations of Russian thinkers, poets, artists, and military men. Lyceum graduates made up the Russian elite not so much by origin as by their implementation of the principles of selfless service to the Fatherland in any field.

Base

The Tsarskoye Selo Imperial Lyceum was opened during the reign of Alexander I, and more specifically, the decree on its foundation was signed by the highest permission in August 1810. The founding of a higher educational institution fell on the "liberal years" of the sovereign's reign. The Lyceum was supposed to become the first example of an educational institution with a European approach to education, nurtured on Russian soil.

The Tsarskoye Selo Imperial Lyceum, from other higher schools, was distinguished by the absence of physical punishment, a friendly attitude between teachers and students, a rich curriculum designed to form personal views, and much more. It was planned that the grand dukes, the younger brothers of the ruling tsar, Nikolai and Mikhail, would study at the lyceum, but later it was decided to give them a traditional home education.

Living conditions

A four-story new building was provided for the Lyceum - the wing of the Tsarskoye Selo Palace. The premises on the first floor were intended for the medical unit and administration. On the second floor, there were classrooms for the junior year, the third was given to senior students, and the uppermost, fourth floor, was occupied by bedrooms. The personal bedchambers had a modest, almost Spartan setting, furnishing consisted of a wrought-iron bed covered with canvas, an office table for study, a chest of drawers, and a table for washing.

A two-story gallery was allocated for the library, which was located above the arch. The ceremonial hall for celebrations was on the third floor. The services, the church and the director's apartment were located in a separate building next to the palace.

Learning idea

The concept and curriculum was developed by an influential courtier, adviser to Alexander I in the first half of his reign. The main task was to educate civil servants and military personnel of the new formation from the children of the nobility. Speransky's idea was to Europeanize Russia, and this required officials with a different mindset, with internal freedom and an appropriate level of humanitarian education.

The selection of lyceum students was very strict, boys from noble families aged 10 to 12 years old were admitted, who had to successfully pass the entrance exams, confirming a sufficient level of knowledge in three languages (Russian, German, French), history, geography, mathematics and physics. The full course consisted of six years of study, divided into two stages, each of which was given three years.

Humanities and military

The main direction of education is humanitarian, which made it possible to educate in the student the ability for further independent learning, logic and comprehensively develop the talents inherent in the child. For six years, teaching was conducted in the following main subjects:

Study of the native and foreign languages(Russian, Latin, French, German).
Moral sciences, the law of God, philosophy).
Exact sciences (arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry, geometry, physics).
Humanities (Russian and foreign history, chronology, geography).
Fundamentals of graceful writing (rhetoric and its rules, works of great writers).
Art (fine art, dancing).
Physical education (gymnastics, swimming, fencing, horse riding).

In the first year, students mastered the basics, and in the second, they moved from the basics to in-depth mastering of all subjects. In addition, throughout the training, much attention was paid to civil architecture and sports. Those who chose military affairs were additionally read hours on the history of wars, fortifications and other specialized disciplines.

The entire educational and educational process took place under the vigilant supervision of the director. The teaching staff consisted of seven professors, a priest who taught the law of God, six teachers of fine arts and gymnastics, two adjuncts, three overseers and a tutor supervised the discipline.

The first set of students was carried out under the supervision of the emperor himself, out of 38 people who submitted documents and passed the competition, only 30 students were admitted to the lyceum in Tsarskoe Selo, the list was approved by the royal hand. Alexander I carried out the patronage of the educational institution, and Count Razumovsky A.K. was appointed head of the lyceum with the rank of commander-in-chief. According to his position, the count was supposed to be present at all exams, which he did with pleasure, knowing all the students by sight and by name.

Principles

The tasks of the director of the lyceum were comprehensive, this position was entrusted to V.F. Malinovsky, who was educated at Moscow University. According to the charter of the institution, the director was obliged to live on the territory of the lyceum around the clock and pay attention to the students and the whole process tirelessly, he was personally responsible for the students, for the level of teaching and the general state of the lyceum's life.

The Tsarskoye Selo Imperial Lyceum was staffed by the best teachers of their time, everyone had higher education, scientific degrees, loved their work and the younger generation. Teachers were free to choose the methods of presenting knowledge, one principle had to be strictly observed - there should not be any idle pastime among lyceum students.

Daily Schedule

The usual school day was built on a strict schedule:

The morning began at six o'clock, time was allocated for hygiene procedures, gatherings, and prayers.
The first lessons in classes started from seven to nine in the morning.
The next hour (9: 00-10: 00) the students could devote to a walk and a snack (tea with a bun, breakfast was not supposed).
The second lesson started at 10:00 and lasted until 12:00, after which there was an outdoor walk on the schedule for an hour.
Lunch was served at 13:00.
In the afternoon, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm, students were engaged in fine arts.
From 15:00 to 17:00 classes followed in the classroom.
At 17:00 the children were offered tea, followed by a walk until 18:00.
From six o'clock until half past nine in the evening, the students were engaged in repetition of the passed material, were engaged in auxiliary classes.
Dinner was served at 20:30, followed by free time for relaxation.
At 22:00 it was time for prayer and sleep. Every Saturday, the students went to the bathhouse.

The Lyceum in Tsarskoe Selo differed from other educational institutions also in that it was obligatory for the teacher to achieve knowledge and understanding of his subject from each student. Until the material was mastered by all students in the class, the teacher could not start a new topic. In order to achieve efficiency, additional classes were introduced for lagging students, new teaching approaches were sought. The lyceum had its own system of control over the level of acquired and acquired knowledge, each lyceum student wrote reports, answered oral control questions.

Often the teacher thought it good to leave the student alone in his subject, Pushkin was not forced to thoroughly know mathematics, Professor Kartsov said: “With you, Pushkin, everything ends in zero in my class. Sit down in your seat and write poetry. "

Lyceum life

The lyceum in Tsarskoe Selo was endowed with another feature - complete closeness, the lyceum students did not leave the walls of the educational institution throughout the entire academic year. There was also a uniform for everyone. It consisted of a dark blue caftan, a stand-up collar and a cuff of sleeves, which were red, and it was fastened with gilded buttons. To distinguish senior and junior courses, buttonholes were introduced, for the senior course they were sewn with gold, for the junior with silver.

In the Lyceum, where Pushkin studied, much attention was paid to education. The disciples were respectful not only to people of their class, but also to servants, serfs. Human dignity does not depend on origin, it was instilled in every student. For the same reason, the children practically did not communicate with their relatives - everyone was the heirs of serfs and at home they could often see a completely different attitude towards dependent people; in the noble environment, neglect of serfs was a common thing.

Brotherhood and honor

Despite the fact that the lyceum students had a tight schedule of studies and classes, in their memoirs, everyone admitted a sufficient amount of freedom. Students lived according to a certain set of laws, the charter of the institution was posted in the corridor of the fourth floor. One of the points argued that the community of students is one family, and therefore there is no place for swagger, bragging and contempt in their midst. Children came to the Lyceum from an early age, and it became a home for them, and comrades and teachers a real family. The atmosphere at the Imperial Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was friendly and close-knit.

For lyceum students, a system of rewards and punishments was developed that excluded physical violence. Guilty mischievous people were put in a punishment cell for three days, where the director personally came to conduct a conversation, but this was an extreme measure. For other reasons, more gentle methods were chosen - deprivation of lunch for two days, at which time the student received only bread and water.

The lyceum fraternity sometimes independently passed a verdict on the behavior of its members, those who retreated from honor and trampled on their dignity. Pupils could declare a boycott of a comrade, leaving him in complete isolation, unable to communicate. The unwritten laws were observed no less sacredly than the statutes of the lyceum.

First edition

The first pupils of the Tsarskoye Selo Imperial Lyceum left the educational institution in 1817. Almost all received positions in the state apparatus, according to the results of exams, many entered the service in high ranks, many lyceum students chose military service, equated in status to the Corps of Pages. Among them were people who became the pride of Russian history and culture. The poet Pushkin A.S. brought great fame to the lyceum, no one before him treated his school and teachers with such warmth and trepidation. He dedicated many works to the Tsarskoye Selo period.

Almost all students in the first class became the pride of the country and glorified the Tsarskoye Selo Imperial Lyceum. Famous alumni such as: Küchelbeher V.K. (poet, public figure, Decembrist), Gorchakov A.M. (outstanding diplomat, head of the foreign policy department under Tsar Alexander II), Delvig A. A (poet, publisher), Matyushkin F F. (polar explorer, admiral of the fleet) and others, have contributed to history, culture, and the development of the arts.

Lyceum student Pushkin

It is impossible to overestimate the influence of Pushkin on Russian literature; his genius was revealed and brought up within the walls of the lyceum. According to the recollections of classmates, the poet had three nicknames - French (a tribute to his excellent knowledge of the language), Cricket (the poet was a lively and talkative child) and Monkey and Tiger Mix (for his ardent disposition and a tendency to quarrels). In the Lyceum, where Pushkin studied, exams were held every six months, it was thanks to them that the talent was noticed and recognized even in school years. The poet published his first work in the journal Vestnik Evropy, being a lyceum student, in 1814.

The situation at the Imperial Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was such that the student could not fail to feel his vocation. The entire educational process was aimed at identifying and developing talents, teachers contributed to this. In his memoirs, in 1830, A.S. Pushkin notes: "... I began to write at the age of 13 and to print almost from the same time."

In the corners of the Lyceum passages,

Muse began to appear to me.

My student cell

Hitherto alien to fun

Suddenly lit up - the Muse is in her

She opened a feast of her ventures;

Sorry, cold sciences!

Sorry, early years games!

I have changed, I am a poet ...

The first known public appearance of Pushkin occurred during the exam during the transition from the elementary course to the senior, final course of study. The public exams were attended by eminent people, including the poet Derzhavin. The poem "Memories of Tsarskoe Selo", read by a fifteen-year-old student, made a huge impression on the guests present. They immediately began to predict a great future for Pushkin. His works were highly valued by the luminaries of Russian poetry, his contemporaries - Zhukovsky, Batyushkov, Karamzin and others.

Alexander Lyceum

After the accession to the throne of Nicholas I, the Lyceum was transferred to St. Petersburg. Tsarskoe Selo was a haven for lyceum students from 1811 to 1843. The educational institution moved to Kamenoostrovsky Prospect, where the premises of the former Alexandrinsky Orphanage were allocated for students. In addition, the institution was renamed Imperial in honor of its creator.

Traditions and the spirit of brotherhood settled in the new building, no matter how hard Nicholas I tried to fight this phenomenon. The history of the Tsarskoye Selo Imperial Lyceum continued in a new place and lasted until 1918. Consistency was marked by the observance of the unwritten rules, the current charter, as well as the coat of arms and motto - "For the common good." Paying tribute to its famous graduates, in 1879 on October 19, the first museum of A.S. Pushkin.

But with the justification for the new location, some changes were introduced. According to the new curriculum, students began to be admitted and graduated annually, military disciplines were completely abolished, and the list of the humanities expanded. New departments - agriculture, civil architecture - have responded to the times and the changed environment.

After the 17th year

In 1917, the last graduation of students took place. Until 1918, classes continued with long interruptions, the Alexander Lyceum was closed in May of the same year. The famous library was partially sent to Sverdlovsk, most of it was distributed among libraries, lost or found refuge in private hands. They managed to save about two thousand volumes from the general collection of books, and localize them in the collection of the State Literary Museum in 1938. The collection, which came to the Sverdlovsk Library in 1970, was transferred to the fund of the Pushkin Museum.

The building of the Alexander Lyceum was used for various purposes. In 1917, it housed the headquarters of the Red Army and other organizations. Before the Great Patriotic War and after that there was a school in the premises, then the building was given to the SSTU. The building now houses the College of Management and Economics.

A terrible fate befell many lyceum students and teachers of the Alexander Lyceum. In 1925, a case was fabricated, in which, among others. the last director of the lyceum, Shilder V. A, and Prime Minister Golitsyn ND were accused of creating a counter-revolutionary organization. All those accused of conspiracy to restore the monarchy, and there were 26 of them, were shot. So sadly ended the story of the Imperial Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. Pushkin was his singer and genius, the rest of the lyceum students were history and pride.

Modern pedagogy is increasingly inclined to believe that the ideas laid down by Speransky are the best education option for the younger generation, which will be useful today.

Once on the outskirts of Athens, near the temple of Apollo of Lycea, there was a school founded by the great philosopher of the past, Aristotle. It was called Lyceum or Lyceum. On October 19, 1811, an educational institution under the same name was opened in Tsarskoe Selo, near St. Petersburg. And, probably, its creators hoped that the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum would in some way become the successor of the famous school of antiquity, which here, in Tsarskoye Selo, was reminiscent of the beautiful park architecture. However, she spoke not only about the world of eternal art. The parks kept the memory of the glorious pages of Russian history - the battles of Peter the Great, the victory of Russian arms at Cahul, Chesma, Morey.

The history of the institution of the Lyceum

“The establishment of the lyceum has the goal of educating young people, especially those destined for important parts of the public service,” read the first paragraph of the lyceum charter. The author of the project of creating 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 outlined 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 are the qualities that the graduates of the new educational institution should have distinguished. It is no coincidence that in a new keynote speech addressed to the pupils on the day of the grand opening, the 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 him. For the rest of their lives, the boys remembered the words: "Love for glory and the Fatherland should be your leaders."

According to the charter, children of noblemen 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. For the first, Pushkin course, 30 students were admitted. The training lasted six years and was equal to the university one. The first three years - the so-called elementary course - studied the subjects of the upper grades of the gymnasium. For the next three years - the final course - contained the main subjects of the three faculties of the university: verbal, moral and political, and physics and mathematics. An extensive program harmoniously combined the humanities and the exact sciences, gave encyclopedic knowledge. A large place was given to the "moral" sciences, under which, as the Lyceum charter stated, "... all those knowledge that relate to the moral position of a person in society, and, therefore, the concept of the structure of civil societies, and of rights and obligations, are taken into account, from here arising. "

Traditions of education in lyceums

One of the main tasks of lyceum education is to develop mental abilities, to teach pupils to think independently. "The basic rule of good methods or method of teaching, - emphasized in the Lyceum charter, - is not to obscure the mind of children with lengthy explanations, but to excite its own action." The most important place in the curriculum was given to a deep study of Russian history. The development of patriotic feelings was closely associated with the knowledge of the native country, its past, present and future.

Much attention was paid to the study of the life stories of great people - it was believed that historical examples would help the self-education of the individual, teach great service to the Fatherland. When drawing up the curriculum, the age characteristics of the pupils were taken into account. 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 to each other in any foreign language.

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 they went for a walk, after which they repeated their lessons. We had dinner at two o'clock. After lunch - three hours of classes. In the sixth, a walk and gymnastic exercises.

The pupils studied for a total of seven hours a day. The hours of classes alternated with rest and walks. The walks took place in any weather in the Tsarskoye Selo Gardens. The rest of the pupils is the practice of fine arts and gymnastic exercises. Among physical exercises at that time, swimming, horse riding, fencing, and skating in winter were especially popular. Subjects that contribute to aesthetic development - drawing, calligraphy, music, singing - are still in the secondary school curriculum.

In future statesmen, they tried to develop self-esteem and respect for the personality of another person. They were taught that “all pupils are equal ... and therefore no one can despise others or be proud of others, whatever”; that teachers and tutors should always tell the truth, "for lying to a boss means not respecting him." It was forbidden to shout at uncles or scold them. There was no corporal punishment and no government drill in the lyceum. Each pupil had a separate room. In the first years of study, grades were not given in the lyceum. Instead, the professors regularly compiled characteristics in which they analyzed the natural inclinations of the student, his behavior, diligence, and success. It was believed that a detailed description helped the work with the student better than an unambiguous assessment.

The pupils of the lyceum have never been idle. Here everything was aimed at the development of mental interests, any desire for knowledge was encouraged. So, for example, Alexey Illichevsky collected materials for the biographies of the great people of Russia, and Wilhelm Kuchelbecker compiled a dictionary containing extracts from the works of writers-philosophers close to him in spirit.

The pupils read a lot. “We did not study much in class, but a lot in reading and in conversation with incessant friction of minds,” Modest Korf recalled. The replenishment of 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, Alexei Illichevsky reflects on the benefits of reading: “Do newly published books reach our solitude? - you ask me. Can you doubt it? .. Never! Reading nourishes the soul, forms the mind, develops abilities ... "

Lyceum students knew their contemporaries - Russian writers and poets - not only from their works. Ilyichevsky's testimony from a letter to the same 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. " The professor of Russian and Latin literature Nikolai Fedorovich Koshansky considered the ability to write and compose to be the basis of literary education, and he approved of the poetic experiments of his pupils with approval. Often in the classroom, he suggested writing poetry on a given topic. “As I see now that afternoon class of Koshansky,” Ivan Pushchin later recalled, “when, having finished the lecture a little earlier than the appointed hour, the professor said:“ Now, gentlemen, we will try feathers: please describe to me a rose in verse. ”

One of the favorite activities of lyceum students is meetings at which everyone was obliged to tell something - fictional or read. Gradually, the supply of poems, stories, epigrams increased, and they were written down. Handwritten journals were created, and lyceum poets grew up, amicably 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 more humane and noble motto than the one chosen by the Lyceum students of the Pushkin course - "For the Common Benefit." The director of the lyceum - Vasily Fedorovich Malinovsky and Yegor Antonovich Engelgardt, 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 at different times studied: the outstanding satirist M.E.Saltykov-Shchedrin, the poet L.A. May, the organizer of the society of utopian socialists M.V. "Dictionary of the Russian language" Academician Y. K. Grot. And yet, the Lyceum owes its glory primarily to its first-borns, the graduation, which went down in national history by the names of the poet A.S. Pushkin, poet, journalist A.A. Delvig, an active participant in the uprising on December 14, 1825 on Senate Square courageous, staunch Decembrists I.I. Pushchin, poet, Decembrist V.K.Kyukhelbeker, navigator Rear Admiral F.F. M. Gorchakova.