Gymnasium of the Imperial Humanitarian Society

In 1817, the Council of the Imperial Philanthropic Society decided to open the "House of education and charity of the poor" for poor boys, especially orphans, and for disabled men and the elderly without distinction of ranks and confessions.

Two years later, such a combination was found to be inconvenient, and this charitable institution was transformed into an educational primary institution called the “Parenting of Poor Children” with the goal of “giving charity and education to enter the civil service, to clerical and counting positions and clerical studies: accounting in factories, factories and in the homes of the Russian merchants ”, therefore, it was supposed to prepare small clerks, or - as they were called then -“ strekulistov ”. The Regulation, which was highly approved on November 19 of the same year, indicated the good goal of the school being established: “To save helpless children from their idle life threatening them and corrupting morals, forming from them Christians who are pleasing to God and citizens who are useful to the Fatherland.”

For the House of upbringing in 1817, they bought a stone three-story building on the Kryukov Canal near the Kashin Bridge for 100 thousand rubles from the actual state adviser Daniil Masalsky , director of the School of Naval Architecture . The well-known Petersburg architect V.P. Stasov was engaged in its restructuring and adaptation. He decorated the main facade with pilasters , built a residential outbuilding in the courtyard. The construction of the outbuilding, services and the initial House of Education cost about 100,500 rubles in bank notes.

The initial staff of the officials of the "House of Education" consisted of a director, two of his assistants and an economist . These individuals made up the Board. On April 10, 1819, State Councilor Ivan Andreevich Petrov, chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Poor of the Imperial Philanthropic Society, was appointed the first director of the House of Parenting.

In February 1820, 100 boys from 6 to 10 years of different nationalities, classes and faiths were accepted for full support. These were poor children, orphans and half orphans. They were distributed by age in 2 classes. The curriculum was designed for four years - two years in each class.

On March 10 (23), 1820, at one o'clock in the afternoon, the grand opening of the House of Education took place. Since March 20 of the same year, the teaching part was assigned to three visiting teachers (for hire). Moral education and home supervision of the pupils was entrusted to the assistant director Martyn Pilecki-Urbanovich , a former tutor of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum .

In the lower class it was supposed to teach Russian grammar, the first four rules of arithmetic and calligraphy; in the upper class, to continue the course of grammar, improving students in knowledge of arithmetic and most trying to achieve a clean and beautiful handwriting. The establishment of the program according to the Law of God and Sacred History in both classes was provided to the law teacher. Pupils studied for 8 hours a day, 4 two-hour lessons. Every month, in the presence of the director, his assistant and the founders tested the pupils, and at the end of the school year a one-year exam.

In 1822, the initial education plan was revised - another class was added (this project was highly approved on March 26, 1822), as a result of which the training course based on the district schools program became six years old. The top 30 graduates could continue their education at the state expense in the Provincial Gymnasium (later the Third Gymnasium). The rest, after annual exams, were assigned to the civil service or given to study different crafts.

On December 11, 1824, director I. A. Petrov passed away, and at the end of that month the first graduation of the school took place.

In 1838, the institution received a new charter, according to which the study of mathematics and law was strengthened, that is, jurisprudence necessary for clerks. At the same time, the school was granted "the rights and advantages of educational institutions of the Ministry of Education." Three years later, a preparatory two-year class opened - it was admitted to it from eight years old. In fact, a gymnasium course was introduced.

In 1847, the House of Education was officially equated with lower educational institutions, which made capable graduates lost the opportunity to study further. Then they began to accept paid boarders more and more, their number after some time reached 200 people, because of which two new outbuildings had to be built.

The discipline was strictly monitored by room warders - “uncles”, according to an official document, “people are gentle, well-meaning and thorough.” These were mostly retired non-commissioned officers . In the mid-19th century, they were replaced by educators with pedagogical training who graduated from the university. The number of these ranged from 4 to 10 people.

The students were divided into staff members supported by the Imperial Philanthropic Society (300 rubles per year per student), boarders, for whom various departments and benefactors paid, and those who were paid for by their parents. If the incoming student was poor, then IChO allocated 50-55 rubles annually, issued free textbooks, clothes and shoes, and paid 3-5 rubles for food. per month. On the day, the food went first - 7, later - 10 kopecks.

In 1858, Metropolitan Grigory (Postnikov) , St. Petersburg’s chief trustee, consecrated a house church in the name of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Konstantin and Elena on the top floor of the right wing, specially built for it according to the project of N. V. Trusov with the money of the capital’s merchant Ivan Artemievich Efimov . It accommodated up to a thousand people and was connected to the main building by an arched opening. Before that, students prayed in St. Nicholas Cathedral . The rector of the church and at the same time the law teacher was John Polisadov . Soon the temple gained great fame thanks to his sermons. Generous donations began to come to the poor church before, and thousands of crowds gathered at the famous sermons of Father Polisadov, distinguished by extraordinary simple and clarity of thought, and at the same time warmth and vitality.

On August 1, 1864, Peter M. Zeidler was appointed director. By that time, the number of full-time students gradually decreased to 40 people and the number of boarders fell to the same figure. There were 20 people of their own , that is, coming. The new director is vigorously embarking on a transformation of "Home Parenting." In the same year, he submitted a corresponding project, according to which legal and clerical subjects were removed from the course, general education was expanded, physics , pedagogy , singing and gymnastics were introduced. The goal of these transformations was to prepare students for university entrance.

In 1868, the school was transformed into a secondary educational institution , and four years later it acquired the status of a gymnasium with all its features, including the teaching of classical languages ​​and an eight-year course of study. According to the charter of August 31, 1873, regular orphans “accept orphans and half-orphans of the poorest nobles, civil and military officials, and clergy and generally privileged classes, mainly from residents of St. Petersburg.” Class restrictions did not apply to high - school students, but upon admission they passed the oral and written exams.

Zeidler attracted young teachers with higher education to the work and started “reading conversations”, where the director, teachers and educators read, and then discussed works of Russian literature with students. The curriculum was supplemented by secular singing and music. Medical examinations became monthly, regular brushing was instituted. The director introduced a new form for students: smart blue jackets with silver buttons, in the classrooms - black blouses with a sash.

Art education was given great attention. A teacher from the St. Petersburg Conservatory taught those who wish to play the piano. In 1897-1904, Iosif Feliksovich Kshesinsky , the dancer of the Imperial theaters, the brother of the famous ballerina, gave free dance lessons. Singing in 1867-1895 was taught by another artist of these theaters F.P. Ivanov. The case was so well done that some students could perform opera arias. There was also a church choir, which sang during services in the home church of the gymnasium.

Since 1909, the annual exhibition “Leisure of students” was held at the gymnasium, where drawings, modeling, carving and other crafts were shown, as well as children's collections of stamps, butterflies, etc. For example, 50 students participated in the 1914 exhibition, 250 subjects were exhibited. There were: small brass and string orchestras, a balalaika ensemble under the direction of Apolinsky. They played at musical evenings. In 1915, the narrator of epics Vinogradov spoke at one evening, and the kobzar at the other.

In 1914, the class composition of 344 gymnasium students was as follows: the children of the nobility - 152, the clergy - 17, the merchants - 43, the philistines - 49, the peasants - 70, so the gymnasium remained omnipotent. At the same time, only 5% of the pupils were non-Orthodox, these are 8 Catholics, 6 Lutherans, 3 Jews. The law of God was taught to them by invited priests , a pastor and a rabbi .

After the outbreak of World War I, senior students began to give lectures on dressing and transporting the wounded, and introduced shooting training. Mothers of students sewed linen for soldiers; by Christmas and Easter in the gymnasium they were collecting gifts for front-line soldiers of the 2nd separate battalion of the Guards crew located in the neighborhood. In September 1914, an infirmary for 18 wounded was opened in one of the premises, which was financed by the ICHO and the Red Cross.

In 1917, the boarding school at the gymnasium was closed, and the boarders - "at the expense of boarding scholarships" - were dispatched to other gymnasiums, including in the province. On September 15 (28), 1917, the last one-year act took place with the distribution of medals and awards.

On September 1, 1918, the gymnasium was called the 33rd Soviet Labor School, and two years later it was combined with two other Petrograd schools. Since 2003, the school number 232 of the Admiralteysky district has been located in the building.

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