Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. Historical reference. The most famous students of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum He studied at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum

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, the young grand dukes, the emperor’s brothers, Nicholas and Mikhail, could receive a comprehensive education. 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.

The concept of a unique educational institution was developed in 1808 with the direct participation of M. M. Speransky, and therefore it proposed a new model not only of the educational process, but was also intended to form a new type of personality corresponding to the high ideals of Russian culture of the early 19th 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 given a 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 "

Lyceum. (wikipedia.org)

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. The first entrance exams were held in three stages, and 36 out of 50 applicants for the high rank of future lyceum students were admitted to them. 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 in 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, a close friend of Pushkin, was 16. It is worth noting that before entering the Lyceum, children were trained in a variety of formats : in boarding schools (in particular, at Moscow University), gymnasiums (for example, St. Petersburg was famous) or home education.

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 other 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 disciples went to evening prayer, after which they went to bed.

Room No. 14, where Pushkin lived. (wikipedia.org)

Considering that the purpose of creating the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was to educate future statesmen, the implementation of such an important task was entrusted to a large, according to our modern understanding, 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, a famous Russian diplomat and publicist, preached exceptional principles of humanism and enlightenment. In creating a unique concept of education, he paid special 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 of monarchical rule, although he proposed measures that could, with the help of certain constitutional articles, limit absolutist tyranny in Russia, speaking of the need to subordinate power to laws, which in turn should be an expression of the general will of the people.

Contemporary photography of the Lyceum. (wikipedia.org)

The most famous graduate of 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 there was a “ban on writing” at the Lyceum; it was something like a “forbidden fruit” for the students. 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, wrote logically in his reports about Pushkin’s successes: “Good successes. 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 the leading people of the era in the educational field.” Kunitsyn, Kaidanov and Kartsev graduated from the 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 of that time. It was considered important that teachers working with gifted students create programs, teaching aids, and also engage in scientific research. Thus, Professor Koshansky, who before the Lyceum taught at the Moscow University Noble Boarding School and had a doctorate in philosophy and liberal arts, 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 a Latin grammar, translated and printed the huge “Hand Book of Ancient Classical Literature”, the fables of Phaedrus, the works of Cornelius Nepos - all of this was used by lyceum students in the learning process.

Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, a higher privileged closed educational institution in pre-revolutionary Russia for children of nobles; was intended to train mainly senior government officials. Founded in 1810 in Tsarskoye Selo (now the city of Pushkin, Leningrad region); opened on October 19, 1811. It was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Education, and from 1882 - the military department. 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 1 ½ 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, physical geography); 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 lyceum's curriculum was changed several times, but it retained its humanitarian and legal basis. Graduates received the rights of university graduates and civil ranks of the 14th - 9th grades. For those wishing to enter military service, additional military training was provided, and they were given the rights of graduates of the Corps of Pages...

In the first years of its existence (1811-1817), the Lyceum created an atmosphere of passion for new Russian literature, represented by the names of N. M. Karamzin, V. A. Zhukovsky, K. N. Batyushkov, and French literature of the 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"). The poetic creativity of 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.

... After 1825, the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum strengthened the restrictive regime for students, control over the selection of teachers and the direction of lectures. At the end of 1843, the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was reorganized into the Alexandrovsky Lyceum and in January 1844 it was transferred to St. Petersburg. The new lyceum was transferred to the jurisdiction of the 4th department of His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery, from the end of the 19th century. — Departments of the institutions of Empress Maria. Closed after the October Revolution of 1917.

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 Officials of the Russian Empire (A. M. Gorchakov, A. K. Gire, N. K. Gire, A. V. Golovnin, D. N. Zamyatnin, N. P. Nikolai, N. A. Korsakov, M. A. Korf, S. G. Lomonosov, F. H. Steven, D. A. Tolstoy, etc.)… Preferred scientific activity K. S. Veselovsky, J. K. Grot, N. Ya. Danilevsky and others. The historical glory of the Tsarskoe Selo Lyceum was brought primarily by the graduates of 1817 - A. S. Pushkin, A. A. Delvig, Decembrists V. K. Kuchelbecker, I. I. Pushchin. ... M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin studied there for 5 years.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 1975

On October 31, 1811, the most famous lyceum in Russian history opened in Tsarskoye Selo. According to legend, the dying Pushkin regretted that his lyceum teachers were not with him. We read 7 legends about the order of the Lyceum and the adventures of the Lyceum students.

The Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was a closed university with a strict daily routine, and during the academic year it was forbidden to leave it. All pupils were on full board.
But lyceum students, of course, more than once tried to go AWOL, leaving their teachers at home. So, one day Pushkin and Kuchelbecker decided to leave for St. Petersburg, but they could not get rid of a persistent tutor named Tricot, who followed them. Having approached the outpost, Pushkin had to identify himself, and he reported: “Alexander However!” Zastavny wrote down his last name and let him through. He was followed by Kuchelbecker. When asked what his last name was, the young man said: “Grigory Dvako!” Zastavny doubted, but wrote down the name and let the young man through. But when the unfortunate tutor answered the same question with sincerity: “Tights!”, the outpost lost his temper and shouted: “One after another - One, Two, Three! You’re being naughty, brother, go to the guardhouse!” Unlucky Trico spent the whole day under arrest, and Pushkin and his friend enjoyed St. Petersburg alone.

Nicknames and pranks

Despite the fact that the “golden youth”, the children of very respected people, studied at the Lyceum, they did not always call each other by their last name, as was customary among nobles. The lyceum students had a whole collection of underground nicknames, some easy to decipher and some not so easy to decipher. Pushkin, for example, was called the “Frenchman” for his love of French poetry and language (as is known, Pushkin had never been abroad until his death). And also - “Monkey with a Tiger”, “Cricket”... Ivan Ivanovich Pushchin was nicknamed “Zhano”, and Wilhelm Kuchelbecker had several nicknames, and not the most pleasant ones - “Kyukhlya”, “Glista”... By the way, on Kuchelbecker's epigrams have survived the most, and some of them were even published in The Lyceum Sage. Once Pushkin wrote there: “Writer! For your sins/ You seem sober than everyone else:/ Wilhelm, read your poems, / So that I can fall asleep faster.” Offended, Kuchelbecker ran to drown himself in the pond. They managed to save him. Soon a caricature was drawn in The Lyceum Sage: Kuchelbecker is drowning, and his long nose sticks out of the pond.

Cranberry duel

All because of the same unsuccessful verses, things once came to a duel. Kuchelbecker often visited Zhukovsky, a lyceum teacher and poet, pestering him with his poems. Once Zhukovsky was invited to some kind of friendly dinner and did not come. Then they asked him why he was not there, the poet replied: “I had upset my stomach the day before, and besides, Kuchelbecker came, and I stayed at home...” Pushkin, having heard this, wrote an epigram:
I overate at dinner
Yes, Yakov locked the door by mistake -
So it was for me, my friends,
Both Kuchelbecker and sickening...

Kuchelbecker, of course, demanded a duel for such an insult! The duel took place. Both fired. But the pistols were loaded... with cranberries.

Feasting Galich

Friend of all students, tireless interlocutor, psychology teacher Galich is one of the bright teaching figures of the Lyceum. His lectures took the form of conversations, heated debates, and in a fairly relaxed atmosphere. For him, studying the works of ancient classics was “rattling the laurels of old men.” Korf called him “a kind and very funny eccentric,” and the lyceum students simply adored him. Galich was a teacher who met with students not only in classrooms, he participated in their feasts and feasts, provoked philosophical debates and competed with them in oratory. Pushkin remembers this teacher more than once in his poems, most often humorous:
Apostle of bliss and coolness,
My good Galich, vale!
You are Epicurus's younger brother,
Your soul is in a glass.
Or: O Galich, faithful friend of the glass
And fat morning feasts,
I call you, lazy sage,
To the happy haven of poetry,
Under a distant bliss of shelter.

Lyceum revenue

Despite the fact that Pushkin himself, at the time of graduation in 1817, was twenty-sixth out of twenty-nine students in terms of academic performance, “in Russian and French literature, also in fencing,” he showed excellent success. Among the young lyceum poets, he was one of the best, and there are many legends about how wittily he could emphasize this. For example, once a lyceum student Nevedomsky, who was very weak in poetry, had to write poems about the sunrise for rhetoric teacher N.F. Koshansky. The poor student was able to squeeze out only the first line of the seven-foot poem: “From the west rises the magnificent king of nature” - and, in despair, he turned to Pushkin for help. This is how young Pushkin continued this verse and “helped” his fellow student:
"From the west rises the magnificent king of nature.
They don’t know whether to sleep or not? - confused peoples.
Nevedomsky is a poet unknown to anyone,
He publishes poetry for unknown reasons."

Ban on glasses and place of honor

Glasses became so fashionable at the beginning of the nineteenth century that even those who had one hundred percent vision wore them. For the rest, looking through magnifying glasses caused fear, because... They believed that through them it was possible to examine flaws that were not visible to the ordinary eye. The Moscow commander-in-chief, Count Gudovich, seeing a man in glasses, sent a servant to him with the words that there was nothing to look at here and the glasses could be taken off. Looking through glasses at a lady or at a senior in rank was considered insolence, and therefore lyceum students were certainly not supposed to wear them. Delvig suffered from this, who really had poor eyesight and who, upon leaving the Lyceum and purchasing glasses, according to legend, exclaimed that not all women, it turns out, are written beauties!
In the classrooms and in the dining room, lyceum students were seated according to their behavior and success. “Blessed is the man like him / Sits closer to the pulpit” - this is what was said about it in the Lyceum songs.

Sovereign blessing

There is no joke in this legend; on the contrary, it is filled with serious grandeur and triumph of the spirit. But a few minutes of the Pushkin public exam became the talk of the town and are tirelessly told. We are talking about an exam in which Pushkin read his poems “Memories in Tsarskoe Selo”, and the elderly Derzhavin, who was present on the commission, moved towards him and bowed his ear, listening attentively. The poet’s friend I.I. describes this touchingly. Pushchin, or, in lyceum, Zhano:
“...Derzhavin crowned our young poet with his sovereign blessing. All of us, his friends and comrades, were proud of this triumph. Pushkin was then reading his “Memoirs in Tsarskoe Selo”. These magnificent poems touch on everything that is alive for the Russian heart. Pushkin read with extraordinary animation. Listening to familiar poems, a chill ran through my skin. When the patriarch of our singers, delighted, with tears in his eyes, rushed to kiss the poet and blessed his curly head, under some unknown influence, they remained reverently silent. They wanted to hug our singer themselves, but he was no longer there, he ran away.”

The Tsarskoye Selo Imperial Lyceum became the most legendary educational institution in Russia immediately after its establishment. The initiator of its appearance was Emperor Alexander I, the brilliant teaching staff and talented director, with their pedagogical and personal talents, brought into light several generations of Russian thinkers, poets, artists, and military men. Graduates of the Lyceum constituted the Russian elite not so much by origin, but 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 assent in August 1810. The founding of a higher educational institution occurred during the “liberal years” of the sovereign’s reign. The Lyceum was 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, friendly relations 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, Nicholas and Mikhail, would study at the Lyceum, but later they decided to give them a traditional home education.

Living conditions

A four-story new building was provided for the lyceum - an outbuilding of the Tsarskoye Selo Palace. The premises on the first floor were intended for the medical unit and the administration. On the second floor there were classrooms for the junior year, the third was given over to older students, and the topmost, fourth floor, was occupied by bedrooms. The personal bedchambers had a modest, almost Spartan atmosphere; the furniture consisted of a wrought-iron bed covered in canvas, a desk for studying, a chest of drawers and a table for washing.

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

Learning idea

The concept and curriculum were 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 a new formation from the children of the noble class. Speransky’s idea was to Europeanize Russia, and for this, officials with a different mindset were needed, 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 were accepted, who had to successfully pass 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 lasting three years.

Humanities and military

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

Studying native and foreign languages (Russian, Latin, French, German).
Moral sciences, God's law, philosophy).
Exact sciences (arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry, geometry, physics).
Humanities (Russian and foreign history, chronology, geography).
Fundamentals of elegant writing (rhetoric and its rules, works of great writers).
Arts (visual, dance).
Physical education (gymnastics, swimming, fencing, horse riding).

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

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

The first intake 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 accepted into the lyceum in Tsarskoe Selo, the list was approved by the royal hand. Alexander I provided patronage to 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 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 entire process tirelessly; he was personally responsible for the students, for the level of teaching and the general state of life at the lyceum.

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

Daily schedule

A typical school day followed a strict schedule:

The morning began at six o'clock, time was allocated for hygiene procedures, getting ready, and prayer.
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 expected).
The second lesson began at 10:00 and lasted until 12:00, after which the schedule included a walk in the fresh air for an hour.
Lunch was served at 13:00.
In the afternoon, from 14:00 to 15:00, students practiced 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 eight in the evening, the students were reviewing the material they had covered and studying in auxiliary classes.
Dinner was served at 8:30 p.m., followed by free time to relax.
At 22:00 it was time for prayer and sleep. Every Saturday the students visited the bathhouse.

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

Often the teacher considered it best to leave the student alone in his subject; Pushkin was not forced to thoroughly know the mathematical sciences; Professor Kartsov said: “With you, Pushkin, in my class everything ends in zero. Sit down and write poetry."

Lyceum life

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

At the lyceum where Pushkin studied, much attention was paid to education. The students respected not only people of their own class, but also servants and serfs. Human dignity does not depend on origin, this was instilled in every student. For the same reason, the children practically did not communicate with their relatives - they were all heirs of serfs and at home they could often see a completely different attitude towards dependent people; among the nobility, disdain for serfs was common.

Brotherhood and honor

Despite the fact that the lyceum students had a busy schedule of studies and classes, in their memoirs everyone admitted to a sufficient amount of freedom. Students lived according to a certain set of laws; the institution's charter was posted in the fourth floor corridor. One of the points stated that the community of students is a single family, and therefore there is no place among them for arrogance, boasting and contempt. Children came to the lyceum from an early age, and it became a home for them, and their comrades and teachers became a real family. The atmosphere in the Imperial Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was friendly and united.

A system of rewards and punishments was developed for lyceum students, which excluded physical violence. The guilty mischief-makers 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, during which time the student received only bread and water.

The lyceum fraternity sometimes independently passed a verdict on the behavior of its participants, those who retreated from honor and trampled on dignity. Students could boycott a friend, leaving him completely isolated without the opportunity to communicate. Unwritten laws were observed no less sacredly than the charter of the lyceum.

First edition

The first students of the Tsarskoye Selo Imperial Lyceum left the educational institution in 1817. Almost everyone received places in the state apparatus; based on the results of exams, many entered service in high ranks; many lyceum students chose military service, equal 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 glory to the lyceum; no one before him treated his school and teachers with such warmth and reverence. He dedicated many works to the Tsarskoye Selo period.

Almost all of the students in the first cohort became the pride of the country and glorified the Tsarskoye Selo Imperial Lyceum. Famous graduates such as: Kuchelbecher 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, fleet admiral) and others contributed to history, culture, and the development of the arts.

Lyceum student Pushkin

It is impossible to overestimate Pushkin’s influence on Russian literature; his genius was discovered and nurtured within the walls of the Lyceum. According to the recollections of classmates, the poet had three nicknames - the Frenchman (a tribute to his excellent knowledge of the language), Cricket (the poet was an active and talkative child) and a Mixture of Monkey and Tiger (for his ardor of character and tendency to quarrel). At the lyceum where Pushkin studied, exams were held every six months; it was thanks to them that talent was noticed and recognized during his school years. The poet published his first work in the magazine “Bulletin of Europe”, while a lyceum student, in 1814.

The situation in the Imperial Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was such that the student could not help but feel his calling. The entire educational process was aimed at identifying and developing talents, and teachers contributed to this. In his memoirs, in 1830, A.S. Pushkin notes: “...I started writing at the age of 13 and publishing almost from the same time.”

In the corners of the Lyceum passages,

The Muse began to appear to me.

My student cell,

Hitherto alien to fun,

Suddenly it dawned on me - the Muse is in her

She opened a feast of her inventions;

Sorry, cold science!

Sorry, early years games!

I have changed, I am a poet...

Pushkin's first known public appearance took place during an exam during the transition from the initial course to the senior, final course of study. Famous people, including the poet Derzhavin, attended the public exams. The poem “Memories of Tsarskoye 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.

Alexandrovsky Lyceum

After the accession to the throne of Nicholas I, the lyceum was transferred to St. Petersburg. Tsarskoye Selo was a haven for lyceum students from 1811 to 1843. The educational institution moved to Kamenoostrovsky Prospekt, 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 premises, no matter how Nicholas I tried to fight this phenomenon. The history of the Tsarskoye Selo Imperial Lyceum continued in the new place and lasted until 1918. Constancy was marked by compliance with unwritten rules, the current charter, as well as the coat of arms and motto - “For the common benefit.” Paying tribute to its famous graduates, in 1879, on October 19, the first museum of A.S. was opened within the walls of the Alexander Lyceum. Pushkin.

But with the establishment of a 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 humanities expanded. In response to the times and the changing environment, new departments emerged - agriculture, civil architecture.

After 17th year

The last graduation of students took place in 1917. 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. It was possible to preserve 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 ended up in 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 start of the Great Patriotic War and after it, there was a school in the premises, then the building was given to the SGPTU. Now the building 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, V. A. Shilder, and the Prime Minister, N. D. Golitsyn, were accused of creating a counter-revolutionary organization. All those accused of plotting to restore the monarchy, and there were 26 of them, were shot. This is how the Imperial Lyceum of Tsarskoye Selo sadly ended its history. Pushkin was its singer and genius, the rest of the lyceum students were history and pride.

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

Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. Modern photo

On August 12, 1810, Emperor Alexander I signed a decree establishing a lyceum in Tsarskoe Selo for “the education of youth destined for important parts of the public service.”

The author of the project for creating the Lyceum was M.M. Speransky, known for his reform ideas. In the new educational institution he created, he dreamed of educating people who would be able to further implement all the plans he had outlined for the transformation of Russia. Speransky himself was a widely educated person, so he wanted state power to be occupied by people who knew how to think, who had broad knowledge and who wanted to use it for the good of the Fatherland.

Associate Professor of Moral and Political Sciences Alexander Petrovich Kunitsyn spoke about the same thing in his keynote speech at the opening of the Lyceum: “Love of glory and the Fatherland should be your leaders.”

In the fall of 1811, the first intake of lyceum students took place. Children aged 10-12 years were accepted, the number of pupils was supposed to be 30 people.

The highest diploma of Alexander I, granted to the Lyceum

On October 19, 1811, the Lyceum was opened in Tsarskoe Selo, a new educational institution for boys from privileged families. This educational institution received its name from the name of the outskirts of ancient Greek Athens (Lyceum), where Aristotle studied with his students in the garden next to the Temple of Apollo.

The Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was a completely new type of educational institution for Russia; Alexander I himself kept its organization under close supervision.

Initially, the Lyceum was located in a 4-story wing of the Catherine Palace, rebuilt for this purpose by the architect V. Stasov.

The Lyceum was planned as a closed educational institution, where students were supposed to not only study, but also live. In terms of the level of education received, the Lyceum was equivalent to a university.

The training program was designed for 6 years: 2 courses of 3 years each. Students were required to receive a general education with a predominance of the humanities. In the first year, the curriculum included mathematics, grammar, history, “fine writing” - literature, fine arts and gymnastic exercises (penmanship, drawing, dancing, fencing, horse riding, swimming). In the senior year, special attention was paid to the “moral sciences” (the Law of God, ethics, logic, jurisprudence, political economy), history, mathematics, and foreign languages.

At the same time, special attention was paid to teaching literature: each student must learn to write an essay on a given topic, expressing his thoughts correctly and gracefully.

No less close attention was paid to the study of Russian history, which included knowledge of the native country, its past, present and future.

Immediately after the emperor signed the Decree on the Lyceum in August 1810, a set of lyceum students was announced, 38 families applied to admit their children, so an admission exam and medical examination were arranged. In addition, applicants for training required recommendations from influential persons (for example, Pushkin was accepted on the recommendation of the famous writer A. Turgenev and his uncle V.L. Pushkin).

In October, future lyceum students began to gather in Tsarskoye Selo, where they were met by the Lyceum director and teachers.

V.F. Malinovsky - first director of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum

The first director of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was Vasily Fedorovich Malinovsky, one of the most educated people of his time. He believed in the special purpose of the new educational institution, and, having received the right to personally select teachers, invited the most advanced and talented people. He created the very “lyceum spirit” known from many recollections of lyceum students, which his students carried throughout their lives. What kind of spirit was this? This is a special atmosphere in which it was possible to freely exchange opinions, where the most pressing issues of society were discussed. Teachers and educators treated the lyceum students as adults, addressed them as “you,” and some students addressed each other as “you.”

The grand opening of the Lyceum on October 19, 1811 was attended by Alexander I, his family, and the most noble and influential people of Russia. In the center of the hall there was a table covered with red cloth and on it lay a charter about the establishment of the Lyceum. On one side of the table stood the lyceum students along with the director V.F. Malinovsky, and on the other hand, professors. The guests of honor, led by Emperor Alexander I, were sitting at the table.

Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. Big hall

The director of the Lyceum, V. F. Malinovsky, made a solemn speech, and then Professor Kunitsyn addressed the students. Lyceum students remembered his performance with gratitude all their lives. After the ceremony, a lunch was arranged for the boys and a tour of the Lyceum premises for the guests. In the evening everyone enjoyed the magnificent fireworks display.

30 boys started a new life. Each was given a small room with the most necessary furniture: an iron bed, a chest of drawers, a desk, a mirror, a chair, and a table for washing. On the desk there is an inkwell and a candlestick with tongs.

The daily routine of the lyceum students was strict: getting up at 6 am, morning prayer, from 7 to 9 am - classes, at 9 am - tea, until 10 - a walk, from 10 to 12 - classes, then a walk, lunch, again penmanship classes and drawing, from 3 to 5 - classes again, a walk, repetition of lessons. Dinner at 9 pm, evening prayer and tea at 10. None of the lyceum students had to leave the lyceum during 6 years of study, and relatives were allowed to visit the boys only on holidays.

Physics room of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum

The day of October 19 became sacred for lyceum students. They always sought to get together on October 19, although each of them had their own lives. Every year fewer and fewer lyceum students came to the meeting...

Pushkin and all his friends considered only their first graduating class to be truly lyceum. And so it was: although the history of the Lyceum was long, the curriculum in it had changed, the teachers were different, and most importantly, that unique Lyceum spirit was no longer there...