Many mistakenly believe that institutions like the Institutes of Noble Maidens have sunk into oblivion. In fact, these boarding houses to this day carry out educational activities in different countries. Unfortunately, in Russia such institutions ceased to exist. But in the distant past, and in our country, it was considered the highest honor to receive an education of this kind. In the article you can get acquainted with the history of the creation of the first women's educational institution in Russia. And also to find out what life prospects opened up for its graduates.
Foreign boarding houses
Institutes of Noble Maidens are actually schools for women of a private nature. In these institutions, education is primarily aimed at improving social and cultural activities. As the name implies, this institution does not have significant differences from a regular school. And its main goal is the completion of education. The training program in boarding houses of this type is mainly of 2 types: enhanced and one-year. The most famous country with a number of private educational institutions in its historyfor women, it is undoubtedly Switzerland. The Princess of Wales was educated here. She graduated from the Alpin Videmanette Institute. Unfortunately, today it is closed. The MonFertile school also had considerable popularity - the Duchess of Cornwall studied there for some time. And, of course, one cannot fail to mention the boarding house VillaMontChoisi. Thanks to this institution, Switzerland gained great fame. However, at the end of the 90s, this Institute was closed.
Facts of Russian history
Initially, only men could get an education in our country. But everything changed when the first institute of noble maidens was organized. The history of its creation dates back to 1764. This event happened thanks to the project of the President of the Academy of Arts, Ivan Betskov. Later he became a trustee of this institution. In addition, after the opening of the boarding house, a decree "On the education of girls of noble origin at the Resurrection Monastery" was adopted. This school was located in St. Petersburg. This order, together with the Charter of the institution, was sent throughout the Russian Empire. In principle, we can say that education at the Boarding School did not differ much from what exists today in modern schools. Girls of noble blood were taken there at the age of 6. The term of study was 12 years and was divided into 4 time periods. Almost 200 pupils could receive knowledge at the Institute at the same time. At the end of education, the 6 most outstanding students received a special badge of honor -monogram made of gold and engraved with the empress's initials. The foundation of the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens made it possible for girls of other classes (with the exception of serfs) to receive general education and learn the secrets of housekeeping.
Job Guarantee
Institutes for Noble Maidens conducted the learning process in accordance with the approved educational program. Thanks to this, the students had great chances to serve at court in the future. The preparatory plan was drawn up with the participation of the trustee of the institution and included the study of such subjects as arithmetic, foreign languages, geography, literature, history and the Law of God. In addition, the girls were taught the basics of drawing, needlework and home economics. The development of musical abilities was not ignored either. In order for the students to fully obtain the knowledge, skills and abilities they needed, the staff of the institution included 29 teachers.
Charter of the institution
Institutions of noble maidens were distinguished by a special strictness of education. All the girls followed a strict daily routine. The pupils could meet with their relatives only on weekends and holidays. Moreover, their communication took place only in the presence of the boss. Students could say goodbye to the boarding school only when they reached the age of 18. And even the demand of the family could not affect this decision. After graduation, many pupils remained within the walls of the Institute and worked as class ladies. Those of the girls who were educated in the bourgeoisdepartment of the institution, had great chances to become governesses in the future. Initially, the school for noble maidens was located in the monastery. But later a special building was erected.
Ongoing reforms
After the death of the Empress, the wife of Paul I began to manage women's educational institutions. She led them for 32 years and managed to change a lot during this period. In particular, the training period was reduced to 9 years. There were only 3 age groups left, and they, in turn, were divided into excellent students, "good" students and lagging behind. The duration of each lesson was 2 hours. The culmination of the academic semester was midterm exams, the end of the year was marked by final checks. The changes also affected the age limits for admission to the Institute. So, girls of noble origin began to be admitted to the boarding school from 8-9 years old, and bourgeois women only from 11-12. And this was due to the fact that their term of study was limited to 6 years. The direction of teaching has also changed. If during the reign of Catherine the girls were trained in the work of ladies-in-waiting, then under Maria Feodorovna they were more likely to be prepared for the "position" of wives.
New guesthouse
In 1802, on the initiative of the mother of Alexander I, an additional Institute for Noble Maidens was opened. Moscow became his home. The difference of this institution was that mainly noblewomen from low-income families were accepted for training. But over time, at its base wasa petty-bourgeois department was created for other classes as well. The curriculum of this institution did not differ much from the curriculum of previous institutions. The Law of God, foreign languages, history and geography were also taught here. Physics has been added. We did not forget about creative development. However, the daily routine was much stricter. Pupils of the institution got up at 6 am and worked until 8 pm with short breaks. The Moscow Institute for Noble Maidens was named after Catherine. The building in which it was located originally belonged to Count S altykov. However, in 1777, his property was confiscated, and the Invalid House was opened on its territory. When it was decided to create a school, the architect Domenico Gilardi rebuilt this building.
