October 19 is the day of the lyceum student. Archive of the blog "VO! circle of books"

Lyceum Student's Day is celebrated on October 19, and this is one of the oldest holidays dedicated to knowledge. But its celebration is different from what it was more than two hundred years ago: find out how this holiday is celebrated today.

There are many holidays dedicated to knowledge and science: the famous first of September, when well-dressed schoolchildren stand side by side on a solemn line; professional holiday of teachers in October; finally, Tatyana's day, which is already “assigned” to the students. It is not surprising, in general, that lyceum students also have a special day: lyceum students celebrate their holiday on October 19th.

history of the holiday

The All-Russian Day of the Lyceum was dated for October 19 not by chance: it was on this day that the famous Imperial Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was opened: among its pupils was the well-known poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.

In the lyceum, the offspring of the nobles studied a variety of sciences that could be useful later. For six years (this is how long the training lasted), the future nobleman was asked to master the moral sciences (from ethics and politics to economics), verbal sciences, which would now be called "humanitarian", exact sciences, and of course, history and physical exercises were not complete: in a word, the knowledge set was more than impressive. Fortunately, the teachers did not see what was happening after the lyceum was closed: all sorts of pseudosciences, which we have already talked about earlier, could surely drive superbly educated people crazy.

Immediately after graduation, the lyceum students, among whom was the famous poet, came up with the idea to arrange something like friendly gatherings. They didn’t think about the choice of the day for a long time: the choice fell on October 19, since this day, in fact, was the “birthday”, or the opening day of the native Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum.

At that time, the celebration of this day was somewhat similar to modern meetings of classmates: on October 19, people who had already graduated from the lyceum quite a long time ago were going to a meeting, which a little later was called the “lyceum lunch”. As you might guess, the festival did not differ in particular sophistication and farce: the former lyceum students, having gathered, rested, ate and talked with each other.

Despite the fact that this holiday was formed quite a long time ago (the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was opened in 1811), it gained wide popularity relatively recently. The fact is that over time, such a form of an educational institution as a lyceum was simply abolished and returned to use only at the end of the “dashing” nineties.

How to celebrate?

Today, the All-Russian Day of the Lyceum student is celebrated, in principle, who is in what much: since the holiday is relatively young, well-established traditions of celebration have not yet formed. The program of the holiday can be either standard (for example, include several solemn speeches and rewarding particularly distinguished students), or with a twist: some educational institutions arrange costumed balls and concerts, creating an atmosphere corresponding to the beginning of the eighteenth century.

Nevertheless, one and only old tradition, perhaps, can still be traced: the holiday is celebrated, as it was two hundred years ago, widely and on a grand scale: few people celebrate the day of the lyceum student “for show”.

Tell us how you feel about the day of the lyceum student: did you know about this holiday before? Is it celebrated in your family?

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Our library, which has been named after Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin since 1949, annually celebrates Pushkin Days, which have become a tradition: the poet's birthday is June 6; the day of his death is February 10; lyceum day - 19 October.

On October 19, 1811, by decree of Emperor Alexander I, the Imperial Lyceum was opened in Tsarskoye Selo. The lyceum was created according to the project of the Minister M.M. Speransky as a higher educational institution for noble children to prepare for public service. Boys of 10-12 years old were admitted to the lyceum according to the results of entrance examinations. The training lasted six years. Lyceum education was equated to university education.

This day was later celebrated by graduates as "Lyceum Day" - graduates gathered on this day for a "lyceum lunch". The traditions of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum and especially the memory of Pushkin and other first pupils were carefully preserved and passed down from generation to generation by students of subsequent courses. Commemorative lyceum dates were obligatory noted, such as October 19 - the opening day of the Lyceum, the birthdays and deaths of Pushkin. The first Pushkin Museum in the country was created in the Alexander Lyceum by his pupils.

It is not in vain for everyone that the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum and the name of Pushkin are inextricably linked. Who knows, if not for the lyceum, would Russia have such a poet? Lyceum, Tsarskoye Selo were the poet's closest homeland, he often remembered them. In one of his best lyric poems, "October 19" (1825), he addresses his friends:

My friends, our union is beautiful!

He, like a soul, is inseparable and eternal -

Unshakable, free and carefree,

He grew together under the shadow of friendly muses.

Wherever fate takes us,

And happiness wherever it leads

We are all the same: the whole world is a foreign land for us;

Fatherland to us Tsarskoye Selo.

The educational institution was located in a four-story building of the palace wing of the Catherine Palace. On the 1st floor there were rooms for teachers, an infirmary and administrative premises, on the 2nd floor there was a dining room with a buffet, an office and a Small Conference Hall.On the 3rd floor - the Great Hall, classrooms and a library. The 4th floor was occupied by the pupils' rooms. Each lyceum student had his own room. “The cell”, as A. S. Pushkin called his room, surprises with its simplicity and small size: 4 meters long, 1.5 meters wide. In the room there is an iron bed, a chest of drawers, a desk, a mirror, a chair, and a washing table.

In the Great Lyceum Hall, at the solemn examination ceremony, Alexander Pushkin read his poem “Reminiscence in Tsarskoye Selo” in the presence of Derzhavin: “Derzhavin was very old. He was in a uniform and in plush boots. Our exam made him very tired. He sat with his head on his hand. His face was meaningless, his eyes were cloudy, his lips drooped; his portrait (where he is shown in a cap and robe) are very similar. He dozed until the exam in Russian literature began. Then he perked up, his eyes sparkled; he was completely transformed. Of course, his poems were read, his poems were analyzed, his poems were praised every minute. He listened with extraordinary vivacity. Finally they called me. I read my Memoirs in Tsarskoye Selo, standing a stone's throw from Derzhavin. I am unable to describe the state of my soul; when I got to the verse where I mention Derzhavin's name, my voice rang out like a child, and my heart beat with rapturous delight... I don't remember how I finished my reading, I don't remember where I ran away. Derzhavin was in admiration; he demanded me, wanted to hug me…. They looked for me, but they did not find me ”(A.S. Pushkin“ Derzhavin ”).

What kind of phenomenon is this - how did it happen that the Lyceum produced so many talented and outstanding people who loved Russia and served for its good?

Vadim Rotenberg in his article “The Phenomenon of the Lyceum” believes that “the main factors were interest and natural, unfeigned respect for students, respect given as if in advance, nothing else, it seems, not deserved and not backed up by their real achievements. Eleven-year-old boys were looked upon from the very beginning as the hope of Russia, treated as individuals, and they gained the ability, thanks to this, to respect themselves completely regardless of their academic success. They learned to take their own and other people's interests, hobbies and actions seriously, because they saw such a serious attitude of educators towards themselves.

In N. Eidelman's book "Our Union is Beautiful" there is an episode in which, after the events on Senate Square, another former lyceum student, Prince Gorchakov, came to the apartment of I. Pushchin, a former lyceum student and an active participant in the uprising. They were not close friends, the prince did not sympathize with the rebellion, he greatly valued his successful career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (later he led the entire foreign policy of Russia).

“To Pushchin, who was waiting for the inevitable arrest, Gorchakov appeared the next day after the uprising. A prince, a dandy, a careerist, but he will not drop his honor, he will not exchange his "free soul" ...

“Gorchakov brought the Decembrist a foreign passport and begged him to go immediately abroad, promising to take him to a foreign ship ready to sail. Pushchin did not agree to leave: he considered it shameful to escape the fate that awaits other members of society by fleeing: acting together with them, he wanted to share their fate" (recorded after Ivan Pushchin).

Gorchakov is worthy of the highest lyceum friendship! If gendarmes had come to Pushchin's apartment during his visit, the diplomat would have had a hard time: arrest, possibly resignation, expulsion from the capitals. But the composition of Gorchakov's ambition, apparently, includes self-respect: if there is nothing to respect yourself for, then there is no need to make a career - and if so, then you need to meet Pushchin and offer him a foreign passport.

Or maybe the whole point is that special attention was paid to reading in the Lyceum?

Lyceumists read a lot. “We learned little in the classroom, but a lot in reading and in conversation with the constant friction of minds,” recalled Modest Korf, a lyceum student, director of the Imperial Public Library.

Lyceum students knew contemporary Russian writers not only from their writings. From a letter from Alexei Illichevsky (Russian poet, Pushkin's lyceum comrade) to Pavel Fuss: “... until I entered the lyceum, I did not see a single writer, but at the Lyceum I saw Dmitriev, Derzhavin, Zhukovsky, Batyushkov, Vasily Pushkin and Khvostov; I also forgot: Neledinsky, Kutuzov, Dashkov. Professor of Russian and Latin literature, Nikolai Fedorovich Koshansky, considered the ability to write and compose to be the basis of literary education, and he approved of the poetic experiments of his pupils. Often in the lessons he asked to write poems on a given topic.

“From the annals of the life and work of A.S. Pushkin: “March 1812. Koshansky, after the lecture, addresses the students with a proposal to describe the rose in verse. Pushkin composes two quatrains that delight everyone (not preserved). Pushchin recalled (forty years later!): “As I now see that after-dinner class of Koshansky, when, having finished the lecture a little before the school hour, the professor said: “Now, gentlemen, we will try feathers! Describe to me, please, a rose in verse. Our poems did not stick at all, and Pushkin instantly read two quatrains that delighted all of us. It’s a pity that I can’t remember ... Koshansky took the manuscript to himself ... ”(D. Shevarov“ Quiet Pier ”).

One of the favorite activities of lyceum students is meetings, at which everyone was obliged to tell something - invented or read. Gradually, the stock of poems, stories, epigrams increased - they were written down. Handwritten journals were created, and lyceum poets grew up, competing with each other in a friendly manner. And since 1814, their poetic experiments began to appear on the pages of Russian magazines.

Maybe that's why poets M.D. Delarue, A.N. Yakhontov, L.A. May, writers N.N. Tretyakov, N.D. Akhsharumov, V.R. Zotov, artist V.P. Langer, professor of Russian literature Ya.K. Grot, Doctor of Geographical Sciences N.V. Khanykov, Master of Botany N.Ya. Danilevsky and others.

In addition to Pushkin, the Lyceum gave, for example, such a powerful personality as Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin, recently at a meeting in Biblioglobus, Igor Huberman sadly, in his usual manner, said about Saltykov-Shedrin "... described everything that is happening now in Russia" and quoted

"He spoke again about patriotism. Heaven wants to steal something."

The Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum had its own rich library, made up of the best books, where students could work independently. "Lyceum students were forced to look for the answers themselves to every question that arose in their minds." The library was a source from which everyone "drew their inspiration" lists of books to read were compiled by educators. The replenishment of the library was a constant concern of the council of lyceum professors. In a letter to P. Fuss, answering the question whether new books reach the lyceum, A. 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 ... ”Books were bought by the director and professors, they did not spare money for acquiring them. But all the same, there were not enough books, so the director E.A. Engelhardt procured the tsar's permission to transfer the library of the Alexander Palace to the Lyceum. The library was handed over at the end of 1818, when the first course had already completed their studies. (In Soviet times, the Library of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was transferred to the Ural State University, established in 1920).

They tried to follow the reading of the lyceum students. Thus, only educational and classical books were released from the library for first-year students. When the pupils grew up, the books were issued according to the note of the professor and at the discretion of the overseer. At the Lyceum, the pupils were taught that without reading books a person cannot take place as a free creative person. It was here that such a concept was formed that not to read books, not to be interested in books means not to be an intelligent person. Actual? It is interesting that for a long time Russia was an illiterate country, but it was in it that the cult of reading arose. And now Russia is very literate, if its citizens read less and less? And

books not in libraries needed?

Returning to October 19, Lyceum Day, let us recall again the poems of his brightest lyceum student.

The more often the lyceum celebrates

Your holy anniversary

The more timid is the old circle of friends

The family is shy of being single,

The less often he so our holiday

Darker in its joy;

The more muffled is the sound of convalescent bowls,

And our songs are all the sadder.

So the breaths of earthly storms

And we were accidentally touched

And we are among the feasts of the young

The soul was often darkened;

We matured; rock judged

And we have life's trials,

And the spirit of death walked among us

And appointed his slaughter.

Six abolished places stand,

We won't see six friends anymore

They are scattered sleeping -

Who is at home, who is in a foreign land,

Who is sickness, who is sorrow

They brought us into the darkness of the damp earth,

And above all we sobbed.

And it seems, the turn is behind me,

My dear Delvig calls me,

Comrade; youth alive,

Comrade of dull youth,

Comrade of young songs,

Feasts and pure thoughts,

There, in the crowd of shadows of relatives

Forever from us leaked genius.

Closer, oh dear friends,

Let's make our true circle closer,

I finished the song of the deceased,

Let's congratulate the living with hope

Hope once again

Find yourself in a lyceum feast,

hug everyone else

And don't be afraid of new victims.

Pushkin

Just think about it! He wandered
Where am I wandering now
And he repeated poems to himself,
What I'm saying now.

He hurried his heart
And he was delirious
And just waiting in the garden for her,
How I look forward to today.

And the same pain, and the same fear
He felt in his soul -
I know: he's talking about something in verse
Already told me.

... burning leaves. Melting blue smoke
October day...

He was my age
And understood me!

October 19 (31) - The birthday of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum is one of the most significant dates in Russian history and culture.

And the first is fuller, friends, fuller!
And all to the bottom in honor of our union!
Bless, jubilant muse,
Bless: long live the lyceum!

A. S. Pushkin

The Imperial Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum (since 1843 - the Alexander Lyceum) is a higher educational institution in pre-revolutionary Russia that operated in Tsarskoye Selo from 1811 to 1843.

The lyceum was founded by decree of Emperor Alexander I, signed on August 24 (12), 1810. It was intended for the education of noble children. According to the original plan, the younger brothers of Alexander I, Nikolai and Mikhail, were also to be brought up in the Lyceum. The general offensive of the reaction before the war of 1812, expressed, in particular, in the fall of Speransky, led to the fact that the original plans were discarded.

The program was developed by M. M. Speransky and is primarily focused on the training of state enlightened officials of the highest ranks. The lyceum accepted children aged 10-12; admissions were made 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.

In Russian history, it is known, first of all, as the school that brought up A.S. Pushkin and was sung by him. On August 12, 1811, Pushkin passed the entrance exam and on October 19 was present at the opening ceremony of the Lyceum. The opening ceremony was solemn, but strict. No parents. But there were - Emperor Alexander the First, both empresses - Elizaveta Alekseevna and Maria Feodorovna, Tsarevich Konstantin Pavlovich, Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna, ministers, members of the Holy Synod.

The duration of training was originally six years (two three-year courses, since 1836 - four classes of one and a half years each). During this time, the following disciplines were studied:
# moral (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 gymnastic exercises (handwriting, drawing, dancing, swordsmanship, horseback riding, swimming).

The curriculum of the lyceum has been repeatedly changed, while maintaining a humanitarian and legal focus. There was no division into faculties in the Lyceum. Pupils studied the main subjects of three faculties of the university: verbal, moral-political and physical-mathematical. An extensive program harmoniously combined the humanities and the exact sciences, giving encyclopedic knowledge.

The Lyceum adhered to a strict daily routine. To "eliminate the possibility of exhaustion: an hour of study was replaced by recreation in a room or in the air." In any weather, lyceum students went for walks three times a day. The lyceum was very well equipped. Devices, tools, tables, manuals, maps, even an electric machine fully staffed the classrooms.

During the transition of pupils from the initial to the final course (for the first graduation on January 4 and 8, 1815), translation exams were required. Examinations - open, public. Parents of pupils, well-known teachers from St. Petersburg were invited to them. Prepare carefully for the exam. Poems and "whole prose discourses" were taught. Pushkin, on the advice of the philologist A. I. Galich, wrote the poem “Memories in Tsarskoe Selo”, which he was supposed to read at the exam in Russian literature. This exam, on January 8, was attended by the patriarch of Russian poetry G.R. Derzhavin.

Repin I. E. Alexander Pushkin at the act in the Lyceum, January 8, 1815. 1911

“I read my Memories of Tsarskoe Selo, standing a stone’s throw from Derzhavin, and unable to describe the state of my soul: when I reached the verse where I mention Derzhavin’s name, my adolescent voice rang out, and my heart beat with intoxicating delight ... I don’t remember how I finished reading, I don’t remember where I ran away. Derzhavin was in admiration, he demanded me, wanted to hug me ... They looked for me, but they didn’t find me ... "- A.S. Pushkin.

Pushkin studied far from diligently. A. I. Kaidanov, who taught geography and history, certifies him as follows: “With little diligence, he makes very good progress, and this should be attributed to his excellent talents alone.” During the years of study at the Lyceum in the Pushkin graduation, that high system of relations was established, which the poet called "the lyceum brotherhood." It is in the Lyceum that Pushkin has real friends. Ivan Pushchin, Anton Delvig, Wilhelm Küchelbecker became the closest ones for life. The birth of Pushkin's poetic talent is connected with the Lyceum. During the years of study, the poet wrote more than 120 poems.

Lyceum education was equated to university education, graduates received civil ranks of the 14th - 9th grades. For those who wished to enter the military service, additional military training was carried out, in this case, graduates received the rights of graduates of the Corps of Pages. In 1814-1829, the Noble Boarding School 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.

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 Neyelov (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 A. S. Pushkin called it. In the room there is an iron bed, a chest of drawers, a desk, a mirror, a chair, and a washing table.

The best professors and teachers of the capital, headed by directors Vasily Malinovsky and Yegor Engelgardt, taught the pupils to live and work "for the common good". According to the Statute of 1811, mentors were admitted to the Lyceum, "who deserved trust with their knowledge and morality." The first teachers, despite the youth of many of them, had an excellent education, trained abroad, had teaching experience and were known for their educational activities. The first legendary Pushkin period of the Lyceum is associated with the names of A. P. Kunitsyn and I. K. Kaidanov, N. F. Koshansky, A. I. Galich and other mentors, whose names are preserved both in the memory of their students and in the history of Russian culture.

The lack of appropriate educational literature, and most importantly, the originality of the training courses developed by the first teachers of the Lyceum specifically for this educational institution, determined the appearance of textbooks, many of which were destined for a long life. Already in the first years, the teachers laid down the tradition of donating their works to the Lyceum. And today, many books from the Lyceum library are autographed by the authors - professors of the Lyceum. Over the 33 years of its existence, 286 people graduated from it, including 234 in the civilian sector, 50 in the military, and 2 in the navy. Pushkin graduated from the Lyceum with the rank of collegiate secretary and was enrolled in the College of Foreign Affairs. The main task was completed - they became educated people who passionately love the Fatherland. And, of course, members of the "lyceum brotherhood".

The legendary educational institution in the palace and park suburb of St. Petersburg produced a brilliant galaxy of scientists, writers, diplomats, military leaders who made up the glory of the Fatherland. Among them, the name of Alexander Pushkin stands out, who sang in the verses “The Lyceum Treasured Day”, dedicated many heartfelt lines to friends of adolescence and youth. Among the graduates of the Pushkin course were Wilhelm Kuchelbecker, Ivan Pushchin, Konstantin Danzas, Anton Delvig, Fyodor Matyushkin, Alexander Gorchakov and other friends of the poet. Several of Pushkin's poems are called "October 19" and are associated with the theme of the lyceum anniversary.

It is difficult to find a person who would not know about Pushkin's involvement in the Lyceum. But few people know that M.E. also studied there. Saltykov-Shchedrin, the great Russian satirist. He entered the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum in 1838. Among the lyceum students in each course, a successor A.S. Pushkin. On the Shchedrin course, Mikhail was considered a “successor”, writing gloomy poems under the influence of Lermontov, Byron and Heine, whom he loved for irony.

Saltykov-Shchedrin was the last of the outstanding pupils of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. After the December uprising in 1825, the Lyceum was reorganized. Control was established over the selection of teachers and the content of lectures. By the decree of Nicholas I of February 23, 1829, the Lyceum was transferred to the training of officials only for the civil service. The military department was closed, instead courses of statistics, logic, psychology and geography were introduced.

On September 6, 1843, the educational institution was transferred to St. Petersburg, to the building of the Alexander Orphanage at Kamennoostrovsky Prospekt, 21. At the direction of Emperor Nicholas I, after the move, the lyceum became known as the Imperial Alexandrovsky Lyceum.

The building of the Alexander Lyceum was rebuilt several times. By the 50th anniversary of the educational institution (1861), a two-story building was attached to the main building from the side of the garden. In 1878, according to the project of R. Ya. Ossolanus, the fourth floor was built over the building. In 1881, a preparatory class was housed in a new wing on Bolshaya Monetnaya Street. In 1902-1905, a corner four-story wing for educators was built from Lyceyskaya Street, the main building was expanded, wings were attached to it.

In 1917, the Provisional Government took away the premises from him, and soon the lyceum ceased to exist altogether. On May 29, 1918, the lyceum was closed by a resolution of the Council of People's Commissars. The vacated building was occupied by the Proletarian Polytechnic. In 1925, many former pupils of the lyceum were repressed. The library of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum in Soviet times was transferred to the Ural State University, established in 1920, and further divided between the institutes separated from it. But the memory of the Pushkin Lyceum was carefully preserved in Soviet times. And the former royal residence in 1937 was renamed the city of Pushkin.

During the Great Patriotic War, the building of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was destroyed. In 1969-1975 it was restored. The opening of the Lyceum Museum in Pushkin took place in 1974. Today, the museum of the former lyceum has recreated the atmosphere in which the life of lyceum students of the Pushkin graduation took place.

September 1 marked the start of the school year for schoolchildren. Student's Day or Tatyana's Day allows future profile specialists studying at universities to feel the full significance of a carefree student life. But what about young men and women who spend time with the benefit of the mind in lyceums - educational institutions located at an intermediate level between school and university? There is absolutely no need to ask such questions, because in our country for many years now there has been the All-Russian Lyceum Student Day, celebrated annually on October 19th.

history of the holiday

The holiday, designed to focus public attention on the employment of students of former vocational schools, appeared on the official list due to the historical fact of the existence of the Imperial Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. This institution is known to all Russians by the names of people of culture who graduated from it. In particular, the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum once released into life the great Russian poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, his colleagues Delvig and Kuchelberg, the Decembrist Pushchin and other celebrities.

Of course, one cannot but agree that the level of education received by students of modern lyceums cannot be compared with that at the Imperial educational institution. International experts unanimously repeat: the latter can be safely called the best not only at that time in the world, but even in the history of civilizations. Despite this fact, modern Russian lyceums are in constant development and quite qualitatively perform the function of a preparatory (intermediate) link.

The date of the holiday All-Russian Lyceum Day is also directly related to the activities of the Imperial Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, or rather, with its opening, which took place on October 19th. By the way, even in the days of Pushkin's youth, lyceum students took note of this day, however, only after graduation. The young men organized friendly gatherings on Lyceum Day, which were given a specific name: “lyceum lunch”.

The holiday "All-Russian Day of the Lyceum Student" was included in the list of official events only in the early 90s. the last century. At this time, the first lyceums began to appear as a result of the mass renaming of educational institutions of the lower - after school - level. In 2011, the All-Russian Lyceum Student Day celebrated its bicentennial. Cultural events in honor of this historic event were held in the northern capital and the city of Pushkin. St. Petersburg met the holiday with the International Lyceum Festival "Lyceum Autumn", organized within the walls of the Catherine Hall in the Tauride Museum three days ahead of schedule - October 16th.

In Pushkin, the heroes of the occasion themselves prepared for the All-Russian Day of the Lyceum. The result of their work was the theater "Do you remember when the lyceum arose", arranged right under the dome of heaven. Events succeeded each other for four days, including the holiday date itself on October 19th. Among them, in addition to those already mentioned, there were an international scientific conference dedicated to discussions on the topic “The Imperial Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum in the history of Russia”, a romantic ball “Eugene Onegin”, and a special art award. The Lyceum Student's Day turned out to be especially rich in festivities. However, the latter is typical for annual celebrations.

History of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum

The All-Russian Day of the Lyceum Student is a great occasion to look at the page of history.

The educational institution that gave the world the honed talent of A.S. Pushkin, appeared in our country in 1811 thanks to the extraordinary thinking of the statesman M.M. Speransky. Yes, yes, this is the same famous reformer who advocated the equalization of social classes in rights. Through the efforts of Speransky, Tsar Alexander I signed in August 1810 a decree establishing the Imperial Lyceum in Tsarskoye Selo. This institution was intended to train noble offspring in order to replenish the state bureaucratic ranks in the future.

The lyceum was an exclusively male institution. His pupils were at most 12 years old. In the educational institution, only 30 boys were trained, but the period of study coincided in duration with the terms in a modern university - 6 years. The Imperial Lyceum in Tsarskoye Selo served for students as a place of education, a school of life, and a home. The pupil was obliged to be within the limits of the institution all the years of study, including weekends, holidays and vacations.

Harsh conditions? Maybe, but such a feature strengthened friendship between lyceum students, tempered spiritually, accustomed to independence. Pupils rose at dawn - at 6.00 am, went to bed at 10 pm. Meeting a new day and going to bed were accompanied by prayer. The schedule was built in such a way that the boys had time to attend classes, and prepare their homework, and repeat the past, and take a walk, and relax. A.S. Pushkin was among the first graduates of the educational institution. He studied poorly (4th place from the end in the final report card), but, despite this, after graduation, he sang his native lyceum in any poetic work. It was there, in Tsarskoye Selo, that Alexander Sergeevich showed his literary talent. For the exact sciences, for example, arithmetic, the “piit” did not show not the slightest ability. There is some information that Pushkin's mathematics report card showed off ... zero.

Regarding the fate of the lyceum: in Tsarskoe Selo, the educational institution existed for 32 years. In 1843 it moved to St. Petersburg and received a new name - Alexandrovsky. And 75 years later, the Imperial Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was closed at the initiative of the organization "Council of People's Commissars". True, the building did not remain abandoned: the Proletarian Polytechnic School was located within its walls. Since the former students of the lyceum belonged to the nobility, that is, "white", many of them could not avoid repression.

By the will of fate, the Imperial Alexander Lyceum returned to its cultural origins in 1974, when a museum was opened in the first building of the educational institution in Tsarskoye Selo (now the city of Pushkin). Today, the institution is a kind of "time machine", finding yourself in which you can travel back decades, into the past, see with your own eyes how the pupils lived, plunge into the atmosphere of the Pushkin era. And not only Pushkin, because the Alexander Lyceum graduated from another famous writer - the writer Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin.

Modern lyceums, according to many citizens of our country, are ordinary educational institutions that do not have significant differences from vocational schools. After all, a beautiful name in itself does not give anything - even more so it does not affect the quality and level of teaching. This is true in most cases. Although initially the creation of lyceums at the start of the 20th century set certain goals, in particular, the implementation of a creative partnership between a teacher and a student, the promotion and assertion of moral and universal values. Let's wish the lyceum students that the learning process is fruitful, corresponding to the above theses. Like it or not, youth is the future of the country!

We sincerely congratulate all the students of the lyceums on the holiday, on the All-Russian Day of the Lyceum!

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October 19- a well-known date, long and firmly associated with the name Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin . Lyceum period was of great importance in his life. And this is due not only to the fact that Tsarskoye Selo young Sasha Pushkin found excellent teachers, true friends and his own awareness of himself as a Poet. But it was the Lyceum that became a true family for him. At least it was a feeling carried through his whole life, so tragically short...

An interesting detail: if we re-read the poems of A. S. Pushkin, we will not find in them any mention of either mother or father. This is surprising. After all, as a rule, the role of parents is very important, and native images are somehow reflected in the creative imagination of their grown and formed child.

House on Nemetskaya street in Moscow where Pushkin was born. From ph. A. Skipper

Of course, Alexander Sergeevich knew his pedigree and said: "It is not only possible, but also necessary, to be proud of the glory of one's ancestors; not respecting it is shameful indifference".

But the family in which he was born was very peculiar. Hthe wealthy Pushkins, who did not love and did not know how to manage their household successfully, at the same time strove to live a carefree secular life. And this contradiction constantly put them in difficult material conditions.

Sergei Lvovich Pushkin

The upbringing of children also did not particularly occupy them. For example, the poet himself received at home only an excellent knowledge of the French language and became addicted to reading thanks to the library of his father Sergei Lvovich.

It is also well known that the mother, Nadezhda Osipovna, was not too fond of her eldest son, who weakly corresponded to her ideas about what the son of such brilliant parents should be like (Sasha was somewhat clumsy, absent-minded and graceless in childhood). It is not surprising that the "beautiful Creole", as she was called in the world, treated him rather coldly, as if surprised and angry at her own "failure". Sometimes the future poet had to go through difficult times in his parental home.

Sasha Pushkin at the age of 2-3 years. Unknown artist

The consequence of this state of affairs was that in the future Pushkin remembered his childhood little and rarely, as if he had decisively deleted it from his memory. This is psychologically quite understandable: we try to rarely return to moments that are difficult for us. If he wanted to "visit childhood", he recalled the Lyceum.

View of the Lyceum and the Court Church from Sadovaya Street. Lithograph by K. Schultz after fig. I. Meyer. 1850s

After all, this life time is too important for any person for his place to gape with emptiness or blackness. It is childhood that lays in the characters, attitudes, habits all the most stable and fundamental. Lyceum years became such an outlet for Alexander Sergeevich. Even if in reality at that time not everything was perfect and beautiful, a person who later experienced many sorrows, persecution, slander, exile sees that world that has gone into the past is clean, full of friendly ties, romantic feelings, mutual assistance.

Interestingly, the Lyceum, according to the original plan of Emperor Alexander I was intended to be the place of education of his younger brothers Nikolai and Mikhail.

S. Cardelli. Portrait of the Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich. 1814 (after Isabey's original)

Growing up in an atmosphere of unlimited power, they needed to understand how to further humanly treat other people who are not so high on the social ladder.

Apparently, their characters were already beginning to take shape in such a way that such a need arose.

J. Doe. Portrait of P.P. Konovnitsyn

Otherwise, their mentor - General P.P. Konovnitsyn - would not have given them such advice at one time: “ If the time comes to command you units of the troops... try to improve the position of everyone, do not demand the impossible from people. … Shouting and threats are just annoying, but they won’t do you any good».

But the idea was not given to be realized, the Grand Dukes did not study at the Lyceum. Therefore, it became courtly and prestigious, but not as transcendentally authoritative as it was originally planned. Pupils received an extensive education, although not always systematic and thoughtful. This led to some superficial knowledge of lyceum students.

But the indisputable success of the boys who got there was immersion in a special atmosphere of friendship and respect for the individual (by the way, there was no corporal punishment in the Lyceum, as in other educational institutions of that time). Here, the literary creativity of the pupils was encouraged, therefore they tried to write almost everything, although with varying degrees of success.

In the current year of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino, I cannot fail to mention the moment associated with this event.

An unforgettable experience for any person, and even more so for boys who have just begun to live (I remind you that in 1812 lyceum students were from 11 to 15 years old).

F. Vernet. Pushchin I.I., 1817

Ivan Pushchin wrote: These events had a profound effect on our childhood. It began with the fact that we saw off all the guards regiments, because they were passing by the Lyceum itself».

They seemed to feel and see History itself!

Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin recalled in his poem on October 19, 1836:

Do you remember: the army flowed behind the army,

We said goodbye to older brothers

And in the shade of sciences they returned with annoyance,

Envying the one who is dying

walked past us...

And at that moment it did not sound like false pathos, but clearly reflected their psychological mood.

Of course, during the six years of training, everything happened: groups that were in conflict with each other; some isolation from the world, reminiscent of a monastic one; other not-too-pleasant moments… But in general, this craving of lyceum students for the traditional annual meetings on October 19 can be explained not only by this oath (“ ... and the last lyceum student alone will celebrate the opening day of the lyceum on October 19”), but also longing for the atmosphere of their youth and the ideal of friendship. Memories over the years only strengthened their circle.

The day of graduation, June 9, 1817, was filled with many more different rituals.

One of the most famous traditions in the Lyceum is to break the lyceum bell after the final exams, which for six years has been gathering students for classes. Each graduate took a fragment as a keepsake in order to keep a piece of love, warmth, care with which they were surrounded within the walls of the Lyceum, which became a second home for many, for the rest of their lives.

For the very first issue, Engelhardt ordered to make commemorative rings from fragments of the bell. The cast-iron ring in the form of hands intertwined in a friendly handshake became a priceless relic and sacred talisman for Pushkin and his lyceum comrades. The director put these rings on the lyceum graduates - and they became "cast iron".