En
Ru
‘Society for Education of Noble Maidens’ (Smolny Institute) established in Petersburg
On May 5 (16), 1764 in Petersburg under the decree of Empress Catherine II was established the first Russian privileged closed institution of secondary education for daughters of gentlemen by birth – ‘Society for Education of Noble Maidens’ (Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens.).
The full name of the decree was ‘On education of noble maidens in St. Petersburg under the Resurrection Monastery; including the Regulations and personnel of the Educational Society’. The document consisted of an introductory part and two chapters. The first chapter contained 6 sections: On positions of wardens and acceptance of noble maidens to the institute; On division of the accepted maidens into four age classes, on personnel and education; On the lady superior; On lady ruler; On ladies supervisors; On ladies teachers and masters. The second chapter covered the education in general.
The initiator of the Society creation and the author of its Regulations was Ivan Ivanovich Betskoy. The closeness of the institution was the major condition and idea of Betskoy who was planning to educate a ‘new breed’ of people. According to the decree he objective of this educational institution was to ‘… provide for the state educated women, good mothers, useful family and society members’.
The Institute’s superior was assigned Countess Anna Sergeevna Dolgorukova; its ruler was a Frenchwoman Sophia de Lafond.
Smolny Institute of Noble Maidens was housed by Smolny convent of Resurrection; in 1809 it was given a new building constructed in accordance with G. Quarenghi design (Smolny Institute).
The educational society took care of 200 noble maidens. Their education lasted for 12 years and was divided into 4 age classes 3 years each. The first admission of girls aged 4 to 6 took place in August of 1764.
Girls of each age class wore dresses of a particular color: the first class had coffee-colored dresses so that its pupils were often called coffee-girls; the second class wore blue dresses, the third one – gray ones and the older girls had white dresses. Later, the white being easily soiled, they were replaced by green ones but the tradition to call the class ‘white’ remained.
Pupils’ day began at 6:00 a.m. After the morning prayer and breakfast the classes started. Intellectual work alternated with physical exercises, daily walks, outdoor games. The girls were being taught reading, writing, history, geography, foreign languages, fundamentals of mathematics, physics, chemistry as well as needlework, dances, music, social manner of conduct.
Their knowledge was evaluated in accordance with 12-point system: 1-2 points – ‘bad’; 3-4 – ‘poor’; 5-6 – ‘satisfactory’, 7-8 – ‘good’, 9-10 – ‘very good’, 11-12 – ‘excellent’.
The major event in girls’ life was a public exam attended by the members of the imperial family. At the graduation the pupils received certificates. In the reign of Catherine II – a golden monogram in the form of Empress initials – was granted to six best pupils; in the reign of Maria Feodorovna – to ten. The best girls were taken on court service.
In 1765 under Smolny Institute opened the Department for ‘petty bourgeois maidens’ (from not noble families except for the families of serfs). In 1848 petty bourgeois department was reorganized into St. Petersbug Alexander school.
In summer of 1917 the pupils of the Institute were transferred to other educational institutions.
Lit.: Ахметшин Ш. К. Ум. Честь. Красота. Смольный институт благородных девиц. СПб., 2008; Быкова В. П. Записки старой смолянки. СПб., 1898; Водовозова Е. Н. На заре жизни. Т. 1. М., 1964; Данилова А. М. Благородные девицы. Воспитанницы Смольного института: биографические хроники. М., 2007; Иманов Г. М. Смольный институт: прошлое, настоящее, будущее. СПб., 2009; Мордвинова З. Е. Смольный институт в эпоху императрицы Екатерины II (1764-1796) // Исторический вестник. 1914. Кн. 6 (июнь). С. 987-1001; Черепнин Н. П. Императорское воспитательное общество благородных девиц: Ист. очерк, 1764-1914. Т. 1-3. СПб., 1914-1915.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
Лихачёва Е. О. Материалы для истории женского образования в России. СПб., 1890;
Полное собрание законов Российской империи, с 1649 года. СПб., 1830. Т. 16. № 12154. С. 742;
Распопова Н. Н. Хроника Смольного монастыря в царствование императрицы Екатерины II. СПб., 1864;