"The Great War, Forgotten Heroes..."

The community of sisters of mercy of St. George in the events of the First World War.

Krainyukov P.E., Major General of the Medical Service, Doctor of Medical Sciences
Abashin V.G., MD Professor.

Central Military Clinical Hospital. P.V. Mandryka.
Moscow. B. Deer d. 8a.

Summary: The article provides data on the history of the emergence of organized care for sick and wounded soldiers and the nursing movement in Russia, the history of the St. George Community in Petrograd, the activities of doctors and nurses of the St. George Community during the First World War. Data are provided on the infirmaries and hospitals deployed by the forces of the Community of St. George in the Army and rear areas. The main attention in the article is given to the names of the sisters of mercy of the Community of St. George and the fate of some of them.

Keywords: The First World War - the "Great War", the Russian Red Cross Society, the Community of St. George, the Exaltation of the Cross Community of the Red Cross, infirmaries and hospitals of the Red Cross Society, doctors and nurses of the Community of St. George.

Summary: the article presents the data about the history of organized help to the sick and wounded soldiers and nursing movement in Russia, about the history of the community of St. George in Petrograd, the activities of doctors and nurses of the community of St. George during the First world war. Provides data on deployed forces of the community of St. George hospitals and infirmaries in the Army and the rear areas. The main attention is paid to the names on the list of sisters of mercy of the community of St. George and the fates of some of them.

key words: First world war – "the Great war", the Russian Society of the Red Cross, Community of St. George, the Holy cross Community of the Red Cross, hospitals and the hospitals of red cross Society, doctors and nurses of the community of St. George.

More than 100 years ago, the First World War ("Great War") began. It was marked by large-scale military operations, the use of new weapons of significant destructive power, armored vehicles, the massive use of automatic weapons, the first combat use of poisonous substances, etc. The results of front-line operations were significant sanitary losses of personnel in units.

War, "traumatic epidemic" in the words of N.I. Pirogov, required the deployment of a significant number of medical facilities, both in the zone of the Active Army and in the rear areas.

In parallel with the medical units of the Military Department, the Russian Red Cross Society deployed as of June 1, 1916: 75 forward detachments, 71 hospitals, 61 stage and 59 mobile infirmaries, 1379 evacuation-type rear infirmaries, 11 ambulance trains, 93 ambulance transport, 185 nutrition and dressing institutions, 23 disinfection chambers, 43 sanitary-epidemic, 73 disinfection, 7 X-ray and 5 flying surgical teams, 3 train-baths, 3 floating hospitals in the Black Sea, 3 bacteriological laboratories, 13 field warehouses and their departments.

If the names of doctors of military units, military hospitals and hospitals of charitable societies are still available in special and reference literature, then the names of the sisters of mercy, on whose shoulders all the main work of helping and caring for the wounded and sick soldiers voluntarily fell, are in most cases forgotten.

History of nursing in Russia

The history of organized assistance to sick and wounded soldiers and the sister movement in Russia began on November 5, 1854, when, on the initiative of Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna, the Exaltation of the Cross Community of Sisters of Mercy was opened in St. Petersburg.

Traditionally, caring for the wounded and sick warriors was a kind of obedience of nuns and women, members of various religious societies. The Exaltation of the Cross community united patriotic women from various strata of society - from highly educated (among them were the wives, widows and daughters of senior officials, nobles, landowners, merchants, officers of the Russian army and navy) to illiterate peasant women. The first sisters of mercy participated in helping wounded soldiers in hospitals and infirmaries of the Crimean (Eastern) War of 1853-1856. under the direction of N.I. Pirogov.

May 3, 1867 (s.s.) Emperor Alexander II approved the charter of the "Society for the Care of the Wounded and Sick Soldiers", the prototype of the Russian Red Cross Society (since 1876). The society was under the auspices of the Empress Maria Alexandrovna.

In 1869, the 5th Ladies' Committee of the "Society for the Care of the Wounded and Sick Soldiers" (St. Petersburg), organized by Countess Elizaveta Nikolaevna Geyden, began training "military" sisters of mercy in the Exaltation of the Cross Community at its own expense.

Community of the Sisters of Mercy of Saint George

On November 26, 1870, the Community of the Sisters of Mercy of St. George (“St. George”) was opened in St. Petersburg, initially consisting of 5 sisters of the Exaltation of the Cross community.

The community was under the patronage of Empress Maria Feodorovna. Princess Eugenia Maximilianovna of Oldenburg was elected the Chairman of the Community.

At the wire in the Montenegrin hospital, one of the wounded said: “Mother, you are leaving tomorrow: when you get to Katarro, take off your portrait and send it to us: we will hang it in the hospital so that everyone can see what the Montenegrin mother was like.”

Initially, the Community was located in Fomin's rented house on Grebetskaya Street. (Petrograd side). For the practical training of the sisters of mercy, 10 beds were deployed, a pharmacy, where free medicines were provided to poor patients. In addition to the hospital, outpatient reception of incoming patients was organized.

In 1871, the Community moved to the rebuilt house of the former Head of the Imperial Medical and Surgical Academy (1867-1869), Life Surgeon Pavel Andreevich Naranovich (1801-1874), near the Vyborg (modern Sampsonevsky) bridge at 4, Orenburgskaya st. ( architect of the restructuring of the house Dorimedont Dorimedontovich Sokolov).

The building of the Community of St. George. Orenburgskaya st., 4

From the history of the Community and the hospital:

On December 21, 1874, in the presence of the imperial family, a church was consecrated in honor of St. George. For many years, Father Alexei (Alexey Petrovich Kolokolov, 1836-1902) was the spiritual leader of the Georgievsky community.

In 1879, the Community received a plot of land next to the Clinical Military Hospital for free use. In 1882, 2 new (Aleksandrovsky and Mariinsky) hospital barracks for 45 beds each began to operate, a stone building with a 3-story main building and side 2-story outbuildings was rebuilt. A real hospital town began to form on the Vyborg side.

In December 1888, a surgical barrack named after E.M. Oldenburg.

In 1892, the construction of the Institute for hydrotherapy, electrotherapy, massage and medical gymnastics was completed at the expense of the merchant V.A. Ratkov-Rozhnov.

In 1894, the property of the House of Charity for the elderly and crippled soldiers at the Church of St. Olga in Duderhof (a district of Krasnoye Selo near St. communities, but also all sisters of mercy of the Red Cross. In 1896, an orphanage-colony was opened there for the children of poor parents (for 30-40 children) in memory of Countess E.P. Heyden.

In 1901, a barrack for cancer patients was opened in Duderhof in memory of E.P. Kartseva.

Duderhof. Children's shelter-colony for 30-40 children and an oncological barrack in memory of E.P. Kartseva

Sisters of mercy and doctors of the Community provided assistance to soldiers on the battlefields of the Serbian-Turkish war (1875-1877); Russian-Turkish war (1877-1878); Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905); Balkan Wars (1912-1913).

The medical part of the Community was headed by professors of the Imperial Medical and Surgical Academy, incl. therapist Sergei Petrovich Botkin and obstetrician-gynecologist Dmitry Oskarovich Ott.

In 1898, after the death of E.P. Vera Egorovna Wrangel (1832-1915) - baroness, sister of mercy, participant in the Russian-Turkish war in 1878. After her death, Ekaterina Nikolaevna Chikhacheva (in 1914 - the eldest sister of mercy of the 1st hospital of the Community).

Community of the Sisters of Mercy of St. George during the First World War

The chief physician of the St. George Community of the Red Cross in 1914-15. was a well-known Russian pathophysiologist, Acting State Councilor Doctor of Medicine, Professor Nikolai Grigorievich Ushinsky. At the same time, he headed the Department of General and Experimental Pathology of the Psychoneurological Institute and was an Advisory Member of the Military Medical Scientific Committee.

Before N.G. Ushinsky The chief doctor of the Community was professor of IVMA Nikolai Yakovlevich Chistovich (1895-1899), medical doctor Evgeny Sergeevich Botkin (1907-?).

At the beginning of the First World War, the training of sisters of mercy in the Petrograd St. George Community of the Red Cross was carried out by:

Senior Resident (later Chief Physician of the Hospital of the St. George Community of the Red Cross) State Councilor Bekhtin Petr Viktorovich.

Senior resident State Counselor Servirog Alexander Alexandrovich (later Head of the K. Marx Hospital and School for the Training of Sisters of Mercy at the hospital).

Doctor-specialist of the St. George Community of the Red Cross Actual State Councilor Rozov Petr Alekseevich.

Doctor of St. George's Community of the Red Cross Doctor of Medicine State Councilor Andrey Lvovich Polenov (later a well-known neurosurgeon, professor, full member of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Honored Scientist of the RSFSR).

Resident Doctor of Medicine Court Counselor Syrensky Nikolai Nikolaevich (1879?). Therapist, student of Evgeny Sergeevich Botkin. Since 1907, he was the Head of the hydropathic clinic at the Georgievsky community of sisters of mercy.

During the First World War, N.N. Syrensky was the head of the 4th and 5th hospitals of the St. George Community of the ROCK stationed in Polotsk.

Suvorov Petr Fedorovich, resident of the St. George Community of the Red Cross.

Consultant of the St. George Community of the Red Cross, well-known obstetrician-gynecologist, Doctor of Medicine State Councilor Paryshev Dmitry Andrianovich: Head of the Vyborg maternity hospital; consultant of the Maximilian hospital; Head of the gynecological department of the Elizabethan Hospital; Chairman of the Petrograd Obstetric and Gynecological Society during the Revolution and the Civil War.

Consultant of the St. George Community of the Red Cross Doctor of Medicine Acting State Councilor Podanovsky Vladimir Ivanovich (1852–1916). He worked as a doctor and senior intern of the hospital since 1893. Since 1909 - Honorary consultant of the hospital, member of the city hospital commission.

In the first months of the war (late 1914 - early 1915), more than 1,600 nurses were sent from the walls of the St. George Community to hospitals, infirmaries and ambulance trains of the Military Department and the Red Cross.

At the beginning of the First World War, the Community of St. George formed 4 field hospitals. They were created after the announcement of mobilization in July 1914 and left Petrograd for the North-Western Front already in August-September 1914.

The 1st hospital of the Community of St. George named after Her Imperial Majesty Empress Maria Feodorovna was deployed in Grodno in the building of the women's gymnasium of the department of institutions of Empress Maria. The medical staff in the state consisted of 5 doctors and 16 nurses. The elder sister of mercy of the 1st hospital - Ekaterina Nikolaevna Chikhacheva (since 09/2/1914).

Sisters of mercy of the 1st hospital of the Community of St. George: Abel Johanna Berngardovna, Rossinskaya Maria Gerkulanovna, Ruzskaya, Samsonova Tatiana Ermolaevna, Saranchina Maria Erastovna, Yalova Anna Ivanovna, Alimova Maria Ivanovna, Bakhova Anisya Petrovna, Gertova Anna Nikolaevna, Gintyllo Maria Boleslavovna, Graben Augusta Petrovna, Ievleva Maria Fominichna, Kukkonen Anna Andreevna, Myznikova Serafima Alekseevna, Krivaleva Maria Alekseevna, Cherkina Maria Vasilievna, Gerasimova Anna Vasilievna, Peskova Elena Yakovlevna.

During the August operation, which took place in February 1915, 1264 wounded passed through the hospital, delivered directly from the battlefield.

The total count of losses only in the 20th Army Corps from January 31 to February 8, 1915 during the Battle of Masuria (“August operation” in the area of ​​Augustow or the East Prussian operation of 1915, in German literature - “Winter battle in Masuria"):

In the infantry: there were 513 officers (349 lost), 35,505 soldiers (27,998 lost);

In artillery: there were 204 officers (124 lost), 9311 soldiers (5701 lost).

The hospital worked in Grodno for about a year. During this period, medical assistance was provided to 5097 wounded.

From September 1915 to February 1916 the hospital was located in Yaroslavl. After the hospital returned to the front in March 1916, it was stationed in the Gorodzilov manor on the Akhmatovich estate. For 6 months of this period, the hospital received up to 1670 wounded.

The 2nd hospital of the Community of St. George named after HER Imperial Highness Princess Eugenia Maximilianovna of Oldenburg was considered one of the best surgical hospitals at the front. The hospital was originally deployed in Warsaw in the building of the 1st male gymnasium and university. The medical staff in the state consisted of 5 doctors and 16 nurses. The elder sister of mercy of the 2nd hospital is Romanova Alexandra Vadimovna.

Sisters of mercy of the 2nd hospital of the Community of St. George: Sergieva Maria Vladimirovna, Stepanova Daria Stepanovna, Suruchan Natalia Ilyinichna, Uverskaya Marfa Vasilievna, Ulyanovskaia Anna Semyonovna, Princess Urusova Antonina Alexandrovna (maid of honor of Alexandra Feodorovna), Shagina Natalya Pavlovna, Shkultetskaya Ekaterina Nikolaevna, Shkultetskaya Maria Nikolaevna, Olga Petrovna Fon-Enden, Nina Nikolaevna Yakovlevskaya, Antonina Aleksandrovna Grigoryeva, Yulia Zenonovna Gruzhevskaya, Antonina Iosifovna Daragan, Anna Ivanovna Kalm, Pelageya Semyonovna Makarova, Anna Dmitrievna Matveeva, Anastasia Vasilievna Muchkina, Maria Nikolaevna Novikova, Yulianna Ivanovna Nuri.

With the deterioration of the situation at the front, the hospital with 312 beds was relocated to the city of Bela, Kholmsk province. On the day the work began on September 1, 1914, the hospital received up to 100 seriously wounded.

In October 1914, the hospital was relocated to Warsaw and housed in the building of the 1st Men's Gymnasium. Initially, 350 beds were deployed, and in November an additional 200 beds were deployed for the lightly wounded in the building of the Russian Assembly. In May 1915, the hospital received up to 700 people who suffered from gas attacks on the river. Ravka and r. Bzure. For 7.5 months of work in Warsaw, 6137 wounded and injured were received.

In connection with the retreat of Russian troops on June 16, 1915, the hospital was evacuated to Belovezh. On August 16, 1915, the hospital returned to the capital and was deployed with 200 beds in midwife-gynecological institute on Vasilyevsky Island. During the year, 7265 people passed through it.

4th and 5th Hospital of the Community of St. George were sent on September 29, 1914 from Petrograd to the rear of the Army in Polotsk (the railway demarcation junction between the roads of the Northern and Western fronts). The hospitals were placed in a three-story building of the cadet corps and deployed with 1,200 beds to receive the wounded from the hospitals of the front. The work of these hospitals was led by the Doctor of Medicine, Court Councilor Nikolai Nikolaevich Syrensky (officially the head of the 5th hospital).

The elder sister of mercy of the 4th hospital - Dusterlo Elisaveta Anatolievna.

The elder sister of mercy of the 5th hospital is Reinvald Maria Eduardovna (since 10/1/1914), Zinaida Naumovna Kuropteva (since 03/2/1915).

Sisters of Mercy of the 4th Hospital of the Community of St. George: Algina Ekaterina Vasilievna, Avlasenok Evdokia Antipovna, Bobkova Vera Ivanovna, Bogdanova Natalia Mikhailovna, Vasilyeva Anna Timofeevna, Verderevskaya Maria Platonovna, Veske Margarita Ivanovna, Gavrilova Lidia Fedorovna, Goloulicheva Maria Egorovna, Gordeeva Maria Alexandrovna , Grekova Elisaveta Ivanovna, Gribova Anna Georgievna, Dedereva Marianna Martynovna, Dubenko Elena Konstantinovna, Dumitrashko Yulia Viktorovna, Ivanova Elena Alexandrovna, Kraul Olga Kristyanovna, Kryuchkova Anna Vasilievna, Lang Natalia Mikhailovna, Lachinova Alexandra Alexandrovna, Lerhe Zhenni Germanovna, Obukhova Maria Mikhailovna, Pashkova Tatyana Pavlovna, Pichugova Matrona Vasilievna, Ponomareva Maria Pavlovna, Popova Matrona Vasilievna, Pyzhova Zoya Ivanovna, Rekhenberg Lyudmila Nikolaevna, Kharitonova Anna Ivanovna, Yankovskaya Natalya Mikhailovna, Lipskaya.

Sisters of mercy of the 5th hospital of the Community of St. George: Artemyeva Alexandra Konstantinovna, Gavrisheva Elena Ivanovna, Garanina Olga Karlovna, Geld Margarita Andreevna, Dvorzhitskaya Elena Yakovlevna, Doynikova Lidia Vasilievna, Kablitz Olga Nikolaevna, Kolesnikova Alexandra Nikolaevna, Kuznetsova Anastasia Nikolaevna, Makhotkina Regina Nikolaevna , Orlova Tatyana Feofilovna, Parshova Alexandra Evgenievna, Pisareva Zoya Petrovna, Popova Maria Nikolaevna, Ressler Anna Alexandrovna, Savchenko-Belskaya Tatyana Nikolaevna, Sarapkina Elena Nikolaevna, Sirotina Maria Iannuarievna, Stefanovskaya Olga Alekseevna, Stomilova Margarita Ivanovna, Sutotskaya Vanda Stefanovna, Timofeeva Alexandra Nikolaevna , Ussakovskaya Anna Mikhailovna, Shishko Mikhalina Antonovna.

The sisters of mercy were sent to the 4th and 5th hospitals of the Community of St. George: Andreeva Elena Andreevna, Antonova Maria Antonovna, Artsyshevich Elena Vladimirovna, Artsyshevich Elena Ivanovna, Vishnevskaya Anna Mikhailovna, Gnevysheva Lidia Ivanovna, Gogoleva Ekaterina Pavlovna, Dolgolova Lidia Nikolaevna, Kishkovarova Natalya Semyonovna, Koger Meta Karlovna, Kornilova Susanna Mikhailovna, Litvinova Evgenia Aleksandrovna, Likhareva Lidia Konstantinovna, Lomakovskaya Maria Aleksandrovna, Matveeva Maria Aleksandrovna, Makhotkina Irina Nikolaevna, Roshkovskaya Vanda Evgenievna, Samoilova Lidia Yakovlevna, Terentyeva Anna Ivanovna, Yanberg Minna Ivanovna.

In early September, the Germans approached the Polotsk-Molodechno railway line. On September 14, 1915, the 4th and 5th St. George's hospitals left Polotsk and were transferred to Moscow. During the year of their work in Polotsk, more than 6,000 wounded were received.

There is a list of sisters of mercy (16 sisters) sent to work in the 3rd hospital of the Community of St. George Own by Her Imperial Majesty Empress Maria Feodorovna No. 1. However, according to the archivist Pyatina Yu.S. (2014), the absence of documents on the work of the hospital in the Central State Historical Archive of St. Petersburg (TSGIA SPb) may indicate that it was not formed.

In addition to hospitals, the Red Cross Community of St. George formed several infirmaries for the Army in the Field:

Mobile infirmary No. 1 Communities of St. George. On December 23, 1915, at the Vileyka railway station, Emperor Nicholas II held the highest review of the troops of the 2nd Army of the Western Front and visited the 1st St. George's Mobile Infirmary, where he awarded seriously wounded soldiers. There is an entry in the Emperor's Diary: “I visited the infirmary of the Georgievsky community in Vileyka, where 20 wounded were lying.”

Mobile infirmary No. 1a The communities of St. George;

Mobile Infirmary No. 2 The communities of St. George;

Mobile Infirmary No. 3 Communities of St. George im. French Benevolent Society ("French Infirmary"). In 1914, he acted as part of the 1st Army of General P.K. von Rennenkampf. The infirmary arrived in Verzhbolovo on August 18 (31), headed by the senior physician Fortunat Evstafyevich Kresson (formerly the director of the French hospital in St. Petersburg), accompanied by the Commissioner of the ROCC under the 1st Army, His Serene Highness Prince Pavel Pavlovich Lieven. The further path of the infirmary lay through Gumbinnen to Insterburg and to Darkemen.

On January 29, 1915, during the capture of Verzhbolovo by the Germans, the medical personnel of the French Convoy Infirmary, not having time to evacuate the echelon with the wounded, was taken prisoner with them.

Stage infirmary No. 1 The communities of St. George;

Stage infirmary No. 2 Communities of St. George im. Petrograd Credit Society;

Stage infirmary No. 3 Communities of St. George im. V.V. Muravyov-Apostol-Korobin, who is under the highest patronage of Her Imperial Majesty the Empress Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

The largest medical institutions in which the sisters of mercy of the Community of St. George worked were:

Helsingfors: Military hospital; Marine Hospital; 1st Helsingfors Temporary Infirmary of the Imperial Finnish Senate, under the August patronage of Her Imperial Majesty Empress Alexandra Feodorovna; 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Helsingfors temporary infirmaries of the Imperial Finnish Senate.

Petrograd: Kalinkinsky Marine Hospital; Petrograd Marine Hospital No. 2; Petrograd rear distribution evacuation point, Petrograd city hospitals No. 2, No. 6, No. 57, No. 76, No. 107, No. 172, No. 173, No. 193, No. 206, No. 207, No. 237; city ​​infirmary of the Azov-Don Bank named after Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich.

Riga: Riga Military Hospital; Riga rear evacuation point.

81st ambulance train named after Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna. The train ran between Petrograd and Warsaw, Brest-Litovsk and Riga.

Certificate of wartime sister of mercy A.N. von Enden,
seconded to VSP No. 81

82nd ambulance train named after Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna;

83rd ambulance train named after Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna;

61st military hospital train named after Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna;

Ambulance train of Her Imperial Majesty Empress Maria Feodorovna;

Medical train of the Red Cross named after His Imperial Highness Prince Alexander Petrovich of Oldenburg;

Petrograd city advanced medical and nutritional detachment of the All-Russian Union of Cities;

Infirmary of the Slavic Charitable Society (Serbia, under the patronage of Princess M.K. Trubetskoy; Senior doctor of the detachment N.I. Sychov);

Infirmary named after the Queen of the Hellenes Olga Konstantinovna;

The Sisters of Mercy from the Community of St. George were sent to complete medical trains to Galicia and to several dozen more sanitary institutions in St. Petersburg and the Army.

In September 1916, Count Aleksey Alekseevich Ignatiev (military attache in France) turned to the ROKK with a request to take care of the fate of a large number of Russian soldiers and officers who were admitted to French sanitary institutions for treatment. It was decided to send 30 experienced nurses, preferably speaking French, to France to care for the Russian wounded.

A month later, on October 16, 1916, a detachment of 25 sisters was formed and sent to France. It included 11 sisters of the Petrograd St. George community, sisters of mercy from the Petrograd Elisabeth, Holy Trinity and Intercession communities, the Bialystok and Warsaw Elisabeth communities, the Petrograd Ladies' Infirmary Committee, the Kiev Mariinsky and Tiflis communities, four sisters of the Moscow St. Nicholas community (L.V. Mosolova , N.M. Pozharskaya, M.K. Palayulion, M.A. Yuretskaya) and two sisters of the Moscow Alexandrinsky community (O.V. Krestovskaya, T.M. Savkova). The detachment was led by the senior sister of mercy Alexandra Vadimovna Romanova (2nd hospital of the Community of St. George named after Her Imperial Highness Princess Eugenia Maximilianovna of Oldenburg).

During the war, the question arose of keeping prisoners of war in the camps of the warring countries. For the inspection trip to Germany, the elder sister of the Petrograd community of St. George P.A. Kazim-Bek, trustee of the Zhytomyr community N.I. Orzhevskaya and sister of mercy of the wartime of the Elisabeth community E.A. Samsonov. During their trip, they visited camps in Sweden, Denmark and Germany and inspected 115 camps, of which 76 were for the lower ranks.

The fate of the sisters of mercy was divided in 1917. On January 9, 1918, on the basis of a decree of the Council of People's Commissars, all buildings, land, property and capital of the Community of St. George became the property of the state. The activity of the Community was terminated. In the future, the hospital was located in the buildings of the community. Karl Marx (the name was given on October 8, 1918) and the 2nd medical school.

Many sisters of mercy remained to serve the new Russia, many served Russia outside of it.

Romanova Alexandra Vadimovna(05/05/1879 - 11/18/1961). Senior Sister of Mercy of the Community of St. George. During the First World War - Senior Sister of Mercy of the 2nd hospital of the Community. From 10/16/1916 - Senior sister of the Special Brigade of the Red Cross in France. After the revolution - in the Volunteer Army and the Armed Forces of the South of Russia, the elder sister of the hospital in Ekaterinodar. In exile in Paris. Through the Red Cross, she participated in the creation of: a free outpatient clinic where Russian doctors were treated; a nursing home in Schell, near Paris, and a small hospital attached to it; a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients in the mountains of the Haute-Loire department; nursing homes in Nice; hostels for working and former Russian sisters of the Red Cross in a mansion in Paris. Died in Paris. She was buried in the cemetery of Saint-Genevieve-des-Bois.

Alexandra Nikolaevna von Enden (Chichagova, 06/04/1884 - 06/27/1976). Niece Romanova Alexandra Vadimovna, Sister of Mercy of the Community of St. George.

During the First World War, she served as a nurse in a mobile infirmary in Vilna, the 2nd hospital of the Community of St. George named after Her Imperial Highness Princess Eugenia Maximilianovna of Oldenburg in Warsaw under the command of Alexandra Vadimovna Romanova, in the military hospital train No. Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna. In the 20-30s. worked in Leningrad: translator, librarian of GIDUV ... Survived the blockade ... . Alexandra Nikolaevna von Enden died in Leningrad on June 27, 1976.

Literature:

1. Sokolova V.A. Russian Red Cross Society (1867-1918) \ Diss. cand. ist. Sciences. St. Petersburg - 2014. - 302 pages.

2. Pyatina Yu.S. The activities of the hospitals of the Community of St. George of the Russian Red Cross Society on the fronts of the First World War. St. Petersburg, 2014. - 9 p.

3. Russian medical list published by the Office of the Chief Medical Inspector of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for 1914. Petrograd. Printing house of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. 1914.

4. Russian medical list published by the Office of the Chief Medical Inspector of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for 1916. Petrograd. Printing house of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. 1916. 1230 pages.

5. Kunkite M.I. Petersburg is a "hotbed" of nursing in Russia. To the 135th anniversary of the founding of the Community of the Sisters of Mercy of St. George // History of St. Petersburg. 2005. No. 6.

6. List of sisters of mercy of the Russian Red Cross Society appointed to care for the wounded and sick soldiers in medical institutions of the Red Cross, the military department, public organizations and individuals. Compiled according to the information available in the Office of the Main Directorate of the Russian Red Cross Society by August 1, 1915. Petrograd. State Printing House. 1915.

7. Collection of states of institutions of the Russian Red Cross Society of wartime. Pg., 1914.

8. Collection of states of institutions of the Russian Red Cross Society in wartime. 2nd ed., add. Pg., 1917. S. 3-12.

9. Pakhalyuk K.A. “There was a feeling that we were left to the mercy of fate”: institutions of the Russian Red Cross Society under the 1st Army in August 1914 / / Kaliningrad archives. 2015. No. 12. P. 117 – 132.

10. RGVIA. F. 12651. Op. 2. D. 554. The case of the dispatch of ROCK detachments to France. L. 48.

11. Demidova O.R. Women of the Russian emigration. In book. Charity in the history of Russia: New documents and research. St. Petersburg: Nestor-Istoriya, 2008. S. 68-92.

12. Notes of Alexandra Nikolaevna Enden. http://monarh-nnov.narod.ru/Enden.zip

mercy red cross charity

A manifestation of high morality and spirituality was the movement of community sisters of mercy, which arose in the middle of the 19th century. It was started by the Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna and Princess Teresa of Oldenburg, who in 1844 in St. Petersburg founded the first community of sisters of mercy in Russia, called Holy Trinity.

In Moscow, a similar community arose in 1848 during a cholera epidemic. It was organized by two prominent people, Princess Sofya Stepanovna Shcherbatova and Dr. Fyodor Petrovich Gaaz. During the Crimean War of 1853-1856, Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna in 1854 established a community of sisters of mercy in St. Petersburg, called the Exaltation of the Cross, specially designed for work in the army. The organization and activities of the community took place under the leadership of the great Russian surgeon N. I. Pirogov. The new undertaking in the highest circles was met with skepticism. High-society moralists expressed their fear that sending women to the front could lead to the disintegration of the army.

However, women with selfless work and impeccable behavior have earned universal respect and appreciation. N.I. Pirogov highly appreciated the hard work, dedication and great moral influence that the sisters of mercy had on the soldiers.

Noting the exploits of meek women in battle, a military award was established for them by the highest command - a breast gilded cross, which was awarded to 158 sisters, and 68 sisters of mercy - a soldier's medal "For the Defense of Sevastopol". The historic initiative of the sisters of mercy of the Nikolskaya and Exaltation of the Cross communities to provide assistance to the wounded in the army had a huge impact on the further development of military medical affairs throughout the world.

In Moscow, following the Nikolskaya community of sisters of mercy, Alexandrovskaya, Pokrovskaya, Iverskaya, Pavlovskaya and Marfo-Marinskaya were soon formed. Their creators were mainly wealthy ascetics who profess the gospel covenants of mercy. A special role in this piety belongs to the Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna, who organized a charity society for destitute children and the elderly, headed the Moscow branch of the Russian Red Cross Society, formed infirmary detachments and medical trains for the wounded and sick soldiers, patronized almost all the communities of mercy in Moscow.

The statutes of the communities, although they were strict, unlike the monastic ones, left some elements of freedom for the members. The sisters retained the right to own their own property, they could marry or return to their parents who needed care. The community accepted widows and girls of all classes aged 20 to 40 years. Those wishing to enter the community first passed a probationary period of up to two years. During certification, they took a vow of impeccable behavior, an ascetic lifestyle and renunciation in the name of those suffering from worldly temptations.

In peacetime, the sisters cared for the sick in military hospitals and civilian hospitals, as well as in the apartments of private individuals. In wartime, they were seconded by the community council to the disposal of the chief representative of the Russian Red Cross Society and distributed to hospitals. Well-bred, neatly dressed, correct, sensitive and attentive, the sisters of mercy brought a special moral and psychological climate into the hospital life, instilling peace and confidence in the souls of the wounded.

The leadership of the community, as a rule, remained in the hands of its founder, who made the main contribution to the treasury, which was then replenished by contributions from members of the board of trustees, generous gifts from philanthropists and payment for treatment in the community hospital and outpatient clinic.

Within their walls, communities opened specialized hospitals, where 10-15 percent of the places paid by philanthropists were allocated for the poor. In addition, free medical care was provided by the diocesan communities during regular visits by the sisters to the afflicted in overnight homes and various slums. The sisters of mercy of the Moscow communities selflessly worked during epidemics of cholera, typhus and other diseases in the Volga region, in the Urals and even in Yakutia, and during the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905 and the world war of 1914-1915 - in field hospitals, sanitary trains and hospitals.

The atmosphere of sacrifice and civic duty in the communities has given rise to a good tradition among teachers of schools and orphanages, doctors and pharmacists of hospitals and outpatient clinics - to work on a voluntary basis and without compensation. It is impossible to ignore the care of the communities for their honeycombs that have worked for more than 20 years or have lost their efficiency. For them, well-maintained almshouses with full board were arranged at the communities. Often, out of compassion, homeless elderly people who were in particular need of help were also placed here, who also enjoyed free food, clothing and treatment.

With the women's communities of sisters of mercy, the process of establishing social work as a professional activity begins. After all, all members of the organization took a course of study according to a specially developed program, and only after receiving the appropriate certificate did they start work.

A. V. Posternak

The history of women's ministry to the sick and the needy has its roots in the era of early Christianity, which from the moment of its inception equated the concepts of serving God and neighbor and defined charity as a personal, individual feat of a person in relation to the people around him. Therefore, charity, taking organized forms, turning into a certain system of social relations, paradoxically, gradually loses its deep inner connection with church Christian life, retaining only the outer Christian shell, and sometimes even losing it. And this is quite natural, because few people can constantly live a feat for the sake of their neighbors. It is much easier to formalize this process, turning it into cash transfers or material assistance to those in need, although even in this form it played an important role in society in cases where church and state did not completely solve social problems. It is not for nothing that private charity flourished in Russia during the period of increased secularization in the late 18th and early 20th centuries. It is with this period (starting from the first half of the 19th century) that the history of the Russian communities of sisters of mercy is connected, which well illustrates this process: from heroic enthusiasm to formalized organization in helping others.

In modern literature, the problem associated with the history of the communities of sisters of mercy has been little studied. Published materials in most cases are descriptive and are only touched upon by researchers in connection with other topics: women's medical education, the general history of charity, the heroic activity of women in the context of general and Russian history. Of particular interest were such personalities as the founder of the Exaltation of the Cross community N. I. Pirogov and the Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna, who created the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent. Articles appeared on individual women's organizations in the context of Moscow studies with descriptions of the architectural features of communal buildings and essays on the sisters' awards. The only book in which an attempt was made to examine in detail the activities of women who cared for the sick and wounded was the work of P. A. Ilinsky, dedicated to the Russian-Turkish war [ .

in Russia until the 19th century. there were no special institutions for the care of the sick. The first attempts to create this kind of charitable organization date back to the beginning of the 19th century, when in 1803 widows' homes were founded at the educational houses of St. Only in 1844, Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna and Princess Teresa of Oldenburg founded in the capital the first community of sisters of mercy in Russia, which in 1873/74 received the name Holy Trinity (until that time it had no name). In form, it was a kind of tracing paper from Western models such as organizations of Protestant deaconesses or Catholic sisters of Vincent de Paul, but on Russian soil the new institution acquired the features of a church-communal structure, close in spirit to the monastic one. In this sense, the Trinity community will become a prototype for a number of other, but by no means all, sisterhoods, which initially gravitated towards semi-monastic charters, although in the form of charitable activities close to Western models. This characteristic feature, having undergone a significant evolution, will remain until the beginning of the 20th century.

On October 25, 1854, Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna established the Exaltation of the Cross Community of Sisters of Mercy in St. Petersburg. The remarkable Russian surgeon Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov became the chief doctor and immediate leader of the community, and he carried out a thorough reorganization of the community. Any woman who wished to join it underwent tests in hospitals under the guidance of older sisters for a year: at the end of the first month of the term, when she was still “on observation,” she was given uniforms. During the period of service, the sister could not marry and was obliged to live in the community. Distinguished in any way - zeal, special behavior, even a good education - could be accepted earlier than the deadline. The sisters did not receive a salary, but they had, in addition to official clothes, a table and housing. The direct supervisor of the sisters was the abbess. The described structure subsequently formed the basis for the structure of most Russian communities of sisters of mercy.

Twenty years after the Crimean War, Pirogov, in one of his letters, reflected on the future fate of the community - about what worldview is necessary for a sister of mercy. “I think,” he wrote, “that our institutions of sisters should not borrow anything from the West, but should be established on new principles. Our sister of mercy should not be an Orthodox nun. She must be a woman with a practical mind and a good technical education, and at the same time she must certainly retain a sensitive heart. According to Pirogov, the sisters of mercy were supposed to maintain maximum independence from the hospital administration, and the older sisters had a moral influence on the hospital staff - this was the main function of the sisters during the Crimean War. “If we would take it into our heads to introduce a formal religious trend in our communities, then ... we will get female Tartuffes.” Thus, Pirogov's main idea was that a sister of mercy should be a "woman of her time" - not too ecclesiastical, not very cynical, cold-blooded and with a warm heart. This image fully met the aspirations of the liberal public in the middle of the 19th century. and was quite abstract and far from being embodied in reality, since any worldview (and the sisters of mercy had to have a certain worldview) has a solid spiritual foundation, and it is not found in Pirogov's reasoning. On the other hand, these considerations anticipated the appearance in Western countries and Russia of a new Red Cross Society, which later developed on the basis of universal human values ​​rather than ecclesiastical ones.

Before the Russo-Turkish war, there were about two dozen communities in Russia. In addition to Troitskaya, Nikolskaya and Krestovozdvizhenskaya, in 1850 the Sturdzovsky community arose in Odessa, in 1853 - the community of the Liteynaya part, 1858 - Pokrovskaya, 1870 - in the name of St. George in Petersburg. Later, the St. George community will become the largest organization of the Red Cross - in the 70s it was headed by Elizaveta Petrovna Kartseva, who left the Exaltation of the Cross community. The sisterhood appeared in Kharkov in 1872. In 1875, in the Crimea, in the vicinity of Yalta, on the estate of Baroness M.P. in Tiflis (Tbilisi) - Tiflis. Before the war, the Catherine community appeared in Novgorod, two similar organizations - in Pskov (one was called Ioanno-Ilyinsky), small sisterhoods arise in Kostroma, Kursk and Revel (now Tallinn)]. In Moscow during this period, two communities were created: "Assuage my sorrows" (1865) and Vladychne-Pokrovskaya (1869).

Gradually, the main functions of the communities began to be determined:

1) general charitable goals (charity for the poor, care for the sick, raising children: Trinity, Pokrovskaya communities in St. Petersburg);

2) military (assistance to the wounded and sick soldiers: Exaltation of the Cross, Georgievskaya, "Satisfy my sorrows");

3) under the jurisdiction of the Synod, assigned to women's monasteries (Vladychne-Pokrovskaya in Moscow). These communities became a special phenomenon in Russian church life, as they arose in many dioceses and did not always aim to help the sick, gradually turning into new women's monasteries. However, the listed areas of activity among the existing communities were not strictly delineated.

Russo-Turkish War 1877–1878 was popular among the Russian intelligentsia - ardent patriotism was the product of an unnecessarily heated public opinion. Most of the women had no idea what awaited them in the war, and almost everyone rushed to the front line, where they were not allowed in - the fear of a new and not entirely clear profession, which twenty years ago was chosen by the sisters of the Cross, who managed to become famous and "beat through path" for others. The huge influx of sisters brought many superfluous and random volunteers to the infirmaries. The legal and administrative status of the sisters of mercy during the war was determined by the "Rules on the Sisters of the Red Cross" published in 1875 and the rules drawn up for those wishing to join the sisters of the Red Cross only for the period of the war. Thus, the status of those who worked in the communities and those who wanted to become a sister of mercy temporarily, called by the people "civil servants" or "volunteers", was initially distinguished.

The sisters were subordinate to two organizations: the military department and the Red Cross, and the relationship between these organizations largely determined the situation among medical personnel, and they did not develop in the best way. The Russian Red Cross Society (ROKK) had huge funds at its disposal: during the war it managed to collect more than 9 million rubles, of which 1 million rubles. was never spent. However, in the theater of war, this organization played a supporting role, since the arrangement of mobile infirmaries near the battlefields, shelters for convalescents, evacuation stages, “flying” detachments to pick up the wounded after the battle was not thought out - everything was formed rather spontaneously and with the loss of precious time.

After the war, the Main Military Medical Directorate found it necessary to organize the training of sisters of mercy to create a reserve: according to approximate estimates, in the event of war, about 3,000 people could be required. . In 1893, this figure was already determined to be twice as high, but in reality, the ROCK could provide only 1,300 sisters at the disposal of the military department, which became an additional impetus for the creation of new communities. In 1879, in addition to the above-mentioned organizations, under the jurisdiction of the ROCK, there were: the community of sisters of Princess Baryatinsky and the Alexandrovsky department of the sisters of the Red Cross in St. Petersburg, communities in Helsingfors, Tambov, Vilna, Warsaw, Kyiv (less than thirty in total), but by 1900 there were the number increased to 84. Geographically, the distribution of communities across the country can be represented as follows: the northernmost city is Arkhangelsk, the westernmost city is Warsaw, the southern one is Tiflis, the eastern one in the European part of Russia is Yekaterinburg, the easternmost city beyond the Urals is Khabarovsk.

With the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. The Russian Red Cross was unable to provide the necessary number of medical personnel, and as a result of the huge demand for female labor, the requirements of the communities for applicants were reduced to a minimum. The training was the most diverse: from six weeks to four years, among the sisters there were both semi-literate and graduates of foreign universities. Due to this spread in knowledge, the quality of women's work largely depended on their general level of education, since short preliminary training (on average 1.5-3 months) was not enough to prepare professionals. The material support of the sisters was also not the same. In the communities in peacetime they did not receive a salary, but during the war the sisters were entitled to maintenance, which usually depended on the financial situation of the community: 5, 20 or 30 rubles a month. Sometimes the military department took on part of the costs, therefore, as in the Russian-Turkish war, many sisters, for material reasons, were more willing to go to military hospitals, and not to the institutions of the ROCK, although the work and conditions were much harder here. In total, about two thousand women worked in military hospitals during the Russo-Japanese War [ . According to official statistics, there were about 200 sisters of mercy in the institutions of the Red Cross in the Zabaikalsky district alone.

Little is known about the activities of the sisters of mercy during the First World War - no time was allowed for memoirs and detailed reports due to the outbreak of the revolution. The information that has come down to us is very incomplete and uninformative. By 1915, there were 115 communities in Russia run by the Red Cross Society, in addition, the sisters were at three local administrations and two Committees of the ROCC, the Evangelical Hospital and four foreign hospitals in Petrograd. The largest organization, numbering 1603 people, was the community of St. George. The next largest were the Petrograd sisterhoods named after Lieutenant-General M. P. von Kaufmann (952 people) and St. Eugenia (465 people). In total, there were seven communities in Moscow by the beginning of the war. It should be clarified that the lists included not only women who were in active service, but also sisters in the reserve, so that their real number turned out to be smaller. In 1916, according to official lists, 17,436 sisters were sent to the front, who served more than two thousand field and rear institutions of the Red Cross. On November 1, 1915, about 780,000 people were being treated in all infirmaries. By this time, 28 sisters had died of infectious diseases, four had died in accidents, five had been murdered, and twelve had committed suicide. After the war, it was supposed to publish a "Golden Book" with biographies of all the dead sisters, but the project was not implemented.

All communities of sisters of mercy at the beginning of the 20th century. were administered by the Red Cross Society under the auspices of the widowed Empress Maria Feodorovna, wife of Alexander III and mother of Nicholas II. Their activities were regulated by the General Statute of the Red Cross Communities approved in 1903]. Interest in the profession of a sister of mercy among the wealthy sections of Russian society and the intelligentsia woke up only when, during the war period, the image of a sister was shrouded in a haze of patriotic romance - then many volunteers appeared. In peacetime, it was possible to become a sister only through the community, so women often went to women's organizations, knowingly disagreeing with the statutory conditions of work and ready to violate them. Some of them, for example, demanded remuneration for their care in private homes. After the Russo-Japanese War, almost none of the sisters returned to the communities the balances from the amounts allocated for their equipment. Many were just waiting for an opportunity to move on to better paid jobs, considering the communities and the Red Cross to be the institutions where they are being exploited.

On the other hand, the disastrous financial situation of the communities is also explained by the lack of regular state funding, which was also fixed by the Normal Charter (§ 64). A rather sad picture: the organization of assistance to the sick is forced to arrange festivities, lotteries and mug gatherings for self-sufficiency! A special source of income was payment for the treatment of patients, which in a number of communities was quite high. In this regard, the bitter words of one sister become understandable: “The Red Cross communities are undoubtedly on the decline, and, unfortunately, moral decline, apparently, will come before the material one, and with them, along this path, they can captivate those institutions which at first they tried so hard to imitate.

That is why the foundation of the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent seems so symptomatic - not just an organization for the care of the sick, but a whole phenomenon that summed up the brief period of the existence of communities of sisters of mercy in Russia - a fruit that ripened in an era when their decline began. The appearance of such a person as the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, who embodied the best features of unknown workers, is also not accidental. It can be said that the Grand Duchess is a collective image created by the sisters of the previous time, since it would be historically unfair if the communities of sisters did not give birth to their own saint. Elizaveta Feodorovna saw in the activities of the sisters of the monastery a restored form of church service for women in the Orthodox Church - the service of deaconesses. Actually, this was also indicated by the new rank of the appointment of the abbess of the monastery. In the future, the Grand Duchess called herself almost a nun, it is possible that she took secret tonsure, - contemporaries colloquially called the sisters of the monastery deaconesses. The charter of the Martha and Mary Convent was approved in 1908, and then twice more: in 1911 and 1914. In 1908, according to the project of the architect Shchusev, the construction of the Church of the Intercession on Bolshaya Ordynka (now building 34a) began. The monastery itself opened on February 10, 1909. After the tragic death of Elizabeth Feodorovna in 1918, the community existed until 1926, when most of the sisters of the Marfo-Mariinsky monastery were taken from Moscow to Central Asia, and two years later the substituting abbess Tatyana Golitsyna was arrested.

Communities of sisters of mercy in Russia arose not only as special organizations for the care of the sick, but also as religious institutions based on the sincere impulse of women to care for the sick, the wounded and children. In this sense, the monastic tradition was closer to them, in contrast to Western Europe, where, with the advent of Florence Nightingale, they began to see a certain profession in care. F. Nightingale laid the foundations for women's medical education, and the religious moment was far from decisive in the development of the new system. No wonder the original designation of the sisters

(nurses) in English is still applied to nurses, while the Russian revolution became a watershed between the concepts of "sister of mercy" and "nurse".

As soon as the communities of sisters of mercy in Russia receive systematic development, the initial enthusiasm begins to fade - it is replenished and gradually replaced by the general charitable and professional medical activities of women. An important role in this, on the one hand, was played by the activities of the Red Cross Society, and on the other hand, the desire of women to acquire the same status as men in society. Emancipation contributed to the development of women's education, but the desire of women to become like men in everything gradually led Russian communities to the same results as in Western Europe: nursing becomes a profession, and the spiritual basis of medicine is either forgotten altogether or becomes something of a secondary importance. After the revolution, another extreme appeared: only professionalism was charged to nurses, while elementary care, which took into account not only the physical, but also the spiritual condition of the patient, was lost. One can only hope that the communities of sisters of mercy that are reviving in modern society will not repeat their previous mistakes and restore the lost tradition of caring for the sick, which is possible only if they realize the religious meaning of their service.

Shibkov A. A. The first women of Russia in medical school and in the war until the 20th century. L., 1957; Shibkov A. A. The first women doctors in Russia. L., 1961.

Vlasov P. The abode of mercy. M., 1991.

German F. A. Merit of women in the care of the sick and wounded. Kharkov, 1898; Khechinov Yu. Guardian Angels. Pages of the history of the Fatherland. M., 1993. 316

Bushuev V.F. N. I. Pirogov and the beginning of women's care for the sick and wounded in the war. Kyiv, 1908; Suslov V.S. Pirogov and the first nurses (to the 85th anniversary of the death of N.I. Pirogov) // Nurse. 1969. No. 6. S. 56–57.

Miller L. Holy Martyr of Russia Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. M., 1994.

Burakov Yu. N. Satisfy my sorrows // Science and religion. 1991. No. 10. S. 46–51; No. 11, pp. 24–26; No. 12, pp. 13–18; Golovkova L. Iberian community on Bolshaya Polyanka // Moscow Journal. 1992. No. 10. S. 30–32; 1994. No. 5. S. 22–31.

Gribanov E.D. Award badges of Russian sisters of mercy // Medical assistance. 1996. No. 6. S. 47–51; Gribanov E. D., Potapchuk T. B. Badges of nurses in Russia // Medical assistance. 1996. No. 7. S. 48–53.

Ilinskiy P. A. Russian woman in the war 1877–1878 SPb., 1879.

Elena Kozlovtseva.

Moscow Communities of Sisters of Mercy in the 19th – early 20th centuries

As a result, those areas of activity are officially defined in which women's labor is recognized not only as possible, but also useful for society. First of all, it is called nursing as sisters of mercy, in which natural feminine qualities are so necessary: ​​gentleness, compassion, patience, thriftiness and honesty. 73
On the need for sisters of mercy to care for the sick. SPb., 1872.
S. 6.

The creation of communities of sisters of mercy has become one of the main activities of the Russian Red Cross Society. This process intensified after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, although along with the communities of the Red Cross, independent and diocesan communities of sisters of mercy continued their activities.

Petersburg and Moscow were not only the first Russian cities in which communities of sisters of mercy arose, but also leaders in their number. In Moscow alone at the beginning of the twentieth century. there were six communities of sisters of mercy, each of which was active.

§ 2. A Brief History of the Foundation of the Moscow Communities of Sisters of Mercy

The Moscow communities of sisters of mercy, despite the commonality of their goals, were in many respects different organizations from each other. They were subordinate to various departments, which determined the degree of their independence, the management structure, and much more. All the communities that existed in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries can be structurally and subordinated to three main types: subordinate to the diocesan authorities, communities of the Russian Red Cross Society and self-governed within the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Their similarities and differences are best seen when comparing the statutes of specific communities of sisters of mercy.

In total, there were six communities in Moscow. The first of them - Nikolskaya - under the Ladies' Guardianship of the Poor in Moscow, was organized by Princess S. S. Shcherbatova and Dr. F. P. Haaz during the cholera epidemic of 1848. 74
Kostarev S.V. Historical note on the organization and activities of the Guardianship of the Poor in Moscow under the direct patronage of Their Imperial Majesties. M., 1878. S. 61; In memory of Princess S. S. Shcherbatova. M., 1887. S. 15; Report of the Nikolsky community of sisters of mercy in memory of Prince. S. S. Shcherbatova and Dr. F. P. Haaz of the Russian Red Cross Society from October 26, 1914 to January 1, 1916. M., 1916. S. 7.

Initially, the community was located on Dolgorukovskaya Street, and in 1851

moved to Vorontsovskaya, not far from the Novospassky Monastery. The sisters cared for the sick in city hospitals and at home. The community had an orphanage and an almshouse for elderly women. In 1855-1856, during the Crimean War, the sisters of the Nikolskaya community, together with the compassionate widows and sisters of the St. Petersburg Holy Cross community, assisted the wounded in the hospitals of Crimea 75
GA RF. F. 564. Op. 1. D. 783. Nikolskaya community of sisters of mercy. L. 2–3 rev.; In memory of Princess S. S. Shcherbatova. pp. 15–16; Kostarev S.V. Decree. op. pp. 63–64; Report of the Nikolskaya community of sisters of mercy ... S. 10.

In the late 1850s community archive burned down 76
Report of the Nikolskaya community of sisters of mercy. S. 13.

Therefore, detailed information about its activities is practically absent. By the mid 1870s. a few elderly sisters of mercy remained in the community, who moved to the almshouse 77
Kostarev S.V. Decree. op. S. 66.

The community ceased to exist, but in 1914, with the outbreak of the First World War, it was restored on the initiative of the trustee of the Lefortovo branch of the Moscow Ladies' Guardianship of the Poor O. L. Eremeeva 78
Report of the Nikolskaya community of sisters of mercy ... S. 14, 16.

In 1865, Princess N. B. Shakhovskaya, who worked in the Nikolsky community, moved with thirty sisters to a separate house on Pokrovskaya Street, thereby founding the community “Satisfy my sorrows” 79
Essay on the 30th Anniversary of the Alexander Community of Sisters of Mercy… P. 9–10.

In 1872, the community moved to Lefortovo (the current address is Hospital Square, 2), where a number of charitable institutions gradually opened: an orphanage, a women's school, a hospital, an outpatient clinic, a pharmacy, and, finally, a shelter for the elderly nurses.

The sisters of mercy of the “Satisfy my Sorrows” community provided assistance to wounded soldiers on the fronts of the Serbo-Turkish, Russian-Turkish, First Balkan and First World Wars, and in peacetime helped the population of Russian provinces suffering from crop failures and epidemics, served in the Yakut colony for lepers.

In 1872, the Vladychne-Pokrovskaya diocesan community was officially opened (Bakuninskaya St., 83 and Gastello St., 42–44). Its establishment and the first years of activity are associated with the bright personality of Mother Superior Mitrofania (Rosen). The abbess energetically carried out the arrangement of the new community, personally seeking the necessary funds for this. However, she was accused of illegal financial transactions and convicted, after which the position of the Pokrovskaya community was greatly shaken, although thanks to the help of the Metropolitan of Moscow Innokenty (Veniaminov), and then the Moscow City Duma, the organization continued its work.

Under the Vladychna-Pokrovskaya community, there were hospitals, an outpatient clinic, a pharmacy, an orphanage, a general education and medical assistant's school, a sericulture school and needlework workshops.

The Committee "Christian Aid" of the Russian Red Cross Society was established in Moscow in 1877. Under it, a shelter was immediately opened for soldiers who were injured during the Russian-Turkish war. In 1880, under the Committee, the Alexandrinsky shelter for the terminally ill and crippled was established, in 1883 - the hospital named after Prince V.A. Dolgorukov, in 1888 - the Alexandrinsky community of sisters of mercy (9 Pisemsky St.) and a shelter for former sisters mercy of the Red Cross. Finally, in 1896, a polyclinic named after Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna was opened at the community. All these institutions were founded on the initiative of the Wisniewskis. 80
RGVIA. F. 12651. Op. 1. D. 740. Correspondence on the development of new statutes for institutions under the jurisdiction of the Committee "Christian Aid". L. 38–38 rev.

The sisters of mercy of the Alexandrinsky community took part in the Russo-Japanese and World War I.

Little is known about the activities of both the Alexandrinsky community and the entire Christian Aid Committee before 1904. At the beginning of 1904, the Main Directorate of the ROCK received information about the abuses of the Committee's leadership. As a result of the investigation, the Vishnevskys were removed from their positions, and the leadership of the Committee was entrusted to the maid of honor E.F. Dzhunkovsky 81
There. L. 39–40.

The Iberian community (Malaya Yakimanka st., 17) was founded in 1894 under the Moscow Ladies' Committee of the Russian Red Cross Society 82
RGVIA. F. 12651. Op. 3. D. 126. Report on the activities of the Moscow Local Ladies' Committee in 1894. L. 1.

Throughout the entire period of its existence, the community was under the patronage of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna 83
There. L. 51v., 82, 95–95v.

The community operated a pharmacy and several medical institutions: a surgical and therapeutic clinic, an outpatient clinic, which were attended by the best doctors in the city.

The sisters of mercy of the Iberian community assisted the wounded during the Greco-Turkish, Russian-Japanese and the first Balkan wars, the Ihetuan ("Boxer") uprising in China and the First World War. The community sent its detachments to many provinces of Russia struck by famine and epidemics.




Portrait of the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna




In 1901, another community arose - Pavlovskaya (Plyushchikha St., 13). It was created as an independent charitable institution to provide comprehensive assistance to the poor population of Moscow. One of the founding members of the community was the famous Archpriest of Kronstadt John Sergiev (Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt), who blessed its foundation and made the first donation for it. 84
Report on the activities of the community of sisters of mercy in the name of St. Apostle Paul for 1901. M., 1902. S. 3.

A pharmacy worked at the Pavlovsk community, there was a small hospital and an outpatient reception was conducted, but the main ministry of the sisters was carried out at home with the sick and those in need of help.

The last community organized in Moscow was the Nikolskaya community, recreated in 1914, named after its first founders, Dr. F.P. Gaaz and Princess S.S. Shcherbatova.

Many researchers include the Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy, founded by Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna in 1909, among the communities of sisters of mercy. However, the Martha and Mary Convent is a unique institution that had no analogues in the history of Russia. Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, undoubtedly, used the experience of the work of the communities of sisters of mercy when creating her Convent 85
For the Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy, see: Arkhipov Yu. I.“Glory to God for everything!”: The last years of life and the death of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna // Russian House. 1998. No. 7. S. 36–39; Vyatkin V.V. The fragrant color of the Church of Christ: Biography of the Monk Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. M., 2001; Guznyakov B., prot. Revival of the Martha and Mary Convent // Journal of the Moscow Patriarchy. 1995. #1–4. pp. 24–26; "Golden shrine light ...": Memoirs of Mother Nadezhda - the last nun of the Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy / Author-comp. E. V. Nevolina. M., 2007; Klimov P. Yu.“The Matter of Her Soul”: Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna and the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent on the Pages of Unpublished Letters of M. V. Nesterov // Veneration of the Saints in Russia: Materials of the Makarievsky Readings. Issue. 4. Part 2. Mozhaisk, 1996, pp. 129–142; Kuroyedova V.P. Marfo-Mariinsky Convent of Mercy. Eagle, 1916; Kuchmaeva I.K. Life and deeds of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. M., 2004; Her own. When life comes true... The culture of charity of the Grand Duchess Elisaveta Feodorovna. M., 2008; Maierova V. Elizaveta Feodorovna: Biography. M., 2001; Maksimova L. B. The contribution of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna to the charitable movement in Russia. M., 1998; Marfo-Mariinsky Convent of Mercy. M., 1914; Materials for the Life of the Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth. M., 1995; Materials of the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent of Mercy // Shargunov A., prot. Sermons and speeches. M., 1995. S. 317–399; Miller L. Holy Martyr of Russia, Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna. M., 1994; Murtuzalieva L. F. Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy // Russia. Romanovs. Ural: Collection of materials. Yekaterinburg, 1993, pp. 17–22; Memory as a maxim of behavior (Materials of St. Elizabethan Readings). M., 2001; Ascetics of the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent of Mercy / Ed. arch. A. Shargunova. M., 1999; Somnich G."The purpose of my life is to finally arrange the Abode of Mercy." Spiritual Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna // Source. 1998. No. 4. S. 41–47; Srebryansky M., prot. Church of the Intercession. Thoughts and feelings of the Orthodox Russian soul when visiting the Intercession Church of the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent of Mercy. M., 2008; Trofimov A. Holy Martyr Elizabeth. Life. Akathist. Poyarkovo, b. G.; Khudovekov A., priest. Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna // Smolensk Diocesan Gazette. 1996. No. 4 (13). pp. 31–39; an important collection of materials on the history of the life of St. the princess became the prince: Grand Duchess Elisaveta Feodorovna and Emperor Nicholas II. Documents and materials (1884–1909) / Ed. - comp. A. B. Efimov, E. Yu. Kovalskaya. SPb., 2009.

But in addition, she sought to use the experience of Protestant women's communities, as well as the ancient deaconesses of the Christian Church. 86
Belyakova E. V. Grand Duchess Elisaveta Feodorovna and attempts to establish the rank of deaconess in Russia // Reflection of the Uncreated Light ... S. 54–63; Belyakovs E. V. and N. A. Deaconesses in the Russian Orthodox Church // History. 2002. No. 9. S. 1–5; Far from worldly bustle / Comp. M. Sklyarova. Nizhny Novgorod, 1996; Karpycheva L. A. Holy Martyr Elizabeth Feodorovna: a nun or a deaconess? // Orthodox chronicler of St. Petersburg. 2005. No. 21. P. 61–74; Posternak A.V. On the issue of conferring the title of deaconess to the sisters of the Convent // Materials on the Life of the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth. M., 1995. S. 225–233; Smirnova I. Yu. Women's Ministry in the Church. Metropolitan Philaret and Grand Duchess Elisaveta Feodorovna // Reflection of the Uncreated Light ... S. 43-54.

The Grand Duchess herself definitely said that the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent could not be attributed either to a monastery or to a community of sisters of mercy. In a letter to Emperor Nicholas II, she bluntly wrote that she “would be very sorry if this type of abode were completely a monastery and, of course, not an ordinary secular<ая>the community has undergone a change" 87
Cit. Quoted from: Materials for the Life of the Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth. S. 57.

The activity of the Monastery needs a separate special study, which cannot be carried out within the framework of this work.

Of the six Moscow communities, three belonged to the Russian Red Cross Society. The statutes of two of them - Alexandrinsky under the Committee "Christian Aid" 88
Charter of the community of sisters of mercy under the Committee "Christian Aid" of the Russian Red Cross Society in Moscow. M., 1888.

and Iverskaya 89
Charter of the Iberian community of sisters of mercy under the Moscow Local Committee of the Russian Red Cross Society. M., 1894.

- were approved simultaneously with the creation of communities. But the Society was aware that for the coordinated work of all its numerous institutions, it was necessary to introduce uniformity in the structure of their management and strictly regulate their activities. In 1873–1875 work was underway to draw up uniform rules for the sisters of the Red Cross. As a result, on January 31, 1875, the Minister of Internal Affairs A.E. Timashev approved the "Rules on Red Cross sisters appointed to care for sick and wounded soldiers" 90
RGVIA. F. 12651. Op. 1. D. 17. The case for drawing up rules for the sisters of the Red Cross. L. 12–17 rev.

Then this desire for unification led to the adoption in 1903 of the Normal Statute of the Communities of Sisters of Mercy of the Russian Red Cross Society. 91
The normal charter of the communities of sisters of mercy of the Russian Red Cross Society. M., 1903.

The Nikolskaya community of sisters of mercy in memory of Princess S. S. Shcherbatova and Dr. F. P. Haaz, established in 1914, organized its work on the basis of this charter 92
Report of the Nikolskaya community of sisters of mercy ... S. 15.

Vladychne-Pokrovskaya community was diocesan. Its charter was approved by the Holy Synod on the basis of the highest command in 1871. 93
Charter of the Moscow Vladychno-Prokrovskaya community of sisters of mercy. M., 1871.

And in June 1872, he supplemented the “Regulations on the Rights and Benefits” of two Russian diocesan communities of sisters of mercy - Pskov and Moscow 94
Regulations on the rights and benefits of the Pskov John-Ilyinsky and Moscow Vladychno-Prokrovskaya communities of sisters of mercy. SPb., 1872.

The fate of the community of sisters of mercy "Satisfy my sorrows" is very complex and, perhaps, unique. Initially, it functioned solely on the initiative and under the leadership of Princess N. B. Shakhovskaya. In 1868, the Ladies' Committee of the Society for the Care of the Wounded and Sick Soldiers was established in Moscow, and Natalya Borisovna's sister, Princess Nadezhda Borisovna Trubetskaya, became its chairman. The latter proposes to include the community in the composition of the Committee because of the commonality of their goals. Princess Shakhovskaya accepts this offer 95
Alexander's community of sisters of mercy "Satisfy my sorrows", which is under the highest patronage of His Imperial Majesty the Sovereign Emperor: Essay on the 30th anniversary of the existence of the Community: Report for 1895-1896. / Comp. S. A. Keltsev. M., 1897. S. 11.

Thus, since 1868, the community “Satisfy my sorrows” was under the Moscow Ladies' Committee of the Society for the Care of the Wounded and Sick Soldiers, which was recorded in its first charter 96
The charter of the Moscow community of sisters of mercy "Assuagement of sorrow" under the Moscow Ladies' Committee of the Society for the Care of the Wounded and Sick Soldiers. M., 1871.

However, after the end of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877–1878, when the community asked the Society for material support, it turned out that its activities were beyond the powers of the Red Cross. 97
RGVIA. F. 12651. Op. 1. D. 72. About the allowance for the Moscow community of sisters of mercy "Satisfy my sorrows."

In 1881, as a result of a correspondence that lasted about two years, the community was recognized as an independent institution under the direct patronage of the highest, and received a new charter 98
Charter of the Alexander community of sisters of mercy in Moscow. M., 1887.

Which in 1890 was still changed and supplemented 99
Charter of the Alexander community of sisters of mercy in Moscow. M., 1890.

With the death of Princess Natalya Borisovna Shakhovskaya, who was the founder and permanent abbess of the community, the latter came under the jurisdiction of the Moscow City Duma, and in 1910 a completely different charter was approved for it. 100
Charter of the Moscow city community of sisters of mercy "Assuage my sorrows" named after Princess N. B. Shakhovskaya. M., 1910.

Thus, the “Satisfy my Sorrows” community in the entire history of its existence has changed its official status and, accordingly, its charter at least three times.

The Pavlovsk community of sisters of mercy was independent, its charter was approved twice - in 1901. 101
The charter of the community of sisters of mercy in the name of St. apostle Paul. M., 1901.

And, with some changes, in 1908 102
The charter of the community of sisters of mercy in the name of St. apostle Paul. M., 1908.

The charter of the first Moscow community - Nikolskaya (1848), which was under the Ladies' Guardianship of the Poor in Moscow 103
Kostarev S.V. Decree. op. S. 61; In memory of Princess S. S. Shcherbatova. S. 15; Report of the Nikolskaya community of sisters of mercy ... S. 7.

Not found yet. It is possible that she, in fact, did not have a separate charter. Initially, she, apparently, was guided by the charter of the institution of sisters of mercy, approved on October 5, 1848 by Emperor Nicholas I for the community in St. Petersburg, which later became known as the Holy Trinity 104
CIAM. F. 16. Op. 16. D. 29. On the report of the Ladies' Guardianship of the Poor in Moscow for 1851, on donations in favor of the Ladies' Guardianship, and more. L. 16.

It was to this charter that the committee that was engaged in the revival of the Nikolskaya community in 1912 initially turned. 105
Report of the Nikolskaya community of sisters of mercy. S. 14.

In the future, Princess Shcherbatova sought to approve a special charter for her community. In the fund of the office of the Moscow Governor-General, the correspondence that Sofya Stepanovna conducted with higher departments in 1849-1852 was partially preserved, trying to achieve the approval of her own charter for the community that had already existed for several years by that time 106
CIAM. F. 16. Op. 16. D. 29.

In response letters, the princess pointed out the lack of need for such a community and the means to maintain it. 107
There. L. 16–19 rev.

Nevertheless, the Nikolskaya community existed at least until 1874. 108
GA RF. F. 564. Op. 1. D. 783. L. 2v.; In memory of Princess S. S. Shcherbatova. S. 16; Kostarev S.V. Decree. op. S. 66.

Whether she was able to get her charter during this time remains a mystery. In the end, it was decided to abolish the community: they stopped accepting new sisters, and the women who had worked in it for a long time at that time had already reached old age.

It should be noted that the question of the time of the final abolition of the first St. Nicholas community also, unfortunately, still remains open. Sources give different data on this. The authors of three of the four known historical essays agree that in 1874 four elderly sisters remained in the community, who could no longer work and were transferred to the almshouse - the community ceased to exist, and its building was occupied by the almshouse, which worked for many more years 109
There.

Since all these narratives coincide almost verbatim, it is obvious that their authors either used the same source or consistently borrowed information from each other. According to O. L. Eremeeva, who had at her disposal the archive of the Lefortovo branch of the Ladies' Care of the Poor, in the community back in 1879 there were 12 sisters who were transferred to the Lefortovo branch of the guardianship, where they lived until 1892. Olga Lvovna claims that the archives preserved the names of the sisters and the invoices for their equipment and their salaries for 1879-1892. 110
Report of the Nikolskaya community of sisters of mercy ... S. 13-14.

However, she does not write anything about what these sisters were doing for 13 years, in what position and where exactly they lived, what status they had, and what happened to them in 1892. She only notes, without commenting, that with each year they were given less and less money: at first this amount was 1000 rubles, and in the last year - only 200 rubles. This source confirms the information about the transfer of an almshouse for elderly women to the building of the Nikolskaya community itself, among which were the retired sisters of mercy. O. L. Eremeeva even names the last two sisters of the Nikolskaya community, who died in 1902: the 75-year-old daughter of the titular adviser Alexandra Petrovna Smirnova and the 90-year-old widow of the storekeeper Evdokia Semyonovna Kuzovova 111
Report of the Nikolskaya community of sisters of mercy ... S. 13.

The information provided by O. L. Eremeeva indirectly confirms the indication of other sources that in 1873 (a year before the alleged closure) there were 19 sisters of mercy in the community, while in 1874 there were only four of them left 112
GA RF. F. 564. Op. 1. D. 783. L. 2v.; Kostarev S.V. Decree. op. S. 66.

What could happen to 15 sisters in a year? The assumption of their transfer to another institution seems very logical, although the five-year difference in the dates indicated is, of course, surprising. It is clear that the illegibly written numbers "4" and "9" are easy to confuse, but which of the reading options is correct? In favor of an earlier date is the fact that there is no data left about the participation of the Nikolskaya community in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877–1878. After the official abolition of the community, her sisters, if they continued to carry out their ministry in hospitals, then probably already in private. The continued, even insignificant, activity of the officially existing community of sisters of mercy should have been reflected in the reporting documents of the Russian Society for the Care of the Wounded and Sick Soldiers. In addition, in a historical note, O. L. Eremeeva, with reference to archival documents, writes about the departure of the sisters of the Nikolskaya community to the Crimean War eight months earlier than the detachment of the Exaltation of the Cross Community 113
Report of the Nikolskaya community of sisters of mercy. P. 10.

Which is not true and casts doubt on the reliability of this source. Perhaps, over time, new documents will be discovered that shed light on the question of the date of the closure of the community. So far, it is not possible to answer it unambiguously.

§ 3. Goals and objectives of the communities

In order to draw up a complete picture of the organization of the Moscow communities of sisters of mercy, it is necessary to analyze and compare their statutes according to key provisions. This will allow you to see their similarities and differences, as well as determine the basic principles of their work.

The spheres of activity of various communities of sisters of mercy had significant differences. Depending on the goals facing each specific community, the circle of those issues and problems that it dealt with was outlined.






City distribution hospital in the Pokrovsko-Meshchanskaya almshouse of the Moscow Meshchansky Society (Album of the activities of the Moscow City Administration for organizing assistance to sick and wounded soldiers and families called up in 1914–1915. M., 1915. P. 21)




The activities of the communities of the Russian Red Cross Society were the most narrow and specific - their goal was to train sisters of mercy to care for the sick and wounded both in wartime and in peacetime. The sisters carried out their activities in military hospitals and infirmaries, civilian hospitals and private homes, and were also sent to help doctors during periods of epidemics and other public disasters. 114
Normal charter… § 1–5.

By order of the Main Directorate of the Society, sisters of mercy of any community could be sent both to cities and villages of other provinces, and outside the Russian Empire 115
There. § 4, 9.

The community of sisters of mercy "Satisfy my sorrows" at first, in addition to caring for the wounded and sick, set itself the goal of "comforting the mourners" 116
The charter of the Moscow community of sisters of mercy "Assuagement of sorrow" under the Moscow Ladies' Committee of the Society for the Care of the Wounded and Sick Soldiers. § one.

This expression is not explained in the charter, but it can be understood as comprehensive assistance to the sick, orphans, the elderly and other disadvantaged people. Subsequently, this wording was excluded from the statutes of the community, which causes some bewilderment, since the maintenance of the women's school and the orphanage at the community clearly did not fit into the framework of purely medical purposes, this, however, was indicated by the Main Directorate of the RRCS, refusing to accept the community under its jurisdiction. 117
RGVIA. F. 12651. Op. 1. D. 72. About the allowance for the Moscow community of sisters of mercy "Satisfy my sorrows." L. 163–163v.

The Pavlovsk community was conceived and established for a very specific purpose - to provide medical assistance to the poor population of Moscow. In accordance with this, the sisters of mercy sought funds for the treatment of poor patients, themselves cared for them free of charge, and also took care of the family members of the sick person who were left without care. 118
The charter of the community of sisters of mercy in the name of St. apostle Paul. M., 1901. § 1.

Later, the scope of its activities expanded. After the Russo-Japanese War, the tasks of the community included helping sick and wounded soldiers and those affected by natural disasters, not only in Moscow, but also abroad. 119
The charter of the community of sisters of mercy in the name of St. apostle Paul. M., 1908. § 1.

The goals of the Moscow Vladychno-Pokrovskaya community of sisters of mercy were much broader: 1) providing free shelter to poor girls and widows who want to serve the Fatherland with benefit; 2) care for poor patients; 3) consolation of the mourners; 4) charity and education of homeless children and children of poor clergymen; 5) special training of sisters of mercy to care for the wounded in wartime on the battlefield, and in peacetime - for duty in military hospitals, city and prison hospitals 120
Charter of the Moscow Vladychno-Prokrovskaya community of sisters of mercy. § 4.

To fulfill these tasks, the community planned to establish a department of sisters of mercy, a department for infants, a shelter for children of both sexes up to 9 years old, a school for girls 9-17 years old, a hospital, a pharmacy, an emergency room for incoming poor patients and an operating room for training sisters. paramedic duties 121
There. § 5.

Thus, the goals of the communities differed most significantly. The Red Cross communities were engaged exclusively in medical activities, almost without affecting other areas of charity, which is fully explained by the nature and tasks of the entire Red Cross Society.

The Russian Orthodox Church, represented by the Moscow Metropolitan, used a much larger number of ways to help those in need. Accordingly, for the diocesan community, medical care was not the main task, but only one of many. In addition, its activities were predominantly targeted at the poorest segments of the population. Princess N. B. Shakhovskaya, who had sufficient personal funds, had the same opportunity to expand the sphere of activity of her community.

§ 4. Composition of communities: founders, leaders, honorary members and benefactors

The question of who undertook the difficult task of founding communities and became their members is extremely interesting. The composition of the community was one of the decisive factors for its successful activity. It often turned out that the considerable fortune or high social position of one person ensured the viability of the entire institution he supported.

Community Founders and Leaders

The communities were founded and headed, as a rule, by very influential people, including members of the imperial family. The first Moscow community was created by Princess Sofya Stepanovna Shcherbatova with the support of her husband, Moscow Governor-General Prince Alexei Grigoryevich Shcherbatov 122
In memory of Princess S. S. Shcherbatova. pp. 10–11.

The princess was the chairman of the Ladies' Guardianship of the Poor and at the same time headed its Sushchev branch, within which the Nikolskaya community was established. The daughter of the brigadier Anastasia Pavlovna Shcherbinina became her first abbess and trustee. 123
Report of the Nikolskaya community of sisters of mercy ... S. 7.

Documents from the beginning of the 20th century we can conclude that the community owes its emergence to the efforts of the famous doctor Fyodor Petrovich Haaz 124
There. S. 7.

Although exact information about the degree of his participation has not been revealed. Prince A. G. Shcherbatov patronized F. P. Gaaz, but a few months after the founding of the Nikolsky community, he retired and soon died of a serious illness. The new Moscow governor-general, Count A. A. Zakrevsky, was a man of a completely different stock. He, according to contemporaries, did not continue the tradition of his predecessor to support the undertakings of Dr. Haas 125
Koni A.F. Fedor Petrovich Gaaz: Biographical sketch. M., 2003. S. 56–57; Kopelev L. Z. Holy Doctor Fyodor Petrovich. SPb., 1993. S. 157; Puchkov S.V. To the characterization of Dr. F. P. Haaz // Mercy Gates. The book about Dr. Haase: [Collection] / Comp. and comment. A. I. Gentle. M., 2002. S. 289.

Perhaps this was one of the reasons why the activities of the Nikolskaya community did not receive proper development.

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The earliest founding community of sisters of mercy in Russia was Holy Trinity, established in 1844 on the initiative of the Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna in St. Petersburg.

Institution of the Community of Sisters of Mercy the first institution of this kind in St. Petersburg and in Russia was established on March 9, 1844. Teresia of Oldenburg took an active part in this, having visited the children's hospital in Warsaw a year before, where such a community existed, and the daughter of imp. Nicholas I Maria and Alexander.

In April of the same year, the house of Lieutenant Colonel Suchkova in the Rozhdestvenskaya part was rented, in which 18 sisters accepted for trial were placed. (Original address: d. No. 57/27, 2nd street, quarter 1, Christmas hour) Colonel Suchkov, at his own expense, re-equipped the house into an institution for sisters of mercy from 6 departments.

In the same 1844, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, in memory of her daughter, took the community under her protection. The community was led by a committee, which included led. Princess Maria Nikolaevna, Princess Theresia V. Oldenburg, Princess M. A. Baryatinskaya, Princess S. A. Shakhovskaya, Princess E. S. Gagarina, Countess T. B. Potemkina, E. Kusheleva, S. Tolstaya, S. N. Borkh, as well as M. Kaverina, A. Demidov, A. Maltsova, O. Ryumin and S. A. Biller. In 1846, she took over the management of the community. Princess Maria Nikolaevna, and became the head of the community Sarra Alexandrovna Biller(nee Kilgem) - one of the most famous St. Petersburg philanthropists of the first half of the 19th century.

The house housed: a department of sisters of mercy, a women's hospital, a boarding house, an orphanage, a correctional school and a department of penitents. Later, an almshouse for the terminally ill also appeared.

The women's hospital received poor sick women of different ages and ranks and was something like a modern hospice. The boarding house, the orphanage and the children's correctional department accepted only girls. The orphanage also took incoming girls for lessons.

The community of sisters of mercy had the goal of " caring for the poor sick, comforting the mourners, bringing to the path of truth those who have indulged in vice, raising homeless children and correcting children with bad inclinations ". It accepted widows and maidens of all free states aged from 20 to 40 years. Sister of Mercy had to be different" piety, mercy, chastity, tidiness, modesty, kindness, patience and unconditional obedience to decrees»

On September 5, 1844, on the eve of the fortieth day after the death of Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna, an Orthodox house church was consecrated in the name of the Life-Giving Trinity. According to her name, the community of sisters of mercy in 1873 was given its own name - Holy Trinity

In 1847, Prince Peter Georgievich of Oldenburg (1812 - 1881) was appointed trustee of the Community of the Sisters of Mercy, who devoted himself entirely to the cause of charity. Since 1839, he was entrusted with the leadership of the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Hospital for the Poor, in 1844 P.G. Oldenburgsky became chairman of the St. Petersburg Board of Trustees. The prince donated 50,000 rubles for the purchase of a house that housed the community's institutions. In total, before his death in 1881, he donated more than 130 thousand rubles for her needs.

Women who expressed a desire to become sisters of mercy, the so-called "probation sisters", according to the charter, stayed in this status for a year, later the period was extended to three years. During this time, their moral and business qualities were tested. In addition, those who were preparing to become sisters "were subjected, in respect to their ability to go after the sick, to the test of a doctor," who reported his results to the head of the community and the committee that governed it. The Committee decided to award the title of Sister of Mercy to the test subject. The sister was sworn in by the priest of the community in the presence of a trustee and received a special sign assigned to her by the St. Petersburg Metropolitan. This sign - a golden pectoral cross with the image of the Most Holy Theotokos and the inscription "joy to all who grieve" on one side and "mercy" on the other - was worn on a green ribbon.

Since 1864, systematic training of sisters in the rules of caring for the sick began, and since 1870, the basics of pharmacy. Since 1872, a theoretical course in medicine was added to these subjects, and since 1873, in order to be admitted to the community, it was necessary to pass an exam in this course.
Almost from the moment the community arose, the sisters did not close themselves within its walls, but carried the light of their service to all those who suffer, first in St. Petersburg, and then beyond its borders.

Since 1847, the sisters of the community were sent to care for the poor sick at home. Later, they worked daily at the First St. Petersburg Land Hospital, mainly performing dressings. In 1855, at the height of the Crimean War, the sisters worked in the St. Petersburg hospital organized by the heirs of the Beloselsky princes for the wounded and sick militia warriors. From 1869 to 1877 they were on duty in the hospital of the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment.
With the beginning of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. 2 detachments were formed from the sisters of the community, placed at the disposal of the Main Directorate of the Red Cross.

In 1892, 7 sisters of mercy provided assistance during a cholera epidemic in the Nizhny Novgorod province. All of them were later awarded silver medals with the inscription "for diligence", on the ribbon of the Order of St. Anna. In 1899, a detachment of sisters of mercy of the Holy Trinity community was sent to fight hunger in the Saratov province. During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. 17 sisters were sent to the Far East.

It is characteristic that the first community of sisters of mercy in Russia was interfaith, i.e. confessional-mixed, including Orthodox, Lutheran and Catholic, and its leader, Sarah Biller, was from the English Quakers. Thus, the unification of the sisters into one community was achieved by distraction from religious and dogmatic differences.

Other communities of sisters of the mid-19th century also had an inter-confessional character. - in the name of Christ the Savior and Holy Cross. Such inter-confessionalism was quite consistent with Russia as an inter-confessional empire..