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 work 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 vol.; 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 M. V. Nesterov’s Unpublished Letters // 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 Fedorovna: 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 prince 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 victims of 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 wish 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 communities of the Red Cross 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 Sarah Biller, who headed it, 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..
Communities of Sisters of Mercy
SOCIOLOGY
History of social work
TOPIC: The development of public and private charity in the history of Russia.
ESSAY
Communities of Sisters of Mercy
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 DuchessAlexandra 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 outstanding people who dedicated their lives to serving the philanthropic cause of helping the poorest and most disadvantaged members of society. They were Princess Sofya Stepanovna Shcherbatova and Dr. Fyodor Petrovich Haaz.
The emergence of a community for the care of the wounded was very opportune, since in 1853 wagons filled with wounded soldiers pulled in a string along the roads. There was a need for medical assistance in the battlefield. During the Crimean War of 1853-1856. the shortage of medical personnel was particularly acute. Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna in 1854 established in St. Petersburg the first community of sisters of mercy in Russia and Europe, 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. He wrote: “The behavior of the sisters with the doctors and their assistants was exemplary and worthy of respect; their treatment of the suffering was the most sincere, and in general, all the actions of the sisters in caring for the sick, in comparison with the behavior of the hospital administration, should be called nothing less than noble ... It is difficult to decide what should be more surprising: the composure of these sisters, or their selflessness in the line of duty ... ”Under the incessant cannonade, in soldier's boots, drowning in the mud, they went around the wet tents one after another, and, kneeling, bandaged, watered and fed the wounded. L. N. Tolstoy, a participant in the defense of Sevastopol, in the story “Sevastopol in May” wrote about the sisters of mercy on the battlefield: “Sisters with calm faces and with an expression of not that empty female painfully tearful compassion, but active practical participation, then here and there, walking over the wounded, with medicines, with water, bandages, lint, they flickered between bloodied overcoats and shirts.
The sensitive hands of the sisters of mercy eased the suffering of thousands of wounded sailors and soldiers. In annoyance about the events in Sevastopol, General Staff Doctor Schreiber wrote: “despite the dangers, our doctors ... bandage the wounded -., even under a hail of deadly shots and competing with each other, they rush to deliver the necessary calm to the wounded and suffering. Many ... have themselves become victims of their self-denial.”
Celebrating the exploits of meek women in battle. By the highest command, a military award was established for them - 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 Holy 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. Already during the Crimean War, following the example of Russian women, a group of sisters of mercy appeared in the British troops, headed by Florence Nightingale, whose name became a symbol of international mercy.
The example of the sisters of mercy in the Crimean War prompted the creation of the Russian Society for the Care of the Wounded and Ballroom Soldiers in May 1867, which 12 years later was transformed into the Russian Red Cross Society (ROKK). And, of course, the feat of the sisters of mercy of the St. Nicholas and Holy Cross communities caused a wave of unification of volunteer Christians in similar communities in many provinces of Russia. By the beginning of the World War of 1914, more than a hundred communities were registered, and by the middle of 1917, 30,000 sisters of mercy were already working in the battle formations of the Russian army, 20,000 of which had left the walls of diocesan communities.
In Moscow, following the Nikolskaya community of sisters of mercy, they soon formed Alexandrovskaya, then Pokrovskaya, Iverskaya, Pavlovskaya and Marfo-Marinskaya. 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 ROKK, formed infirmary detachments and hospital trains for the wounded and sick soldiers, patronized almost all the communities of mercy in Moscow.
What were these communities of sisters of mercy?
The communities of the sisters of mercy were a kind of women's monasteries in the world, where they did not require tonsure as a nun. The goals and objectives of all communities were the same, only the form of clothing, the length of the trial period, the cost of services provided by the community in their own institutions, in city hospitals and at home, varied. But the invariable condition was the ascetic strictness of behavior, disinterestedness, diligence, selflessness, discipline and unquestioning obedience to superiors.
The statutes of the communities, although they were strict, but unlike the monastic ones, they 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. Widows and maidens of all classes were accepted into the communities of mercy on a certificate of good morals at the age of 20 to 40 years. Those wishing to enter the community first passed a test for up to two years, remaining in the rank of test subjects after reaching 21 years. Their life and work were determined by the Charter, in most cases similar to the monastic one. During certification, they took a vow of impeccable behavior, an ascetic lifestyle and renunciation in the name of those suffering from worldly temptations. And we must give them their due - they honestly kept this oath.
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 sisters' working day began early in the morning and ended at midnight with prayers. Each of them performed a certain obedience (work) in a hospital, orphanage, or in the community's household. Everyone worked diligently and on an equal footing, only the sick were released. 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.
According to the degree of training, the sisters were divided into candidates (test subjects), sisters of mercy and crusades (older sisters). During the two years of the candidate's term, the ability to work with patients, sincerity and diligence were revealed. During direct work in a hospital, shelter or overnight stay, the ability to work with patients was revealed, the presence of qualities necessary in the matter of disinterested assistance to those in need was determined. After tests and a favorable response, the sisters-mentors certified the candidate for sisters of mercy, in this capacity she stayed for 5-6 years, combining daily practice in hospital wards and a special course of study. Since the main activity of the community was the training of experienced sisters of mercy with strong medical knowledge and skills in caring for ballroom and wounded soldiers, the medical training program consisted of a course of 14-16 subjects, the development of which made it possible to provide first aid, follow the doctor's orders in the ward and in the operating room. In addition, the course of study included 5-7 disciplines of a social and religious nature, where skills were instilled in providing psychological support, developing an increased sense of compassion and self-sacrifice, and practicing social assistance technologies. Those who passed the exams and proved themselves in the work of the sisters of mercy during the solemn ritual were ordained to the cross sisters, endowing them not only with seniority, but also with responsibility for the honor and dignity of the community. Cross sisters were tremblingly revered not only by the younger members of the community, but also by the sick for their moral and spiritual purity, cordiality and high skill. Outwardly, they differed in that they openly wore a rosary on their left hand, a large pectoral cross on a chain, and had differences in the cut of clothing and headdress.
Within their walls, communities opened specialized or multidisciplinary hospitals, where 10-15 percent of the places paid by philanthropists were allocated to 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, typhoid 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, medical trains and hospitals.
At each diocesan community, child-loving shelters were created for orphans and children of impoverished and spiritually crippled families. Undoubtedly, because of the small number of orphanages and their limited capacity, they did not solve the problems of all the unfortunate children, but nevertheless their existence was a blessing. In the communities, babies from 2 to 9 years old found warmth, who stayed in them until they were 16-18 years old. During this time, they received not only spiritual education, general or secondary education, but also skills in any craft. Basically, the pupils joined the hard work of the sisters of mercy.
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 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 were not just volunteers, but took a course of study according to a specially developed program, and only after receiving the appropriate certificate did they start working.
During the formation of the foundations of vocational training and activities in the field of social work, the state, represented by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, made an attempt to introduce one sister of mercy into the staff list of each county hospital. In a circular of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it was said on this occasion that “the knowledge of the sisters of mercy, trained under a special program and gained practical experience in hospitals during the Russian-Turkish war, in case of lack of demand, can be lost to society, which spent great efforts on their training.”
By nature, a woman has a desire to help the sick, the wounded, the crippled, the elderly. Healers, witches, midwives were engaged in medical work in ancient Russia. In the 10th century, Princess Olga opened a hospital. Over time, the medical business developed: surgical schools, paramedic courses, maternity hospitals and hospitals began to open.
The fair sex was not always allowed to help the wounded during the fighting: for a long time it was considered "free-thinking" their presence on the front lines. Over time, "widow houses" were created in large cities, in which they taught the basics of military medicine to help the wounded. Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna, together with the doctor N. I. Pirogov, ensured that nursing in Russia became massive.
Who are the sisters of mercy
These are women who voluntarily and consciously devoted themselves to caring for the sick, the wounded, the dying, and the disabled. They provide their help free of charge, with an open heart and a broad soul.
History of the organization
Nursing care has always existed, long before the first nursing communities were established. Even in ancient Rome, the early Christians went to the homes of the poor and provided them with first aid, taught them basic personal hygiene and so on. In 1633, the congregation of the Daughters of Charity was founded in Paris. This religious community devoted itself exclusively to the care of the afflicted.
An organization of women helping the wounded in war conditions in the west was founded by the Englishwoman Florence Nightingale.
Despite the general condemnation of her activities, Florence studied the organization of the work of hospitals and medical institutions, took first aid courses. During the war, Miss Nightingale went with a small group of girls to the front. At her own expense, she organized a field hospital, where, together with her followers, she provided assistance to the victims of the battle. When, thanks to a brave nurse, the death rate among the soldiers decreased, the public opinion about her changed, and the woman returned to her homeland a hero.
Appearance and distribution in Russia
In Russia, since ancient times, there were hospitals at the monasteries, in which the care of the sick was carried out by women. Then stereotypes developed in society that this was an unacceptable job for women, and until the middle of the 19th century only men worked in hospitals and hospitals. Nurses helped doctors, cared for the sick. In 1844, the Holy Trinity community opened its doors in St. Petersburg.
After the revolution of 1917, the community was closed, but all medical institutions remained in operation. Now we know this organization as the Russian Research Institute of Hematology and Transfusiology.
sisters activities
At the Holy Trinity community, a shelter for homeless girls and a hospital for the dying were opened. Here they also took care of the poor, consoled the mourners, brought vicious and fallen people to the path of truth.
The main job of women was to care for the sick. The sisters worked both in hospitals and took care of the suffering at home. Assisted physicians in outpatient appointments. Over time, such work has enriched them with invaluable experience and real medical knowledge.
Compulsory work for women of the Holy Trinity Community:
- daily duty 1 time in 4 days;
- work in an outpatient clinic;
- pharmacy work.
The Sisterhood united many women who find it not enough to live only for themselves and their loved ones. They wanted to help someone else. Not everyone can master such a difficult activity: here you need to be strong both physically and mentally.
Participation in wars
The organization experienced a significant rise and development during the wars. With the beginning of the Crimean War in St. Petersburg, the Beloselsky princes opened a soldier's hospital, in which women of the Holy Trinity community actively worked. At this time, there were not enough junior medical personnel in hospitals, so there was more than enough work for the sisters.
During the Russian-Turkish war, the community formed 2 detachments, which, together with the Red Cross, left for Bessarabia. Sparing no effort, the ladies took care of the sick, putting on their feet, it would seem, hopelessly wounded.
After this war, each of the women received medals and insignia from the sovereign and the Red Cross.
The Russo-Japanese War forced the community to open a hospital in St. Petersburg, to which injured soldiers were brought. By 1914, this hospital began to specialize in the wounded with jaw injuries.
Holy Cross Community
"... until my strength becomes, I will use all my cares and labors to serve my sick brothers."
Words from the oath of the Holy Cross sisters
History of creation
Throughout her life, Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna greatly helped the development of medicine in Russia. This was facilitated by her personal drama - first the loss of her daughters, and then her husband. The princess did not allow the tragedy to break her. On the contrary, vigorous activity and perseverance helped to develop the midwifery institute, in which Elena Pavlovna founded courses in obstetrics, a school for village midwives. Constantly remembering her dead daughters, Elena Pavlovna opened a children's hospital and established courses for pediatricians.
Sisters of mercy in Russia also appeared thanks to the princess. This institution was organized in 1854 and became the first official organization for the provision of medical care in trench conditions.
The genius Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov inspired the princess to create such a community. Elena Pavlovna had known the famous surgeon since the Caucasian War, where Pirogov applied his innovative ideas in the treatment of the wounded.
When the Crimean War began, the princess really wanted to help. Nikolai Ivanovich told her about widows helping at the front and how wonderful it would be if such a professional organization existed. Of course, Elena Pavlovna actively set to work.
Today, thanks to the letters and memoirs of N. I. Pirogov, one can imagine a picture of the life and work of these heroic guardian angels. For example, he tells in detail how women fought against a real “drug mafia”: drug suppliers and pharmacists scammed, medicines did not reach hospitals. The sisters took matters into their own hands, getting rid of intermediaries, and stopped the criminal activities of military adventurers. In letters, he also noted that the ladies became excellent administrators, and this is even more important than medical care in war.
Members of the organization
On November 6, 1854, a group of medical assistants in the amount of only 30 people arrived at the front. In 1855 there were already more than 250 of them.
Here are the names of only the most famous representatives of this glorious movement:
- Bakunina Ekaterina Mikhailovna;
- Khitrova Ekaterina Alexandrovna;
- Kartseva Elizaveta Petrovna;
- Travin Alexander;
- Budberg Ekaterina;
- Grigorieva Marina and others.
The women were completely different from each other. Here, educated ladies and illiterate laundresses worked side by side. They were united by love for human life, compassion for the pain of others and a desire to help.
In the photo Bakunina E.M.
Activity value
Arriving at the front, the ladies were forced to create hospitals from scratch, accommodate the wounded, and organize mobile dressing stations. They helped doctors to carry out their activities in an organized way: they distributed medicines, tools, food, they helped in surgical operations.
Here are some of the sisters:
- shift duty in hospitals;
- assisting doctors in operations;
- treatment and dressing of wounds;
- washing and feeding the infirm.
In addition to ordinary household chores, the girls provided invaluable moral support. Sometimes a kind word brought a broken, depressed soldier back to life. Also only among our brave honey. sisters, it was quite common to pull out a seriously wounded man right on himself from under the incessant fire.
Who is Daria Sevastopolskaya
The laurels of the first field nurse, as you know, went to Florence Nightingale. For history, it will probably remain so, but the Russian people remember the selfless feat of the Russian heroine of the Crimean War. When the Englishwoman had just arrived at the front, Dasha had been helping for a long time on the Russian side.
Biography
Dasha Sevastopolskaya is actually Daria Lavrentievna Mikhailova. She was born into a poor sailor family. She lived hard, earned money doing laundry. Her mother died early. And when Dasha was 18, her father also died.
The girl sold the remnants of her property, bought bandages, vinegar, wine, and went on a wagon towards the battle of Almen.
There she bandaged the wounded, disinfected the wounds with vinegar, reassured them with a word and a smile. After the defeat of our troops on Alma, the defense of Sevastopol began. Dasha occupied an abandoned house and set up a hospital there.
The sovereign was delighted with the heroism of the girl, wrote her 500 rubles and the medal "For Diligence". He also promised her 1000 rubles after marriage. Daria proudly walked with this medal, continuing to do her job. In 1855, the brave Dasha got married. Private Maxim Khvorostov became the chosen one of the girl, the young people received the money promised by the sovereign.
Daria not only helped the wounded. Dressed in a military uniform, the girl participated in reconnaissance sorties.
After the war, Crimea was left in ruins. Most of the people were left homeless and wandered around in search of a better life. Daria and her husband moved to the city of Nikolaev, but their life together did not last long - Maxim's alcoholism destroyed their marriage.
The heroine returned to her native land in Sevastopol and lived there alone until her death in 1910. The locals buried her in their cemetery, but the place of the grave has not survived to this day.
Participation in the Crimean War
The unfortunate, lonely orphan saw her new family in the wounded. She took care of everyone: fed, watered, washed, bandaged. On her thin horse, Dasha brought many men from the battlefield.
At first, she was mistaken for a madwoman, because the girl bought medicines and dressings with her own money and did not take anything from people when she carried someone out of the combat zone. Soon everyone around considered her a “little sister”, warmly thanked her for her care, and even left Daria their personal belongings (watches, wallets, jewelry) as a legacy.
Significance in history
With her actions, Dasha Sevastopolskaya inspired selfless, valiant work and other local women of different classes. Quite quickly, they all began to work under the guidance of the famous Russian surgeon N. I. Pirogov. This group of diligent women admired him with their sacrifice and altruism. The mortality rate among the wounded has decreased significantly with the advent of determined, brave and strong-willed ladies.
Much time later, when the heroes of that terrible war had long since departed for another world, the memory of the great feat of the poor young orphan still lives in people's hearts. With her simple, but such humane and necessary actions, she brought back to life more than a dozen soldiers and took an honorable place in the list of heroes of the Crimean War.
Video
The video briefly retells the biography of Dasha Sevastopolskaya.
The video talks about how the experience of the surgeon N. I. Pirogov influenced modern medicine:
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"Guy Medical College"
Community of Sisters of Mercy
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compassionate widows
community of sisters of mercy
In Russia, until the 19th century, there were no special institutions involved in caring for the sick. The first attempts to create this kind of charitable organization date back to the beginning of the 19th century, when in 1803 Widow's Homes were founded at the Educational Homes of St. Petersburg and Moscow. They were managed by honorary guardians, and the direct supervision of the guardians was entrusted to the abbesses. At these houses, departments of compassionate widows were created. For example, out of a total number of 600 compassionate patients in a Moscow institution, there were 60. They were on probation for a year, then they were sworn in when they were given the sign of compassion in the form of a golden cross on a green ribbon, which they had the right to wear all their lives, even if they left the department, but remained in the Widow's House itself.
To care for the sick, the compassionate were sent in turn to hospitals and private homes. After ten years of service, they were paid a pension, which, like a sign of compassion, remained with them until the end of their lives. In the St. Petersburg house, unmarried daughters of widows were also accepted into the category of compassionate widows, however, since 1887, the admission of subjects to this category was discontinued, and according to the new charter of 1892, the category of compassionate widows in St. Petersburg was completely abolished.
The Institute of Sisters of Mercy has been developing in Russia since the 1940s as a charitable movement under the patronage and at the expense of members of the royal family, other aristocratic families, and later benefactors from other classes.
Holy Trinity Sisters of Mercy
Only in 1844, with Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna and Princess Teresa of Oldenburg, the first community of sisters of mercy in Russia was founded in the capital, from 1873/74 it received the name Holy Trinity - until that time it had no name. The community was led by a ladies' committee, and its maintenance was provided by interest on the capital of the Grand Duchess Alexander Nikolaevna - there were no other permanent incomes, except for donations received from the imperial family and private individuals. Unmarried women and widows, necessarily literate, from 18-20 to 40 years old, could join the community. If a sister got married, she was excluded from the community. The probationary period was determined from one year to three years. The functions of the sisters included duty in the apartments and in the hospital, receiving patients who came to the community: the professional training of women was purely practical and was reduced to knowledge of some medical procedures and sanitary and hygienic rules of care.
By the mid-70s of the 19th century, there were five departments in the community: the sisters of mercy proper; test sisters; medical; educational and four-class women's school. At the community there was a women's hospital (designed for 52 patients: 38 adults and 6 children), an almshouse for the elderly sisters and a pharmacy, where medicines were given free of charge. Orphan girls aged 10 to 13 years old (32 people in total) who could read and write were taken to the educational department (orphanage for children). In addition to maintenance, they were educated in the women's school of the community. Subsequently, girls of their own free will could go into the category of subjects. The four-year school was equated in status with a women's progymnasium, 120 girls studied there for a fee; after graduation, graduates received the right to enter the fourth grade of women's gymnasiums without exams.
On average, about 20,000 people turned to the community for help. The congregation had one senior physician and 19 out-of-staff doctors. N.I. often came here. Pirogov, who was present at meetings of the community committee and sometimes carried out operations. It is quite possible that his local observations became the basis for the creation of the future structure of the Exaltation of the Cross Sisterhood.
In the 1940s and 1950s, the number of sisters in the Trinity community almost did not increase. If in 1844 there were 18 of them, then after the Crimean War (1857) there were only 24 of them. Only by the end of the 19th century, the sisterhood included 80 people. For 42 years (from 1844 to 1886), this organization was headed by the same abbess - E.A. Kublitskaya, who was later replaced by B.A. Abaza.
The working hours of the sisters were quite harsh. Only 21 sisters served up to 5 years, 24 - from 5 to 10 years, nine - from 10 to 20, seven - from 20 to 30, and only three sisters - more than 30 years.
The Trinity community, both in form and in spirit, borrowed a lot from women's monastic life, since in the Russian state, unlike Western Europe, institutions of this type did not exist. As a special phenomenon, the community of sisters was something very specific in Russia, conservative in spirit, where any undertakings were always treated with great suspicion, therefore, for the time being, a new type of women's ministry had to develop in line with already existing traditions - the Trinity community and there could not be any different, as soon as semi-monastic, in this sense it will become a prototype for a number of others, but by no means all sisterhoods, which initially gravitated towards semi-monastic charters. This characteristic feature of the activity of communities, having undergone a significant evolution, will remain until the beginning of the 20th century.
Nikolskaya community
The next organization for the care of the sick arose already in Moscow on the initiative of Princess Sofya Stepanovna Shcherbatova and a wonderful doctor who devoted his whole life to serving the sick, Fyodor Petrovich Haaz, on April 1, 1848, during the cholera epidemic. The sisterhood was under the jurisdiction of the Ladies' Guardianship of the Poor, created by S.S. Shcherbatova.
Initially, the community was organized near the Butyrka prison, where Gaaz worked, in Guryev's house on Dolgorukovskaya Street, opposite the church of St. Nicholas. It is possible that the name of the new organization, the St. Nicholas community, was associated with this church, which, however, could be named after Emperor Nicholas I. Anastasia Pavlovna Shcherbinina became the first abbess. The charter of the community was approved by Nicholas I on October 5, 1848. The sisters looked after the sick at the First City Hospital and the hospital established by Haas for laborers, later named after Emperor Alexander III. The community had an orphanage. The sisters controlled the actions of nurses, read soul-saving literature to the sick, and generally took care of their peace and comfort. In addition, they learned about the condition of the poor patients who were at home, in order to provide them with benefits from the funds of the Ladies' Guardianship. At the request of individuals, sisters could be released for home care. By the spring of 1863, the sisterhood included about 70 people. In general, the history of this first Moscow organization is being restored with great difficulty, since its archive burned down in the late 50s of the 19th century.
It is known that the sisters of the Nikolskaya community, together with the widows of the St. Petersburg and Moscow Widows' houses, arrived in the Crimea 8 months before the departure of the first detachment of the Exaltation of the Cross community there, that is, in the early spring of 1854, accompanied by a certain Major Grakov, the former police chief of the St. sisters to the war, the Empress handed them metal crosses on green ribbons. The next departure took place, apparently, together with the sisters of the Exaltation of the Cross community, as evidenced by the correspondence between Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna and Princess S.S. Shcherbatova, but, unfortunately, no detailed information about the Nikolsky detachment has been preserved.
In 1879, the last twelve sisters of the Nikolskaya community were transferred to Lefortovo, forming a special Lefortovo branch. The community as such ceased to exist, but in 1914, with the outbreak of the First World War, it was restored.
Communities of sisters of mercy before the Russian-Turkish war
The period between the Crimean and Russian-Turkish (1878-1879) wars was marked by the emergence of the Red Cross Society. The day of its foundation - February 9, 1863 - is associated with a meeting of the Geneva "Society for Social Benefit", at which the doctor Henri Dunant, a witness of one of the small but very bloody battles in Western Europe (at Solferino in Italy), made a report on the deplorable state of the wounded after this battle. A. Dunant himself later admitted that he was not the first to try to solve the problem of protecting the wounded: “Although I am known as the founder of the Red Cross Society and the initiator of the Geneva Convention, the real merit in all this belongs to an Englishwoman (F. Nightingale. - A. P.) I was inspired to travel to Italy during the military campaign of 1859 by the work of Mrs. Florence Nightingale during the Crimean campaign.
Thanks to the efforts of the chairman of the society, Gustave Moynier, a conference of 16 states was convened, which established the basic rules for organizing private societies for the care of the sick and wounded soldiers, and on August 10, 1864, the aforementioned Geneva Convention was concluded as a result of this meeting. It put forward the motto: "Do not do more evil to the enemy, which is required by the goals of the war."
According to the convention of 1864, the initial activities of the Red Cross were to be concentrated mainly in the rear - only in exceptional cases could its agencies extend their activities to the battlefield. All emergency rooms and hospitals staffed with a special distinctive Red Cross flag, not guarded by military force, were declared neutral and inviolable. The personnel of the hospitals, when captured, could continue their activities, but had the right to return to their troops. Local residents who helped the wounded were also inviolable, since the wounded was recognized as guarding the house. Assistance was to be provided to soldiers regardless of their nationality, and the commander-in-chief of one of the warring parties, under certain conditions, could hand over the wounded to enemy outposts.
Since 1863, the central body of the society was the International Committee of the Red Cross, located in Geneva. Once every five years, it was planned to convene international conferences: in peacetime, the organization was decentralized, and only during hostilities was strict unity of command introduced by the Committee. In addition, in most countries, local committees were dependent on their governments, that is, they could not act independently.
The emblem of the new union was a red four-pointed cross on a white field. A bandage with his image should be worn on the left sleeve. Turkey, however, replaced the cross with a red crescent, which later migrated to the symbols of the Soviet Red Cross Society. In the 20th century, this convention was revised several times: in 1906, 1929, 1949, and with new amendments it is still in force. By the end of the 70s of our century, 120 states pledged to comply with its terms.
In Russia, the initiative to establish a branch of the society belonged to the imperial maid of honor Marfa Stepanovna Sabinina, who later headed the Annunciation community of sisters in the Crimea. She was joined by Baroness Maria Petrovna Frederiks and life doctors F.Ya. Carell and P.A. Naranovich. Thanks to their joint efforts, on May 3, 1867, the charter of the Society for the Care of the Wounded and Sick Soldiers was approved by the highest, only in 1879 (that is, after the Russian-Turkish war) renamed the Russian Red Cross Society (ROKK). Since its inception, this organization has been under the auspices of the Empress.
Before the Russian-Turkish war in Russia, there were about two dozen communities of sisters of mercy. In addition to Troitskaya, Nikolskaya and Krestovozdvizhenskaya, in 1850 the Sturdzovskaya community arose in Odessa, in 1853 - the community of the Liteynaya part, in 1858 - Pokrovskaya, in 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. In 1875, in the Crimea, in the vicinity of Yalta, in the estate of Baroness M.P. Fredericks, under the auspices of the Empress, the Annunciation community was founded, headed by M.S. Sabinina, and in 1876 in Tiflis (Tbilisi) - Tiflis. Before the war, the Catherine community was founded in Novgorod, two similar organizations were founded in Pskov (one was called Ioanno-Ilyinsky), small sisterhoods arise in Kostroma, Kursk and Revel (Tallinn). During this period, two communities were created in Moscow: Satisfy My Sorrows (1865) and Vladychne-Pokrovskaya (1869). At the request of the ladies' committees, which included mainly noblewomen who were engaged in spreading the influence of the Red Cross Society, preparing sisters for extreme situations, after 1876 only four of these communities came under the jurisdiction of the Society for the Care of Wounded and Sick Soldiers: Georgievskaya, "Satisfy my sorrows", Kharkov and Tiflis.
The community "Satisfy my Sorrows" was founded by Princess Natalya Borisovna Shakhovskaya, who was well acquainted with Dr. F.P. Haas. In 1863, she entered the Nikolsky community as a sister of mercy, quickly got used to hospital life and, thanks to this, she was one of the first to draw attention to the situation in society of juvenile orphans and mentally ill women, to whom her further work in the new community would be devoted. Having gathered 30 volunteer sisters, she acquired several old houses on Pokrovskaya Street (not preserved). Permission to establish a new community at their own expense was received in March 1871. After the approval of the charter, the princess and six sisters were ordained to the cross sisters in Vysoko-Petrovsky Monastery. Later, the community moved to a small mansion in Lefortovo (2 Hospital Square).
In 1872, an orphanage was opened at the community located on Pokrovka, where babies of mothers who died in the police hospital were admitted. In Lefortovo, they began to accept foundlings, who were often left at the gates of the community. The new orphanage housed 30 boys and 32 girls. Since 1878, the reception of boys was discontinued due to the difficult financial situation of the community. For girls, a four-year women's school was opened, the graduates of which were included in the number of subjects for the title of sister of mercy, but certification took place only when they reached the age of sixteen. The school also accepted girls not from the boarding school, who had parents who pledged to pay for the boarding school. By 1875, a new hospital building was built with a house church in the name of the icon "Assuage My Sorrows". It operated specialized departments: surgical, therapeutic, neurological and gynecological (total 110 beds). A psychiatric department with 30 beds was created in a separate building. N. Shakhovskaya tried to attract professional doctors to work in the community, and her institution gradually became famous in Moscow. In 1881, Emperor Alexander II took under his protection the community, now renamed Alexandrovskaya.
The Vladychne-Pokrovskaya diocesan community was established at the end of 1869, and already in 1870 it was given the territory of the former royal country palace in Pokrovsky-Rubtsovo (Bakuninskaya street, 83 and Gastello, 42-44). The community was headed by Mother Mitrofania (Rosen), the former abbess of the Serpukhov Vladychny Monastery. She accepted monasticism already in her advanced years under the influence of Metropolitan Filaret, and earlier she was a lady-in-waiting to the Empress. The community was under the control of the Holy Synod, and the beginnings of a monastic community were introduced into it. In 1871, the abbess was elected chairman of the Moscow Ladies' Committee of Public Care for Sick and Wounded Soldiers, and she was instructed to arrange an infirmary for surgical patients with 10 beds at the community.
Thus, the main functions of the communities gradually began to be determined:
1) with general charitable goals: charity for the poor, care for the sick, raising children (Trinity, Pokrovskaya communities in St. Petersburg);
2) the military, whose main task was to help the wounded and sick soldiers (Krestovozdvizhenskaya, Georgievskaya, "Satisfy my sorrows");
3) run by St. Synod assigned to women's monasteries (Vladychne-Pokrovskaya in Moscow). However, it cannot be said that these areas of activity among the existing communities were strictly demarcated.
Back in 1859, N. Pirogov and some other doctors raised the question of the introduction of female labor in hospitals in peacetime before the Military Ministry. In 1863, the "Regulations on the Sisters of the Holy Cross Community Appointed to Care for the Patients in Military Hospitals" were published. After long delays, in agreement with the communities, the Ministry of War allowed nurses on the basis of a charter developed in 1869 in hospitals in seven cities: St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kyiv, Riga, Brest-Litovsk, Warsaw and Kherson. The aforementioned nun Mitrofania participated in drawing up the rules for the sisters' ministry in hospitals.
In 1871, the Ministry of War officially extended the "Regulations on the Sisters of the Exaltation of the Cross Community" of 1863 to all women who worked in military hospitals in Russia. The sisters were mainly assigned the functions of monitoring the paramedics, the correct observance of the doctor's instructions, the distribution and preparation of food, etc. Since 1873, the full-time sisters of the hospitals of the military department were equated in their status with non-commissioned officers: during their service they did not depend on the communities , had the right to use government premises and meals. One sister served 100 patients. From December 1876, women who worked in hospitals during the war period began to receive a permanent salary of 30 rubles a month - from April 1877 this rule began to be applied in all peacetime hospitals.
Communities of sisters of mercy in the last quarter of the 19th century
All women who participated in the Russian-Turkish war were awarded a specially established medal, and five received special silver medals - "For Courage". In addition, a red cross insignia of two degrees was introduced (in the form of a red cross, in gold and silver rims, respectively) for women who worked in the field of nursing.
Most of the sisters after the Russian-Turkish war returned to Russia in the autumn of 1878, thus serving in Bulgaria, Romania and partly Turkey for more than one year. Many who went to work for the sake of earning money, upon their return, turned out to be completely unsecured. Others, going to war, left the only sources of their livelihood - it was difficult to get a job again. In addition, most of these women suffered, if not typhus, then at least difficult stressful situations and great physical exertion: a certain period of rehabilitation was required to return to a peaceful life. In this sense, the community sisters were in a better position, as they returned to the shelter of their communities - the poor civilians again found themselves in a difficult situation.
The Red Cross, for the above reasons, took upon itself the costs of paying for the sisters' travel to Russia and providing for the first month of their stay in their homeland, which, however, was not a global solution to the problem associated with the formation of permanent nursing personnel. There was a need to provide for the sisters who returned from the front, on the one hand, and on the other hand, the creation of permanent organizations that train medical personnel. One of them was the Kasperovskaya community of sisters of mercy in Odessa, formed immediately after the war by the Main Directorate of the ROCK.
At the same time, the Main Military Medical Directorate considered it necessary to organize the training of sisters of mercy to create a reserve, since, according to approximate estimates, about three thousand of them could be required to mobilize in case of war. In 1893, this figure was determined to be twice as high, while in reality the ROCK could provide only 1,300 sisters at the disposal of the military department. This fact has become an additional impetus for the creation of new communities. If in 1879, in addition to the above organizations, under the authority 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 - only less than thirty - then by 1900 the number increased to 84. Geographically, their distribution throughout the country can be represented as follows: the northernmost city where the community of sisters of mercy existed was Arkhangelsk, the westernmost city was Warsaw, the southernmost city was Tiflis, the easternmost city in the European part of Russia was Yekaterinburg, and the Ural - Khabarovsk.
The training of sisters was carried out under the supervision of special departments of the Red Cross, formed by the ROKK in the first half of 1879. From the 80s. in some communities, permanent courses are being created for the training of female medical personnel: the Mariinsky in Kyiv, St. Eugenia in St. Petersburg, Kharkov and some others. In 1888, a committee for the care of the sisters of mercy was formed in St. Petersburg: it was in charge of issues related not only to the professional training of women, but also to employment, as well as the care of elderly workers. However, the issue of pensions for the sisters has not yet been fully resolved. This committee founded a community of sisters to care for the sick in private homes - previously the Red Cross had not provided this kind of assistance. In the same year, a committee similar to the St. Petersburg committee "Christian Aid" was created in Moscow, which organized its own community and a shelter for elderly sisters (Pisemsky St., 9).
In the 90s. In the 19th century, rural communities arose in some counties to provide assistance to victims of infectious, epidemic diseases and natural disasters. One of the first such organizations was the Epifansky community, created in May 1893 in the Epifansky district of the Tula province, and the community in the village of Podberezhye, Novoladozhsky district of the St. Petersburg province (1895). The latter accepted girls from the age of sixteen, that is, from an earlier age than was customary in the metropolitan communities: those who came were only required to have a minimum education in the scope of parochial school programs. However, county communities did not become widespread, since at the congress of zemstvo doctors in 1895 it was decided not to create them in significant numbers due to lack of funds from zemstvos and the inability to give women serious professional training.
Before the Russo-Japanese War, in 1896, in Moscow, under the auspices of the local branch of the Red Cross Society and on the initiative of the Moscow Ladies' Committee, namely, its chairman, Agafoklia Alexandrovna Kostanda, the Iberian community of sisters of mercy (Malaya Yakimanka, 17; buildings of the children's hospital emergency number 20). In 1896, a church was founded under the community, which was consecrated only in 1901. The community was designed for 20 sisters, which, naturally, could not solve the problem of a shortage of medical personnel in Moscow. Since its inception, the community has been under the high patronage of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna and her husband, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. Throughout its existence, the Iberian community maintained close relations with Elizaveta Feodorovna, who constantly supported the community, which in 1916, in his welcoming speech to the Grand Duchess, the confessor of the community, Father Sergei Makhaev, emphasized. The first abbess of the community was M.N. Ugryumovskaya, under her supervision in the first year there were only four sisters, the reception in the community was carried out by 22 doctors, selected specially by competition and in shifts who received patients. The buildings of the community housed a hostel for sisters, a pharmacy, a laboratory, emergency rooms, three doctors' offices, an operating room and a two-bed ward. Soon water supply and sewerage were brought in, kerosene lighting was replaced by gas.
In 1897, Sergei Alexandrovich decided to send a sanitary detachment of the Iberian community of twenty people, equipped by Elizaveta Fedorovna, to the theater of the Greco-Turkish war, but not to the Greek, but to the Turkish army. V. Dzhunkovsky was appointed head of the detachment. Another detachment was sent by the Main Directorate of the ROCK from St. Petersburg to the Greek army. In the premises of the Iberian community, in the presence of the Grand Duchess, a parting prayer service was served, after which Elizaveta Feodorovna blessed each of those departing with the icon of the Iberian Mother of God and said goodbye to everyone, wishing a happy journey and a safe return.
In Pharsala, where the detachment arrived on May 5, the house of the Greek Crown Prince was provided for the hospital. The cargo of nurses and doctors arrived only at noon the next day, in the midst of receiving the wounded, who began to arrive after the battle of Domokos from seven in the morning. The Turks did not have their own dressing stations, first aid was provided mainly by the personal efforts of the military leadership. After some time, there was no more free space in the house, the wounded began to be laid in the garden and right on the street, where many had to spend a day or more. The Turks, of whom more than three hundred had already been brought on the first day, literally lay on top of each other, the floors were covered with pools of blood, and a putrid smell was felt throughout the house. The almost complete absence of glass in the windows saved from perfect air contamination, because of which there was a constant influx of fresh air.
For the first time, before the arrival of cargo, dressings were borrowed from French doctors. All the first day, dressings and amputations were going on in three rooms of the house, in the big room the sisters hastily bandaged those who had not even been given first aid. Without exception, all members of the detachment carried the wounded, kept them during operations, fed them. Unaccustomed to such care, the Turkish soldiers unusually appreciated any manifestation of attention to them and were filled with gratitude. The surprise of the staff caused the great patience of the wounded, almost no groans were heard from the mutilated people lying on the floor.
After the arrival of the cargo, at the cost of enormous efforts, it was possible to arrange three wards by the evening and place 17 seriously wounded there, equip an operating room and prepare dinner for 200 people, who were given tea during the day. Everything was extraordinarily difficult, considering that the help of an interpreter was needed all the time, both in the kitchen and in the wards. Everything was done in a terrible hurry and with extreme effort. By 12 o'clock at night everyone was falling down, and half of the wounded had not yet been bandaged, despite the fact that more and more of their parties arrived. This went on for three days.
French doctors advised members of the detachment to wear a crescent instead of a cross, since the Albanians could shoot at the cross. They did not put on the crescent moon, but at first only the sisters wore the cross. On the third day of work, Dzhunkovsky put on a bandage with a red cross, and then the doctors. When the hospital was finally set up, the flag of the Red Cross was hoisted next to the Russian flag, and a lantern with a red cross was hung on the gates. Everything went well, because by this time the detachment had already gained complete confidence, the Turks even began to deposit their money.
A mass of foreigners visited the hospital, all military agents stayed in it. The banking pasha reported to the sultan that the Russians had set up an exemplary hospital and thanks to them one could hope to save many wounded.
In the second half of May, new wounded ceased to arrive, the former began to recover, and the question arose of their evacuation, as well as the future fate of the hospital itself. It was decided to send the wounded to Larissa. The parting with them was very touching, some cried, parting with the doctors, and some even kissed their hands, not knowing how else to express their gratitude. One of the reasons for this gratitude was the deep indifference shown to them by Turkish doctors and, in general, by most of the bosses.
After the evacuation of the sick on May 29, only seven people remained in the hospital. In this regard, a telegram was sent to the Russian ambassador that the detachment was ending its activities in Farsala and was waiting for his instructions to return to Russia. The doctors and nurses looked very exhausted. Life in the hospital could not but affect the health of the members of the detachment. A low, damp place, bad water, lack of food during a lot of hard work - all this could not be useful, and the constant tense state of nurses and doctors, too monotonous life, the impossibility even in your free time to take walks without an escort from the Turks affected the nerves. .
By mistake, the Sultan was informed about the forthcoming arrival from Russia to Istanbul of a new hospital with 500 beds (meaning the Iberian hospital with 50 beds, which was already in Farsal). In order to correct the mistake, it was considered desirable to stay for some more time to work in the Turkish capital. Moreover, the Sultan certainly wanted to show hospitality to the detachment. He ordered that the palace in Besiktas be taken to the detachment at his expense. Living conditions in Constantinople were quite different from those in Pharsalus. Nurses and doctors were placed with great comfort, the table was very good, varied, no deprivation.
The 100-bed barrack to which the detachment was attached was located in Ildiz, a 15-minute drive from the detachment's premises in Besiktas. The arrangement of the barracks and its equipment were excellent and did not at all correspond to what was seen in the army in the field. During the first examination and bandaging of the wounded, it turned out that some of the patients had previously been to the Iberian hospital in Farsal. One should have seen their delight at the sight of Russian doctors and nurses, the wounded were crying for joy, hugging them. The rumor about the arrival of the detachment quickly spread throughout the hospital and all the wounded from Farsal, who were able to move, converged on the barracks, joyfully greeting the doctors and nurses - many asked to be transferred to them.
Despite the good working conditions, illnesses among the members of the detachment did not stop. Almost all the sisters and doctors had been more or less seriously ill. Dzhunkovsky himself also fell ill. The detachment returned to Russia only in July 1897 (Material on the history of the detachment of V. Dzhunkovsky of the Iberian community was kindly provided by the cleric of the Iberian Church, Priest Gennady Egorov).
In 1897, a surgical clinic was opened in the Iberian community with an operating room and six wards with 16 beds. Inpatient treatment was paid. By the beginning of the 20th century, 47 sisters and 24 subjects were already working here - by this time, more than 40 thousand patients had been helped, half of whom had been operated on. The sisters were selected quite carefully: girls and women, both laywomen and nuns, were accepted with an education of at least four grades of a gymnasium. In June 1900, by order of the Main Directorate of the ROCK, five sisters of the Iberian community, headed by the elder Anna Kulikova, were sent to Transbaikalia, where military units of the Russian army were formed to suppress the Ihetuan uprising in China. These sisters worked in the infirmaries of the Amur region and Manchuria, sometimes bandaging the wounded in dilapidated fanz, undergoing many hardships from disorder, poor food and frost. This detachment returned only in July 1901. Later, a second detachment of 16 sisters was sent to the Far East under the command of five doctors and abbess A.K. Pivarkovich. Already on September 20, he opened an infirmary in Blagoveshchensk, where they began to treat the first victims, who by the beginning of October turned out to be about a thousand. On October 5, the detachment moved to Khabarovsk, where the wounded were received until January 1901.
Before the war with Japan, some Russian sisters took part in the fighting during the Anglo-Boer African War. The Boers are the descendants of European Protestant settlers, mainly Dutch, who fled to South Africa from religious persecution during the Reformation of the 16th century. The territories inhabited by them (modern South Africa) were rich in diamonds and gold, so they quickly became the object of conquest by the British Empire.
In the autumn of 1899, a sanitary detachment was formed from public donations from the Committee for Relief to the Boers, which consisted of the Dutch living in St. Petersburg. Independently of them, a detachment of the Red Cross was sent to Africa. The first detachment consisted half of the Dutch and half of the Russians, it included several sisters from the Exaltation of the Cross (the elder sister in the detachment, Josephine Yezhevskaya), St. George and Alexander communities. From the community of St. George was the sister of S.V., who left interesting memories of this journey. Izedinova. It is characteristic that the sisters of the detachment had a red cross sewn on the back of their headscarves, "so that the British would not shoot at us when we started to run away," Izedinova remarked sarcastically.
The sisters served the infirmary, designed for 40 beds. The conditions were already difficult because of some climatic conditions, when the daytime heat of + 40 ° was replaced by a night cold of - 7 °. The sisters, moreover, had no luck with the location of the infirmary, which, due to the bulky equipment, could not move quickly, and since the front line changed unpredictably, the field hospital often ended up where hostilities were not being fought and had to stand idle, since in the absence of the wounded, the medical nobody needed help. So, for example, it happened in Newcastle, whose infirmary later, with a change in front, was overwhelmed with work. In another place, after the detachment moved to Poplars, according to the same Izedinova, "the choice by Dr. fan-Leersum of a house for setting up a dressing station was so successful that the first English bomb exploded on it." By 1900, however, all the Russian sisters who had taken part in the Boer War had safely returned to Russia.
The history of the communities is the history of endlessly repeating situations, when the same thing happened in different conditions, most often associated with the war, while the most interesting and important page of the sisters' daily and nondescript activities remained closed to subsequent generations, like the works of true ascetics, not striving for glory. Probably, 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, but this will be possible only if there are people who really understand the meaning of their service. As one of the modern doctors said, making a round in the hospital, referring to an overly loud-mouthed patient: "Behave quietly: the hospital is a vale of sadness and a refuge of sorrow." At the same time, the doctor's look became solemnly funeral. To this, a certain priest objected: "Yes, the hospital is indeed a vale of sorrow, but for someone it should become a source of inexhaustible joy."
Bibliography
1) An article from a medical newspaper: "The test of life - The origins of the communities of sisters of mercy"
2) Report of the Alexander community of sisters of mercy "Satisfy my sorrows" ... for 1897. M., 1898
3) Posternak A.V. Essays on the history of the communities of sisters of mercy. M .: Publishing house "St. Demetrius School of Sisters of Mercy", 2001.
4) Mikhailov D. "Red Cross and sisters of mercy in Russia and abroad." Pg.-Kyiv, 1914.
5) Makhaev Sergiy. "Moves of Mercy". M., 2003
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