Everyday life of the student community of the Moscow Spiritual Academies in 1884–1905

Abstract

The article presents a brief overview of everyday student life at the Moscow Theological Academy in a fairly short chronological period: after the adoption of the new Charter of the Theological Academies in 1884 and before the beginning of the revolutionary sentiments of 1905. The coverage of "everyday life" will be based on the description of several important components of student life: 1. Living conditions; 2. Daily routine; 3. Nutrition; 4. Appearance. The information is obtained both from the personal memories of students and from archival documents, among which the "Rules on the duties of students at the Moscow Theological Academy", the Charter of the Academy and the Journals of the Academy Council are of great importance. As a result of the analysis, an average image of the everyday life of a student at the Moscow Theological Academy was presented. Thanks to the “Rules on the Responsibilities of Students” or the Statutes of Theological Academies, the researcher can clearly imagine the general aspects of a student’s everyday life. Memoirs and research on this period supplement this general information with specific information, without which the picture would not be entirely complete. So, it can be noted that the daily life of a student at the Moscow Theological Academy looked like this: the student lived within the walls of the Academy buildings, had standardized clothes made of black cloth (sometimes there were differences, which the administration fought against with varying intensity in different periods): uniform, trousers, shirt (outer clothing consisted of an overcoat and a cap / cap). The schedule was quite "soft", especially after 1897, when the rise was moved an hour later. Four meals a day and a hearty, rich table allowed students to always be in good physical condition.