On the history of the creation of the Old Moscow Commission: what the archival documents told about

Abstract

The subject of this article is the Commission for the Study of Old Moscow, which was formed at the Imperial Moscow Archaeological Society and continued to operate after the liquidation of the IMAO. The author pays special attention to the Rules of the Commission, a program document of this community, which have been preserved both in handwritten and printed form, and in several copies. In addition, the author examines other archival documents – minutes of the Commission's meetings, which allow to highlight the issue of the activities and work of the Commission. The study of these documents also helps to understand how the Commission for the Study of Old Moscow was organized, who held the main positions and what responsibilities were imposed on them, who were the most active members of the Commission, etc. The main method of research is the method of historical analysis, which allows one to analyze the minutes of meetings and Rules of the Commission for the Study of Old Moscow and on their basis to understand how this community functioned. The main conclusions of the conducted research are, firstly, the conclusion that by 1917 the Commission for the Study of Old Moscow had become a serious scientific society, which included not only those interested in the history of Moscow, amateur Muscovites, but also professional historians, archivists, architects, etc.; secondly, the conclusion about the Commission's huge contribution to the study and preservation of ancient monuments in Moscow. In addition, the author concludes that the Commission for the Study of Old Moscow was institutionally and in many types of activities the successor of the Imperial Moscow Archaeological Society. Preserving the traditions of the IMAO and remaining faithful to its basic principles, the Commission was able to continue its activities after the liquidation of the IMAO. The novelty of the research lies in the introduction into scientific circulation of previously unpublished archival sources, a comprehensive analysis of which allows us to reconstruct the daily life of the Commission.