Sunday Schools Organization in the Territory of Smolensk Governorate on the Eve of the Great Reforms of Alexander II

Abstract

The article deals with the activities of authorities and society in the process
 of creating the first Sunday schools for the urban population (working children,
 boys, adults) of the Russian Empire on the eve of the Great Reforms of Alexander
 II. It is shown that in modern historiography, despite the existence of
 various government decisions on the organization and management of Sunday
 schools, there is no consensus on the time of their establishment, as well as the
 departmental status of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA of Russia), the Ministry
 of National Education (MNE) and the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC).
 The article stresses that the opening and successful operation of Sunday schools
 required, first of all, proactive representatives of the teaching community or interested
 individuals.
 Previously unused materials of the State Archive of the Smolensk Region (GASO) assist to analyze the initial stage of creating Sunday classes in the governorate and district centers of the Smolensk region. On the ground this initiative came in the form of an instruction given by MIA of Russia (in coordination
 with MNE) in 1860. It was supposed that «the establishment of Sunday schools in cities should bring significant benefits to urban societies» and «these schools should be run by local school directors». Thus, the article states that in the
 province it was MIA of Russia, through the institute of the governorate, which was based on private initiative and active participation of local intelligentsia and carried out the idea of creating Sunday schools for working youth for their
 religious and moral education and primary education.