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PHJ № 1 (49) 2026 — G. V. Krivchenkov. FORMS OF CHARITY DURING THE RUSSO-TURKISH WAR OF 1877–1878 (BASED ON MATERIALS FROM THE SMOLENSK PROVINCE)

The article deals with the organization and holding of charitable events during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 in the Smolensk province. The main attention is paid to the joint work of the provincial administration of the Red Cross, city government bodies and the landed gentry in opening hospitals in the province. Ladies of the noble class participated in the organization of charity circles at the provincial administration of the Red Cross. Ladies’ circles provided daily care for the sick sent by the Kyiv evacuation commission to the province for treatment. Material support for ladies’ circles was provided by the landed gentry. The activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in collecting donations for the army and navy, the role of the peasant community in providing material assistance to soldiers and their families are examined. In order to collect funds, the clergy established a collection of donations from parishioners during the liturgy, and the parish clergy accepted humanitarian aid for the army from local residents. Due to poverty, Smolensk peasants often participated in charitable events by collecting food and things that they themselves used in everyday life. Peasants donated warm clothes for the transportation of wounded soldiers from railway stations to medical institutions in the winter. The peasant community made decisions on collecting donations at village meetings. According to reports from Red Cross commissioners and officers, the humanitarian aid from Smolensk was of
good quality. The author concludes that the mass participation of the population in charitable activities during the war years is associated with the idea of its fair nature.

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PHJ № 4 (48) 2025 — A. A. Chapaev. ON THE UNOBVIOUS CONSEQUENCES OF MARCH 1, 1881: ON THE ISSUE OF THE CREATION OF THE SOCIETY OF LODGING HOUSES IN ST. PETERSBURG AND THE ROLE OF DR. N. N. DVORYASHIN

The article examines the role of Dr. N. N. Dvoryashin in the process of establishing the Society of Lodging Houses in St. Petersburg, one of the most important public organisations that emerged in the capital of the Russian Empire in the last third of the 19th century. The significance of this institution for St. Petersburg as the primary industrial center of the country is considerable. The organisers of this society furnished seasonal workers with affordable and hygienic lodging, a provision that would otherwise have exposed the workers to a considerable risk of illness, homelessness, and criminal exploitation, effectively transforming them from contributors to the city’s economy to a burden on its resources and, in some cases, a potential threat to its stability. Notwithstanding, the implementation of Dr. N. N. Dvoryashin’s concept required a period exceeding a decade. The subject of providing assistance to the homeless was first addressed by him in 1869. However, for there to be any change, events had to unfold in the most unanticipated manner. Indeed, the sequence of events was tragic, yet it proved conducive to the actualisation of the aforementioned concept. It was only after N. N. Dvoryashin’s proximity to the deathbed of the emperor that he was able to initiate the registration of his charitable society. In this regard, particular attention is warranted by the manner in which this process was influenced by the shift in the perception of his personality, contingent on the historical circumstances in which he was destined to become a direct participant.