Children’s shelters Departments of the Empress Maria Feodorovna
In pre-revolutionary Russia, charity was the norm for people with wealth and power. Representatives of different generations of the ruling dynasty took an active part in charitable activities in the 19th - early 20th centuries. One of the most widespread areas of charity was helping orphans, which was expressed in the opening and maintenance of orphanages. The article examines the activities of orphanages that functioned in the system of the Department of Empress Maria Feodorovna in the XIX - early XX century. The activity of the Council of Children’s Shelters and the Committee of the Main Guardianship of Children’s Shelters, which played an important role in the system of raising children in orphanages, is described in detail. An analysis of the sources containing information on the activities of the orphanages of the Department of Empress Maria Feodorovna suggests that the main efforts of the Department were focused on the formation of moral principles among the orphanages. The charitable activities of orphanages and other educational institutions of the Office of the Empress Maria Feodorovna can serve as an example for modern benefactors and the state in organizing aid to orphans and charity in the educational sphere today.