The article is devoted to the role of Soviet-Party schools in the Vyatka province in the first half of the 1920s in strengthening the rural organizations of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks), RCP (b). The paper is written based on documents from the archival collections of the Central State Archive of the Kirov Region (KR CSA), which are being introduced into scientific circulation for the first time: the Vyatka Provincial Committee of the RCP (b) and the Kirov Interregional Soviet-Party School. The objective of the study is to analyze the process of formation of the party education system in the province in the first half of the 1920s. The author sets the following objectives: to determine the features of the formation of Soviet party schools and to clarify their role in the personnel and ideological strengthening of rural organizations of the RCP (b). The novelty of the study lies in the fact that this is the first attempt in local historiography to analyze the process of formation of Soviet party schools in the Vyatka region and their activities in training personnel for rural party and Soviet organizations. The article is based on archival materials using the principle of historicism and the method of historical institutionalism. The personnel shortage characteristic of the country's regions and the low literacy rate among party members motivated the creation of party and Soviet schools and universities designed to train ideological workers well-versed in the practical aspects of party and Soviet development. It was revealed that no systematic work to train personnel for rural organizations in the province had been conducted until the end of 1919. An analysis of the schools' development revealed that before the onset of the New Economic Policy (NEP), conditions for their operation were extremely unfavorable: teaching and methodological materials were lacking, and the material base was extremely weak. Cadets were frequently removed from classes and sent on urgent campaigns. The situation changed at the beginning of the NEP, when the country transitioned to peaceful construction and the need for responsible, practical leaders increased sharply. It was during this period that the schools began to transform into a veritable forge of party cadres. The school's shift toward training personnel for rural organizations began in 1923 and became more pronounced in the summer and fall of 1924. Schools in Russia's agricultural regions were encouraged to address the economic, cultural, and political objectives of rural work, as well as to introduce elements of local history into the curriculum. Research by cadets assumed a special role, and the study of the history of the RCP (b) was linked to the practical implementation of party work and party leadership outside of school throughout the course of the Soviet party school. The school's cadets successfully organized traveling rural schools and conducted sponsored work in the volosts of the Vyatka district, acquiring the relevant practical skills.
The source study focuses on the little-known Toropets artist Gavrila Maksimov, son of Lokhov. The article introduces archival documents that clarify Gavrila Lokhov's biography within the context of the cultural heritage of Toropets in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The city, located on the southwestern spurs of the Valdai Hills, is a cultural phenomenon with architectural, documentary, and artistic richness, yet remains understudied in specialized literature. Through the prism of G. M. Lokhov's biography, the specifics of the local artistic milieu are demonstrated: a synthesis of folk traditions, church commissions, academic influences, and connections with the elite, including Admiral G. G. Kushelev, who was elected an honorary amateur of the Imperial Academy of Arts (IAA). For the first time, several documents from the collections of the Russian State Historical Archive, the State Archive of the Tver Region, and the Central State Archive of Literature and Art of St. Petersburg are published and analyzed in a comprehensive manner: Lokhov’s petition to the Imperial Academy of Arts from October 1786 describing his experience of painting a church in the Kholmsky District (1784) and requesting a certificate following criticism from the abbot of the Velikolutsky Monastery; the decision of the council of the Imperial Academy of Arts from October 31, 1786 and the report of 1788 on the examination of four biblical paintings and the tasks of the adjunct rector, which confirmed the master’s “sufficient knowledge”; two petitions from July 4, 1792 to the Toropets Magistrate for the status of an eminent citizen with an attached academic certificate; A 1919 inventory of the Gatchina Palace mentions the ceiling painting «Apollo and the Nine Muses» (58.5 ? 108 cm) for the Marble Dining Room, lost between 1941 and 1944. It reconstructs the path of G. M. Lokhov, from a self-taught artist who risked a ban after criticizing the abbot for his images in the Koptevo Church (1784) to a recognized master with an academic certificate used for social advancement. The attribution of the Gatchina ceiling painting (confirmed by the 1919 inventory of the Council of People's Commissars and watercolors by E. Hau) refutes the clich? of "icon painter," revealing a mastery of mythological iconography, ceiling painting techniques, and knowledge of anatomy, all of which suggest a high level of education. G. M. Lokhov was the mentor of the restorer A. F. Mitrokhin, clarifying the origins of the Hermitage school of restoration. This study fills gaps in regional art studies, demonstrating the value of «secondary» archives for the biographies of provincial artists and patronage networks. These documents stimulate the study of local traditions and little-known figures in Russian painting.
The article analyzes the closure of the Arkhangelsk Court of Conscience in 1847, as one of the stages in the abolition of courts of conscience, which began in 1828 and ended in 1866 during the implementation of the judicial reform of 1864. The author examines both the mechanism of the court's closure and the transfer of its jurisdiction to the local chamber of the criminal and civil courts, as well as the reasons for its closure. The methodological basis of the study is based on both general and specific methods of scientific research. Drawing on a wide range of unpublished archival sources, legislative acts, statistical and reference publications, and personal sources, the internal state of the court of conscience is analyzed. It is noted that the idea of abolishing the Arkhangelsk Court of Conscience was first expressed in 1843 by Arkhangelsk Vice-Governor M. F. Nozhin. However, real action to close the court was taken after an audit by provincial prosecutor N. V. Lykov in 1846. The closure of the Arkhangelsk Court of Conscience was initiated by military governor A. I. de Traversay, whose arguments were supported by the Ministry of Justice, and later by the Committee of Ministers and the State Council. It was noted that the salaries of the court's employees had not been raised since 1780, and the personnel situation at the court by the 1840s was extremely problematic. Nobles were unwilling to participate in elections as candidates for the position of judge of conscience, and the court's office lacked qualified employees due to low pay, forcing it to hire civilians. The situation with the court's premises was also alarming. The court did not have its own premises, so the city society provided an apartment for the administration of justice under a lease agreement. The court's authority was completely absent. For several years, the Arkhangelsk Court of Conscience's case handling rates were among the lowest in the Russian Empire. The following reasons for the closure of the Arkhangelsk Court of Conscience are identified: a low number of cases submitted to the court for review; and a staffing problem caused by insufficient state funding. Local authorities viewed the courts of conscience as a burden rather than a support system for them as independent state institutions capable of effectively exercising their powers. It is concluded that the closure of the Arkhangelsk Court of Conscience was the second, following the liquidation of the Astrakhan Court of Conscience in 1828, and a logical step in the abolition of courts of conscience in the Russian Empire in 1866.
The article examines the history and development of the institution of appellate review of judicial acts in Russia. Using materials from the Central State Historical Archive of St. Petersburg, the article explores the activities of the St. Petersburg Judicial Chamber–an appellate court established during the Judicial Reform of 1864. An examination of the appellate proceedings of the St. Petersburg Judicial Chamber for the Civil Department allows for a broader source base for a comprehensive study of the Judicial Reform of 1864, both in terms of the history of civil procedure and in the context of regional history. Based on an analysis of archival documents from the St. Petersburg Judicial Chamber for the Civil Department, it is concluded that the Judicial Chamber considered cases of varying complexity and a wide range of subjects, including those related to land disputes, as well as those arising from obligations to fulfill various types of contracts and damages. The documents demonstrate the meticulous approach taken by members of the St. Petersburg Judicial Chamber in reviewing cases, as evidenced by detailed references to the Senate's position, the length of case hearings, and the assignment of expert opinions. Archival documents reveal the specific composition of the parties to civil litigation in appellate proceedings: both individuals and associations were involved in the cases; the person filing the appeal was referred to in court documents as the «appellant»; attorneys were typically listed as parties to the appeal; and the social class or occupation of the plaintiffs and defendants was always specified.
In this article, the author explores the role of languages in the paleography course taught by the eminent Russian historian I. E. Zabelin (1820–1908) in his original course on paleography (Cyrillic, Latin, and Oriental scripts) for students at the Konstantinovsky Land Surveying Institute. The author's methodology for teaching Oriental paleography and the humanistic message of Russian higher education pedagogy are established. Fostering an interest in the cultures of both Western and Eastern peoples, tolerance, and mutual understanding have always been its distinctive features. This was evident in the choice of topics and methods for teaching historical disciplines. I. E. Zabelin is known to the Russian academic community as a historian of pre-Petrine Russia, particularly Moscow, and the author of remarkable archaeological discoveries in the Northern Black Sea region. His personality and work have been extensively studied, but this is the first time that the paleography course and the role of Oriental languages within it have been examined. The study's material includes I. E. Zabelin's preparatory handwritten notes, drafts of his addresses to the leadership of the Konstantinovsky Land Surveying Institute, and typographic visual aids prepared by the scholar. Furthermore, the scholar's manuscripts characterizing I. E. Zabelin as an educator, which are housed in the Department of Written Sources at the State Historical Museum in Moscow, were used. It has been established that I. E. Zabelin compiled his own teaching materials from disparate foreign sources to introduce students to Eastern languages. A century before turning to nomadic sign systems, he introduced his students to their tamga-like symbols and employed a visual aid that was cutting-edge for contemporary pedagogy. It has been suggested that, lacking a formal historical education, I. E. Zabelin consulted with leading scholars in Moscow and St. Petersburg and independently created visual aids. It has been established that he introduced his students to examples of Chinese and Egyptian hieroglyphs, cuneiform, Kufic script, the Arabic alphabet, and Sanskrit and Hindi scripts. I. E. Zabelin's commitment to teaching the paleography of Eastern languages demonstrates his commitment to introducing students to the latest scientific advances. Archival materials paint the reader a picture of a conscientious, talented, and creative teacher and innovator. I. E. Zabelin's students applied the knowledge they acquired in their practical work.
