Вторая Санкт-Петербургская гимназия

Did the motto “Salus infanta suprema lex” – “The welfare of the child is the supreme law” – echo in the halls of the Second Saint Petersburg Gymnasium, also known as the Vtoraya Sankt-Peterburgskaya Gimnaziya? The Vtoraya Sankt-Peterburgskaya Gimnaziya stands before you, steeped in history. It was founded in 1805 at the behest of Emperor Alexander I. Initially, the gymnasium was housed in the Admiralty district of Saint Petersburg. Its first classes were held near Bolshaya Meshchanskaya Street and Demidov Lane. The school’s growth necessitated a move, and in 1822, Vtoraya Sankt-Peterburgskaya Gimnaziya relocated to a larger building in the Vysshaya Sloboda district. Here, they remained until 1828. That year marked another significant change. They became part of the prestigious Saint Petersburg University system. For a while, Vtoraya Sankt-Peterburgskaya Gimnaziya shared its space with university boarding students. In 1830, the gymnasium gained official recognition as Vtoraya Sankt-Peterburgskaya Gimnaziya. A decade later, the school’s population neared 350 students, spread across four grades. This prompted yet another move, this time to a dedicated five-story building. By 1883, the Vtoraya Sankt-Peterburgskaya Gimnaziya community celebrated the consecration of their own gymnasium church. Later that same year, the school celebrated its patron, Rozhdestva Presvyatoy Bogoroditsy, transitioning further into its own sovereign entity within the educational landscape. A century later, in 1905, the Vtoraya Sankt-Peterburgskaya Gimnaziya commemorated its centennial. This was a momentous occasion, marking a century of educating generations of students. Following the renaming of Saint Petersburg to Petrograd in 1917, the gymnasium also adopted the new city name. The Vtoraya Sankt-Peterburgskaya Gimnaziya became the Petrogradskaya Vtoraya Gimnaziya. Post-revolution, in 1918, the school transformed into the First Unified Labor School of the Kazan district. Later, it evolved into the 17th Soviet Unified Labor School. In 1933, it gained recognition as the First Model School of the Oktyabrsky district. During the tumultuous years of World War II, the school served as a hospital. Post-war, it relocated to Plekhanov Street, becoming the 232nd Secondary School of the Oktyabrsky district. In 1962, the school’s name transitioned again to the 232nd Secondary School with Advanced Study of English. A commemorative museum within the school, dedicated to the war efforts, opened its doors in 1978. Two name changes followed: first to the School-Gymnasium No. 232 of the Oktyabrsky district in 1990, and finally, in 1991, its historical name was restored: Vtoraya Sankt-Peterburgskaya Gimnaziya. In 2005, the school proudly celebrated its bicentennial, marking two centuries of dedication to education in Saint Petersburg. The Vtoraya Sankt-Peterburgskaya Gimnaziya, with its rich and enduring legacy, continues to shape young minds.