German Charity in St. Petersburg: The Contribution of the Pastor A. Mazing to the Establishment and Organization of “The Evangelical House of Diligenceˮ

Abstract

The role of the “Evangelical house of diligenceˮ in the religious space of St. Petersburg is considered. The tradition of creating “Houses of diligenceˮ originated in St. Petersburg in the 19th century and began to revive again in the city on the Neva River at the beginning of the 21st century. At present time a few “Houses of diligenceˮ operate as rehabilitation centers for children and adults with disabilities engaging them in various workshops and other labour activities. It is obvious that the possibility of providing unemployed citizens with social assistance through the provision of temporary work, as well as assistance in their further employment, does not lose its relevance. The goal of this paper is to assess the role of “The Evangelical house of diligenceˮ in the religious space of Saint Petersburg. During the writing of this paper we used materials from the Russian Central State Historical Archive of St. Petersburg. For the main research we used chronological and comparative historical methods of analysis. Using the chronological analysis, we explored the sequence of formation and development of “The Evangelical house of diligenceˮ. Using comparative historical analysis, we determined the structure of that institutions, sources of his financing and the underlying mechanism of his operation. The article makes an effort to evaluate the role of pastor A. Mazing in organisation of “The Evangelical house of diligenceˮ. Management of “The Evangelical house of diligenceˮ and in addition to organising of the temporary employment to those in need of the Evangelical Lutheran faith, was providing charitable assistance to the disabled individuals. It was also involved in creations of a hospice and a shelter for alcoholics. In that “institution of labour assistance” they paid a special attention to the concerns for morality of the wards in accordance with the canons of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church, therefore they prioritised the faithful of this Church dur-ing the admission. “The Evangelical house of diligenceˮ was offering its workers in need an option to live on the premises, which was a welcome offer especially during wintertime.