ON THE SOURCES OF OPHIRIAN “CATECHISMS” BY PRINCE M. M. SHCHERBATOV

The article studies the utopia of?Prince M. M. Shcherbatov “Journey to?the?land of?Ophir”?(1784) in?a?new literary-historical way. The author explores the pedagogical ideal, represented by?Ophir schools. In?the centre of?the study there are the “small books” containing moral and civil “catechisms”, which are taught in?school along with other subjects and illustrate the essence of?the Ophirian educational system. There are no special works on?“catechisms” despite the fact that they often have been mentioned in?academic literature. “Catechisms” are of?a?particular interest to?the history of?literature. They reflect not only the?fragments of?the?writer’s biography, his view of?modern pedagogical theories, but also describe the?image of?a?man and citizen, the true “Son of?the?Motherland”. The author analyzes literary sources of?“catechisms”, among which there are the works of?S. Pufendorf, an?Augustinian monk I. Felbiger, “Instruction” of?Catherine the?Great and writer’s own pedagogical texts. As?a?result, the?author concludes that for Shcherbatov the ideal of?school education was strongly connected with the truth of?the Christian law.