Keyword: «i.i. betskoy»

The article discusses the process of emergence of assistance to orphans in Russia. The author traces changes in the forms of assistance to children left without parental care, the emergence of new paradigms of assistance and their development in historical retrospect. From the intra-clan assistance of the Slavic tribes, to Peter I, who laid the foundations for state assistance to children, and Catherine II, under whom it finally took shape. The activity of the Moscow Imperial Orphanage is considered. It is a unique institution for orphans for its time. The maintenance of children in it included not only food and clothing, but also teaching them the craft.