What associations arise in your mind whenthe almshouse mention? Probably not the most optimistic. Despite the fact that the meaning of this word is not known to everyone today, the memory of generations has kindly kept for us a subconscious attitude to such a phenomenon.
Modern understanding
For today's man, the poorhouse is a placeinhabited by people, to put it mildly, not of the highest means. As a rule, such a designation is used in the modern world as part of stable phrases like “threw a poorhouse”, and such expressions are used in at least unpleasant situations.
По сути же богадельня – это вовсе не лишенное principles of society and not even littered premises. Initially, the meaning of the word was completely different, but over time it was gradually lost and transformed, as is the case with lexemes, meaning phenomena that disappear in reality.
Turn first to the word
If you look closely at the structure itselfwords, you can see an interesting feature in it: one of its roots is common with the word god. Skeptics may argue that this is a mere coincidence. And the meaning of the “almshouse” is in no way connected with the Almighty, and they will be completely wrong in this regard.
One of the versions
As mentioned earlier, the initial valuethis concept was completely different and had no negative meaning at all. According to history, the poorhouse is only a shelter for the homeless, the elderly and disabled. Such people received a roof over their heads, food and necessary assistance in general.
Shelter for homeless people - the institution is not the sameprofitable, and therefore most often they were organized on a charitable basis, and mainly in numerous churches. So it appeared in the composition of the word root "god."
Alternative option
There is, however, another explanation for this a bit.strange name. According to some sources, the poorhouse is not really a haven for homeless people, but a cross between a nursing home and a modern hospice. It is easy to assume that in institutions of this kind people mostly lived out their last days.
Since the world at that time was much morereligious, belief in the afterlife was unshakable. As is known, the same Christian doctrine provides for only two options for places where a person can go after death: hell and heaven. In the second case, it is assumed that the old man who has become exhausted or seriously ill is sent to God - in a sense, such people were equated with the holy fools, who were known to be considered sinless. Hence, over time, the expression “to make God”, which later became a specific designation of a place, went.
Who kept the places of this kind
For a long time it was believed that this one for manythe last shelter is a god-pleasing institution, and therefore the practice of donations did take place. Nevertheless, the means for the normal maintenance of institutions of this kind most often lacked, and the conditions in the poorhouses were, to put it mildly, not the most comfortable.
Something not about charitable beginnings.
It is worth noting that unsanitary conditions and the lackminimal comfort was not typical of such institutions. During the times of Peter and Catherine, the almshouse was not so much a place where the suffering and needy could always be received as a way to solve a rather acute social problem. The development and increase of the marginal segment of society was simply unacceptable at that time, and therefore the government itself was interested in creating and supporting institutions of this kind. The noble principle was thus associated with pure pragmatics.
Если ранее любая богадельня – это было место, Sponsored by the board, after Zemsky and city reforms, this duty fell to public self-government. At first, this was quite a big step forward, since new social organizations began to appear, and the desire to prevent the impoverishment of the people was extremely strong.
Patronage over institutions of this kind wasdivided between the royal family, the public, the church and the ministries. Perhaps it was the period of the beginning of the twentieth century with regard to almshouses and other institutions of this kind can be called the most favorable.
Once again about the difference in understanding
As can be seen from the above, understandingThe very name of this organization has undergone a significant change. Today the expression “send to the poorhouse” does not bode well for a person, and nobody wants to “dissolve the poorhouse” at all. The original meaning of the phrases mentioned was almost diametrically opposed to the person who has and suffers.
It is noteworthy that the poorhouse themselves are nowheredisappeared, but only changed their name to a more modern - hospice. And, if there is not much question with them and orphanages, then sending mendies to the poorhouse, sleeping on the streets and train stations would be a good and noble act.
