The Content of Latin Language Teaching in the Russian Gymnasiums in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries

Introduction. In the modern Russian education, the question of raising the status of a gymnasium in order to return it the role of a leading center of the language training, as was the case in the Russian Empire, where the classical languages, and primarily Latin, occupied a special place. In the 19th century, the study of the Latin language was considered an integral part of the formation of an educated person, the key to understanding the European culture and science. The Latin language as an educational subject of the gymnasium education was a link between the interdisciplinary integration and made it possible to gain solid linguistic skills and the historical and cultural knowledge. The purpose of this study is to analyze the content of teaching the Latin language in the Russian gymnasium education in the 19th and first two decades of the 20th centuries. Materials and methods. The study is based on a comprehensive analysis of a wide range of the historical sources. These include the educational literature, the teacher manuals and pedagogical works published in the 19th century. The methodological basis of the work is a systematic historical approach, which made it possible to consider the Latin language education as a holistic system, including the goals, content, methods and results. The results of the study. Taking into account the analysis of the main regulatory documents of the 19th century regulating the educational activities of the gymnasiums of the period considered in the article, the content of teaching the Latin language is analyzed. The aspects of the content of teaching the Latin language in the Russian gymnasium education of the 19th century are distinguished: linguistic, literary, historical, political and intercultural. The study of the Latin language not only laid a solid foundation in the field of philology, but also served as a guide to the world of the ancient literature, history, science and philosophy, contributing to the formation of an educated, cultural and broadly thinking personality. KEYWORDS Conclusion. The highlighted aspects of the content of teaching the Latin language in the gymnasium education of the 19th century, their reflective comprehension will contribute to the effective organization of the educational process aimed at the intellectual, spiritual and moral development of the students, at training a personality with a wide range of the versatile knowledge. Understanding these aspects will make it possible to more consciously approach the solution of the modern problems of reviving and strengthening the position of the gymnasium education as a center of the language training.