Will of the Nakhichevan Merchant Nikita Gogoyev

Abstract. The article presents for the first time the full text of the spiritual will of the second guild merchant Nikita Khristoforovich Gogoev, a copy of which is kept in the State Archive of the Rostov region. The document is of considerable interest as an example of charity in the field of regional women’s education in the 19th century. The text reveals the circumstances of making specific decisions of the testator in the absence of direct heirs. The source reveals a positive moral image of the merchant, striving to spread enlightenment in society, including women’s education. His rational proposals on the curriculum, the formation of the teaching and management staff of the future school deserve attention. The study of this source focuses on the investigation of the issue of how typical (or, vice versa, unique) Gogoev’s act was for the merchant environment. The date given twice in the source, March 8, 1857, allows to put an end to the discussion about the time of making the will.

Keywords: Nikita Gogoev, testament, entrepreneur, Nakhichevan-on-Don, charity, gymnasium, women’s education.