Mikhail Lomonosov

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Lore & Background

Lomonosov and Ivan Shuvalov promoted the idea of a university in Moscow, and Russian Empress Elizabeth decreed its establishment on 23 January [O.S. 12 January] 1755. The first lectures were given on 7 May [O.S. 26 April]. The university originally occupied the Principal Medicine Store on Red Square from 1755 to 1787. In the 18th century, the university had three departments: philosophy, medicine, and law. A preparatory college was affiliated with the university until its abolition in 1812. In 1779, Mikhail Kheraskov founded a boarding school for noblemen which in 1830 became a gymnasium for Russian nobility. The university press, run by Nikolay Novikov in the 1780s, published the newspaper Moskovskie Vedomosti.

Reader's Guide

Lomonosov's role in founding Moscow State University is his most direct connection to the institution. The university was established by decree of Empress Elizabeth on 23 January [O.S. 12 January] 1755, with the first lectures given on 7 May [O.S. 26 April]. The university now officially bears his name: M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University. Alumni of the university include past leaders of the Soviet Union and other governments. As of 2019, 13 Nobel laureates, 6 Fields Medal winners, and 1 Turing Award winner were affiliated with the university. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, and six branches.

Did You Know?

• Lomonosov and Ivan Shuvalov promoted the idea of a university in Moscow, leading to Empress Elizabeth's decree on 23 January [O.S. 12 January] 1755.
• The first lectures at Moscow State University were given on 7 May [O.S. 26 April] 1755.
• The university originally occupied the Principal Medicine Store on Red Square from 1755 to 1787.
• As of 2019, 13 Nobel laureates, 6 Fields Medal winners, and 1 Turing Award winner were affiliated with the university.
• The university now officially bears Lomonosov's name: M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University.