Felix Catharina Regnet! Felix Catharina Vincat! Panegyrics Dedicated to Catherine II by White Russian Catholic Schools

With the first partition of Poland in 1772, the Russian Empire acquired new provinces, where prestigious schools were run by Catholic orders. To Catherine II, their potential contribution to the development of the Russian educational system was clear. For their part, the new subjects – especially the Jesuits, after the demise of their order in 1774 – found in the Empress a true “mother”, and were keen to show her their loyalty. This paper deals with some aspects of the panegyric literature dedicated by the new subjects to Catherine II and to her courtiers, first and foremost G. Potemkin.