Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821) - an outstanding French philosopher, religious and political thinker. His work represents a universal and ruthless, often deep and talented, always passionate reaction to the philosophical theories of the Enlightenment and to the socio-political practice for which they served as the basis. "St. Petersburg Evenings" is de Maistre's largest religious and philosophical work . Written in St. Petersburg, where the writer spent 15 years as an envoy of the Sardinian king, they directly relate to many Russian realities and are the most interesting to read. In "Evenings..." the author develops and systematizes the basic concepts of his worldview. Being a brilliant stylist and an experienced debater, de Maistre almost always achieves his goal, converting the reader to his faith. The ease and accessibility of presenting issues that are difficult to understand is one of the main qualities of Joseph de Maistre. Translation from French was made according to the publication: Joseph de Maistre. Œuvres complètes. Lyon, 1884, vol. 4-5. Contents: First conversation 5 Notes 48 Second conversation 54 Notes 117 Third conversation 142 Notes 174 Fourth conversation 178 Notes 214 Fifth conversation 219 Notes 257 Sixth conversation 265 Notes 338 Seventh conversation 352 Notes 408B Eighth Conversation 417Notes 449Ninth Conversation 453Notes 484Tenth Conversation 495Notes 543Eleventh Conversation 554Notes 583Draft of the final fragment of “St. Petersburg Evenings” 605Auguste Viat . Count Joseph de Maistre 609Translator's Notes 661