Church transformations of the 1860s–1880s on the territory of Penza diocese

• Published in: Известия высших учебных заведений. Поволжский регион: Гуманитарные науки no. 3
• Main Author: Kolpakova, Olga
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Penza State University Publishing House 01-11-2023
• Subjects: church transformations of the 1860s–1880s; clergy; penza diocese; regional identity
• ISSN: 2072-3024
• DOI: 10.21685/2072-3024-2023-3-2

Background. Reforms in the Russian Empire in the 1860s and 1880s affected almost all spheres of society, including the spiritual. The study is of interest in the context of considering the process of formation of religious and civic identity on the territory of Pen-za province, because many transformations that took place during religious reforms played a significant role in the formation of the social space of the Russian province. The relevance of this publication is also determined by the insufficient development of this issue, primarily at the regional level. The purpose of the study is to consider the church transformations of the 1860s–1880s, their content and consequences on the example of a separate diocese – Penza. Materials and methods. The study was conducted on the basis of materials contained in the local periodical press, reports on the Department of Spiritual Affairs of the Orthodox Confession and ego sources, which allowed us to determine the course and results of church transformations. Comparative-historical, historical-statistical methods of scientific research were used. Results. In the course of writing the article, religious trans-formations in the territory of Penza diocese in the 1860s–1880s were studied, in particular, attention is drawn to the main tasks of religious reforms – overcoming the class isolation of the clergy, improving their way of life and transforming the church-parish system, changes in the field of spiritual education. Conclusions. Church transformations contributed to the revival of religious life on the territory of Penza province, but many tasks were not imple-mented. In practice, heredity and isolation were characteristic of Penza clergy even after the reforms. The measures taken to improve the financial situation of the parish clergy did not lead to qualitative changes in the welfare of the clergy of Penza diocese.