Church-parish trusteeships in the spiritual and moral education of the society in the second half of the XIX century (on the materials of the Tula diocese)

Abstract

The article examines one of the important and little-studied aspects of church life in the Tula diocese in in the second half of the XIX century — the activities of the church-parish trusteeships. In addition to solving charitable and economic tasks, these societies often took care of the spiritual and moral impact on the orthodox population (it was not prescribed by the Regulation on their device). Nevertheless, such actions found support from the chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod, Count D. A. Tolstoy. Based on the materials of the State Archive of the Tula Region and the Tula Diocesan Gazette, the author reproduces the picture of the activities of the parish trusteeships of the Tula diocese in this direction. According to the results of the study, it is concluded that such activities were manifested in the following aspects of parish life: the fight against the vices of society and popular superstitions, concern for the observance of deanery in churches and law and order within the parish, concern for the obligatory participation of believers in church Sacraments, distribution of spiritual and edifying literature. The article also emphasizes that according to the methods of guardianship used, they can be divided into two categories: the first tried to achieve their goals by levying fines, and the second tried to act through suggestions and instructions.