Church Life in Kazakhstan on the Eve of the Revolution: The Turkestan, Orenburg, and Omsk Dioceses in the Period of 1871–1917

Abstract

This article describes the history of Orthodoxy in the territories of the future Kazakhstan from the time of the establishment of the first independent diocese in the city of Verny (1871) until the beginning of the revolution (1917). At this time, there was a mass migration of Russian people to the territory of the future Kazakhstan, due to which the development of church life reached a qualitatively new level: the first vicariates appeared, diocesan life was established, the number of churches grew. By the 1880s, all Kazakh peoples were finally subjugated. The territories of the three zhuzes were divided into six regions and became part of three provinces. By 1896, the Trans-Siberian Railway was built, which connected Omsk and Orenburg, improving the connection of Kazakhstan with Central Russia. At this time, migration from the Russian provinces became significantly more active. From the analysis of the maps and diagrams of the boundaries of the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Russian Empire in 1914, it can be noted that at the end of the 19th century, In the territories of present-day Kazakhstan, the following three dioceses operated: 1) Turkestan, 2) Orenburg and 3) Omsk. The purpose of the article is to outline the history of Orthodoxy in Kazakhstan (historically the territories of the Turkestan, Orenburg and Omsk dioceses) in the period 1871–1917. The methodology of the work is the analysis and systematization of research data to compile a general picture of the history of Orthodoxy in the region. Thanks to the work carried out on the systematization and analysis of multiple disparate research data, it became possible to see the general picture of the development of Orthodoxy in the territory of present-day Kazakhstan in 1871–1917.