Church-administrative activityof Saint Theophan the Recluse based on the materialsof the Tambov Spiritual Consistory in 1859

Abstract

The article examines the Tambov period in the life of Saint Theophan the Recluse. The relevance of the study lies in the fact that the topic has been little studied. Meanwhile, this is an important milestone in the life of Bishop Theophan, since the Tambov diocese was the first where the saint's archpastoral talents were manifested. The bishop's service in the Tambov diocese was short-lived - only four years, but, as a modern researcher notes, "Bishop Theophan's activity in the diocese was active and diverse. The state archive of the Tambov region (GATO) has preserved quite a lot of information about the saint's activities during the Tambov period. They are scattered across different funds, the author of the article concentrated his efforts on studying the materials in the fund of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory (F. 181), and above all the journals and minutes of the consistory meetings, and came to the conclusion that Saint Theophan the Recluse in the first months of his stay at the Tambov diocese, still just getting acquainted with the Tambov flock, understanding the consistory affairs, first of all paid attention to the spiritual and moral state of the clergy, showed concern for them, read the journals and minutes not formally, but tried to see a specific person with his needs and problems behind the dry office records.