Education and social security of rural clergy in the 19th century (based on materials from rural churches of the Gavrilovsky district of the Tambov region)*

Abstract

Churches were built before the revolution in the following villages of the district: Velmozhino, Gavrilovka-1, Gavrilovka-2 (now the district center), Bulgakovo, Bulygino, Glukhovka, Gusevka, Dimitrievka, Kosmodemianskaya Ira, Osinovy ​​Gai, Polyakovo, Sofyino. Having analyzed the clergy records, the author of the article came to the conclusion that in the 19th century the clergy was closed, all members of the clergy were sons of priests or church ministers, and their sons studied in theological educational institutions. At the beginning of their service, many graduates of theological schools and seminaries were often transferred from one parish to another, and those with many children, as a rule, settled in one parish for a long time. Social security for the clergy in the years 1800-1917 was imperfect. Pensions for elderly and sick clergy and church servants at the beginning of the 20th century were provided by collections from the clergy. Rural clergy provided the families of clergy with the necessary food products obtained by their own labor on the land. But this land was never enough. The clergy took care of the land they owned. Many rural clergy, in addition to cultivating the arable land, were engaged in gardening. The Orthodox Church was concerned about raising the level of education of its clergy and parishioners. Church libraries at rural churches were the only source of books and periodicals for literate peasants. Parishes maintained church parish schools, which testifies to the growing prestige of school education for children among the peasantry at the end of the 19th century. The construction and maintenance of a separate school building, the education of not only sons but also daughters prove the positive attitude of parents towards school. Undoubtedly, the rural clergy also contributed to this.