The state of morality of rural parishioners in the materials of diocesan reports of the late 19th - early 20th centuries

Abstract

The State of Morality of Rural Parishioners in the Materials of Diocesan Reports of the Late 19th — Early 20th Centuries
The purpose of the article is to study the moral state of the Russian peasantry of the late 19th — early 20th centuries based on the contents of reports to the Synod of ruling bishops and reports of deans to the spiritual consistory of the diocese. The objective of the study is to analyze the moral character of rural parishioners, determine the extent of the spread of moral vices in the Russian village, and establish the factors contributing to the manifestation of deviant behavior in the peasant environment. The source base for the study was annual reports of the late 19th — early 20th centuries of a number of dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church, compiled in a uniform form and having a section on the moral state of the flock. In a number of cases, excerpts from the reports of deans were included in the text of the reports in order to characterize the positive or negative manifestations of the spiritual life of rural parishioners. An analysis of the contents of diocesan reports in terms of characterizing the moral state of the rural flock allows us to conclude that rural priests adequately assessed the moral character of their parishioners and correctly indicated the reasons contributing to the spread of vices among villagers. What these documents have in common is concern about: the transformation of the traditional way of life in rural areas; the separation of part of the peasant population from arable farming, the traditional occupation of villagers; the spread of mercantile interests in the village; the pernicious influence of the “fruits” of urban civilization. At the same time, only a few bishops proposed measures in response to these “challenges” of the time; it can be assumed that the majority of the rural clergy were unprepared for the period of “spiritual impoverishment” that had begun.