The Parish Clergy of the North Caucasus during the formation of the Caucasian eparchy (end of the 18th - Middle of the 19th centuries)

Abstract

The article offers the first analysis of the arduous process of establishment and formation which the Caucasus Eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church had to go through in the first half of the 19th century. The sources used were previously unknown documents from the State Archive of the Stavropol Krai and clerical periodicals. The author considers various factors which made the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in the North Caucasus more complicated. The most significant ones were: the Caucasian war, a high proportion of Old Believers among Terek and Don Cossacks with their specific religious practices, the traditions of Cossack self-government, an acute shortage of priests, their poor living conditions, and constant risks for their and their families' lives and freedom. The economic, social, political, and military situation in the North Caucasus inevitably caused tensions and conflicts in the relationships between the Orthodox clergy and their Cossack congregation. The local Cossack authorities who recognized the Cossacks as the defenders of interests of the Russian Empire on its southern borders were building relationships with the Russian Orthodox Church according to their own traditions and interests. Whenever conflicts with the Church arose, the imperial military authorities took the Cossacks' side, which was attributable to the long Caucasian War. Thanks to the Caucasus Eparchy which was formed in 1843 and the intense activity of its first Diocesan Bishop Jeremyiah (Solovyov) (1799-1884) and of the entire Eparchial administration, the numerous problems were overcome and, in general, the religious life in Cossack villages was regulated. However, the Cossack religious traditions dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly, the relationships between the church parishes and Cossack self-government bodies in the North Caucasus proved extremely tenacious and strong