Charitable activities of the orthodox clergy in the second half of XIX - early XX century

Abstract

The article analyses the charitable activities of the provincial Orthodox clergy in the second half of XIX - early XX century. In Russian historiography this kind of activity of clergy has not received a detailed evaluation. Meanwhile, the whole complex of such sources as legislation, official statistics, periodicals, and personal papers reveals the dynamics of the process, its connection with the general historical context. The study was based mainly on the documents of the Tver diocese. Data on a number of neighboring and distant areas were also used. The documents represent the whole range of charitable initiatives parish in peacetime and wartime. The author concludes that church charity helped to overcome not only poverty, but also the cultural alienation of estates.