Archbishop Nikolay (Ziorov) in the reports made by the auditors of the Educational committee at the Holy Synod

The article presents the analysis of one of the historical sources’ types, such as the reports made up by the auditors of the Educational Committee at the Holy Synod, in order to characterize the activities, held by one of the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Archbishop of Warsaw Nicholay (Ziorov) both during his ministry at theological educational institutions and during his archpastoral labors in the Diocese of Tauria. Using the methods of the comparative historical analysis, as well as the principles of historicism and objectivity, the author analyzes the auditors’ views on the pedagogical, educational, and later archpastoral works of the hierarch. The main used source is the audit materials, which are stored in the fund of the Educational Committee in the Russian State Historical Archive in St. Petersburg (RSHA, F. 802) and never have been introduced into scholarly discourse. The works of Vladyka Nicholay’s contemporaries, as well as significant modern theological and historical studies are used as the additional literature. Due to the materials available, the author had an opportunity to present Archbishop Nicholay’s contribution to the development of theological education, as well as the importance of his pedagogical and administrative work in the assessments of the controlling bodies of the Holy Synod.