The work of count D. Tolstoy during his tenure as ober-procurator of the Holy Synod

The author studies Count Dmitry Andreyevich Tolstoy, who held the post of Ober-Procurator of the Holy Synod between 1865 and 1880. Based on an evaluation of archival materials, memoirs, and contemporary scholarship, this secular official's role as the head of the eccleastical administration is evaluated. The author considers his relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church and its clergy, and his personal faith and beliefs during the difficult period of the Great Reforms of Emperor Alexander II.