Dynamics of confessional life in the Lutheran community of Saint-Michael in Moscow in the 1690-1760s

The article considers the data about the church rites that was done in the end of 17 and at the 18-th century (up to 1766) in Moscow Evangelical-Lutheran community of St.-Michael. Paper has a conclusion about the phased development of this community. The first decade of 18-th century became the period of parish’s intensive amplification and its uplift; however the second decade was marked by sharp decrease of rites number and the strength of community. The third decade of 18-th century is the time of some raise of confessional life in this community, but the fourth decade and all the next years (up to the middle of 1760s) was a period of community stagnation. In this time the believers’ number and quantity of rites in the community remained at one level and were inferior to parameters of the century’s beginning. Unlike the Lutherans in Petersburg, during all investigated time the church of St.-Michael does not demonstrate the tendency to gradual growth of rites quantity and to amplification of parish. The investigation of baptisms and burials in the dynamics gives the basis for conclusion that community of St.-Michael numbered approximately 500 believers in the beginning of 18-th century. Subsequently the community consisted approximately of 300 adult persons. These data disproves the number of Protestants in Moscow which is established by historians earlier.