The clergy of the Kola deanery according to the census records of 1816

This paper addresses the little-studied issue of the state of the clergy in the Kola deanery of the Arkhangelsk Eparchy during the first quarter of the XIX century, using information from the 1816 census records for the first time. This valuable, informative, and comprehensive source, preserved in the National Archives of the Republic of Karelia, provides new insights into the parish clergy. Based on data from the seventh census, the research reveals the small size of the clergy in the Kola deanery and identifies the longstanding practice of transferring church positions to relatives, both direct and collateral, which persisted since previous centuries. This underscores the continued significance of familial connections in the formation of the clergy in this region during the first quarter of the XIX century. The census records on priests and clergymen indicate that the rural clergy in the Kola deanery included representatives from different generations of ancient spiritual dynasties that began to emerge in the first quarter of the XVIII century. Additionally, there is evidence of social mobility within the clergy, allowing the sons of deacons to be ordained as priests after receiving special education at eparchial institutions. The unique personal information about full-time and minor clergy provides valuable resources for studying the genealogy of provincial clergy and for creating a prosopographic database of parish priests and clergymen in the Kola North.