Theological censorship in Russia in the second half of the 19th century (based on the materials of the St. Petersburg theological censorship committee funds)

Presented in the first part of the article historiographical essay shows weak elabora-tion of the spiritual history of censorship in the second half of the XIX and beginningof XX centuries. Contemporaries considered the spiritual censorship the strictest.Central of all its committees existing in Russia was St. Petersburg. The materialsof this Committee are now in The Russian State Historical Archive (RSHA. F. 807).It archives have become the main source of information about the composition ofthe Committee, the everyday work of the theological censors, the links between theCommittee and The Holy Synod, which remained the chief censorship Agency in theRussian Empire. Also the article presents a brief sketch of the history of theologicalcensorship in XVIII-early XX centuries.