“He would hardly have been more useful than the Synod …”: the Position of the Episcopate in the Structure of the Administration of the Church during the Synodal Period

Ober-Procurator K. P. Pobedonostsev complained at one time about the “indifference and inactivity” of the bishops, active laity reproached the bishops for being too careful in defending the interests of the Church, the hierarchs who were not part of the Holy Synod blamed their fellow synodal hierarchs for the lack of daring in matters of church government. How fair were these accusations? What opportunities did the members of the Synod have for solving urgent problems of church life during the Synodal period? The article cites numerous testimonies from published and archival sources, which make it possible to judge the degree of independence of the bishops present in the Synod in matters of Church administration. The article also examines the range of duties of the diocesan bishop in the post-reform era, emphasizes their bureaucratic nature. The policy of the state in relation to the episcopate is also being investigated, which led to the destruction of ties between the diocesan bishop and the flock, who sometimes did not know their bishop by sight..