Diocesan bishops in the national historiography of the XIXth – early XXth centuries

The XIX – early XX century saw the emergence of a separate, independent branch of church historiography, which examined the role of diocesan bishops not only in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church, but also in the life of the Russian state and society. This tendency was represented by a complex of works by metropolitan and provincial historians, who introduced new sources, supplementing church chronicles with synodal and consistory documentation. It has been revealed that a broad source base has enabled the production of works rich in facts, either published as separate editions or appearing in the pages of church periodicals. The author concludes that the emergence of such a set of studies was in the interests of both the Orthodox paternalistic state and the synodal system. The aim of pre-revolutionary historiography was to focus attention on the social service of church hierarchs, who became famous in the field of charity, pauperism, educational and scientific support