Temples and monasteries of the Ardatov diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church in the 17th - 18th centuries

Introduction. The preservation of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, culture and historical memory today is a strategic national priority of multinational and multi-confessional Russia. Results and Discussion. In 1555, the Kazan diocese was formed, which launched an active work on the Christianization of the peoples of the Volga region. In 1672, the territory of the Alatyrsky district became part of the newly formed Nizhny Novgorod and Alatyrsky diocese. This event was closely connected with the strengthening of the Old Believers in the Volga region and the task of baptizing the non-Russian population of the Volga region. Orthodox monasteries became centers for the spread of Christianity in the Mordovian region. Along with the church-state Christianization of the Mordovian people, there was also its folk form, realized on the basis of voluntary economic and cultural communication with the Russian population. A significant role in the Orthodox life of the region in the 17th - 18 th centuries. Spaso-Preobrazhenskaya Startseuglovskaya Hermitage and Kazanskaya Klyuchevskaya Hermitage played. Conclusion. In general, the baptism of the Mordovians, the foundation of monasteries and the desert, the opening of churches became an important step in strengthening Orthodoxy in the region, played a positive role in the spiritual and moral education of the people, and left a noticeable mark on the development of education and culture. There have been changes in daily life, traditions and rituals.