Illarion Alekseyevich Chistovich: scholar, teacher and political figure

Illarion Chistovich (1828-1893) is an eminent scholar, writer and church and political leader of the 19th century, the author of several scholarly works, the most important of which is a history of the Russian Church during the Synodal period. Chistovich is particularly important for St. Petersburg Teological Academy, since he graduated from the Academy, taught there, and authored the first works on its history. Te historical scholarship of Chistovich is primarily based on archival sources. He brings into historical scholarship previously unknown facts and abundant biographical material. Chistovich’s work may be characterized by clarity of writing and accessibility for a wide audience. During the last decades of his life, Chistovich occupied important political positions: he was the deputy director of the chancellery of the Ober-Procurator of the Holy Synod and director of the Synodal Control Department, making him a prominent figure in church administration. Te scholar’s family life is also of interest. His brother and nephews were well-known doctors and Illarion himself was, in his first marriage, married to the daughter of the Tsar’s Confessor, Protopresbyter Vasily Bazhanov. Tree of his grandsons become heroes of the First World War. Te present article offers a biography of this eminent church leader, based on archival documents and memoirs of his contemporaries