Orthodox brotherhoods in the Vologda province in the late XVIII and the early XX centuries: quantity and types

The relevance of studying changes in the policy towards monasteries is determined by their important role in imperial Russia and the possibility of taking this experience into account at present. The aim of the study is to clarify the status of Orthodox monasteries, the process of restoring some of them, and converting male monasteries into female ones. The goal is achieved within the framework of the “center-periphery” concept. The “center” could be formed by the eparchial (provincial) or the central church and secular authorities, as well as their combination. The research methodology included generally accepted methods, e. g., comparative, analytical, typological historical methods and others. On the basis of archival and published sources, the quantitative and typical characteristics of the Orthodox monasteries in the Vologda Province during the period from the late feudalism to the beginning of the WWI are analyzed (including the system of subordination and the specifics of the statutory activities). Under the 1764 reform, many Orthodox brotherhoods in Russia were closed, and the remaining monasteries were divided into state-sponsored and non-state-sponsored ones. Only state-sponsored monasteries received funding, while to the second type of monasteries it was allocated very rarely. In the Vologda Province, twelve monasteries became state-sponsored and nine monasteries became non-state-sponsored, while in Russia in general, most of the monasteries found themselves without state funding. Since the early XIX century, five monastic brotherhoods were restored in the Vologda Province. Then the status of some monasteries changed, due to their feminization, among other things. A new convent was built in the province and three male monasteries were transformed into convents. The status of convents was much more stable than that of the male monasteries. The two most successful monasteries in the province were cenobitic and remained outside the conventional classification of monasteries. In general, the dynamics of the quantity and types of monasteries in the Vologda Province had both similarities and differences with the similar processes in Russia.