Inspection visits of Tobolsk diocesan bishops as a church management element of the 19th - early 20th centuries (in north of Western Siberia)

The paper discusses the results of inspection visits made by Tobolsk diocesan bishops in the North of Western Siberia in the 19th - early 20th centuries. The author states tha personal visits of the bishops to Tobols Diocese played an important role in church management. At the end of each visit the bishop made important decisions concerning various church activities, such as missionary activities, education of the indigenous population, development and expansion of church staff, organizational and financial support, abolition of anti-pagan missions. The objective of christianizing the indigenous population involved the measures aimed at establishing and maintaining primary schools for children Ostyaks, Voguls and Samoyeds. The spread of Orthodoxy, catechesis of indigenous peoples were seen as an integral part of theiur education and inclusion in the socio-cultural environment of the Russian state. These were the areas with the most significant results...