The circumstances surrounding the founding of the “society for the spread of religious and moral education in the spirit of the orthodox church” in St. Petersburg

The author considers the history of the birth of the Society for the Spread of Religious and Moral Education in the Spirit of the Orthodox Church in St. Petersburg in 1880-81. Relying on archival documents and printed sources, the author has established the motivation for the founding of this Society, and discusses the program of non-liturgical reading and lectures that preceded its establishment, as well as the stages of the adoption of its bylaws. The author is able to reveal the real reasons behind the founding of this Society. The author also highlights some of the persons involved in the Society's founding.