Missionary congresses and the missionary activity of the Russian Orthodox Church in connection with the old ritualist schism and sectarianism in the second half of the 19th century

The author of this article considers the policies of the Russian Orthodox Church with respect to the Old Ritualist schism and sectarianism in the second half of the 19th century. Normative legal acts that governed missionary activity are analyzed and the main directions of the Church’s missionary work are highlighted. The author studies the preparation of missionaries and the organization of special missionary congresses, called to working out normative and organizational solutions in the sphere of missionary work targeting sectarians and Old Ritualists. The author describes the circumstances behind the organization of three All-Russian Missionary Congresses in 1887, 1891 and 1897. Special atention is drawn to the legal framework underlying the resolutions of the missionary congresses, and various normative documents that regulated missionary work are presented. The role of the missionary congresses as organizational and coordinating centers for the activities of brotherhoods, diocesan missionaries, and parish clergy and laity in the sphere of missionary work among sectarians and Old Ritualists is highlighted.