Archpriest John Spiridonovich Tsvinev (1823-1903), rector of the Tsarskoye Selo Court Church

The article examines the long pastoral ministry of Archpriest John Spiridonovich Tsvinev (1823-1903) in the churches of the imperial country residences in Gatchina, Peterhof and Tsarskoe Selo. The features of the appointment of the court clergy, the socio-economic conditions of life of Tsarskoye Selo clergy, and clergy of the second half of the 19th century are considered. The activities of Father John Tsvinev to improve the condition of the church, its services and property and his scholarly activities in the field of church history are shown. Considerable attention is paid to the conflicts that arose, related to both the personal qualities of the clergy and the controversial economic and career issues that are significant for the church clergy, their resolution and reconciliation among the court and diocesan clergy. The research is based on a significant amount of previously unused archival sources of central Russian and St. Petersburg archives as well as works of Archpriest John Tsvinev published in the 19th century, and introduces into scientific circulation new materials on the history of the clergy in the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th century.