Reports on the revision of religious schools as a historical source

The article discusses as a historical source the reports on revisions of religious schools, which were conducted by appointment of the Holy Synod in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. In the Russian State Historical Archive materials of these reports are concentrated primarily in the fund of the Training Committee at the St. Synod (RSHA. F. 802).They differ from the annual reports on the state of the ecclesiastical educational institutions of the diocese, which were provided by the ruling bishops in the Holy Synod, by their fullness and freshness of their gaze. The author considers the history of the appearance of audit reports, their purpose, structure, particularities of compilation and significance for the researcher. With concrete examples, it was demonstrated that the materials of the audit reports of educational institutions are an important source on the history of religious education in the regions. The study of audit materials for different years and different auditors provides an opportunity to trace the dynamics of the development of religious schools, the specifics of teaching methods, to clarify the information of the administrative and pedagogical staff.