Transition of the clergy of the Ryazan diocese into the old believers and activity of the Theological consistory on this occasion (late 19th - early 20th century)

In the archive fund of the Ryazan Theological Consistory, three cases (late XIX - early XX c.) were identified, in which there is information about the evasion of diocesan clerics in the Old Believers - Beglopopovtsy. Such cases were not widespread and are worth describing as extraordinary. It is highly probable that the priests, first of all, were attracted by Old Believers not as a search for truth, but as a means of improving their financial situation, and that the factor of the cleric’s desire to leave the bishop’s power was not excluded. This article tries to analyze the revealed archival material, about the transition of priests to Old Believers, and show the reaction of the theological consistory to the said phenomenon. Most archival documents are first introduced into scientific circulation.