The Saint Petersburg council decree of 1809 placed in the collection "Otecheskie zaveschania"

The article is devoted to study of teaching of the one the most numerous and powerful of Old Believers denominations, which the whole movement had divided - Fedoseevtsy. In the article is analyzed council decree of Fedoseevtsy, which was approved in Saint Petersburg in 1809. It was intended to adapt the teaching of denomination to a new social and economic realities associated with the modernization and urbanization in the Russian Empire. This council decree was placed as a last point into a handwritten collection «Otecheskie zaveschania», the book where most respected and important texts of Fedoseevtsy teaching were put together. It contained texts reflecting the continuity of religious tradition of Fedoseevtsy from the founder of the denomination until the last council decrees, which were taking place at the center of spiritual life of the Fedoseevtsy - Preobrazensk Cemetery (Central community of Fedoseevtsy in Moscow). Through the power and influence of their leaders this community aspires to leadership in all Old Believer`s movement. In order to lead it the ideological foundations, they created the collection «Otecheskie zaveschania». Six different copies of the handwritten collection «Otecheskie zaveschania» allow to analyze history of functioning of Saint Petersburg council decree of 1809. Due to this decree the most important and actual questions for Fedoseevtsy had been reflected, discussion about it continued throughout the 19th century. Accompanying by additional regulations and complements the text of Saint Petersburg council decree of 1809, composed of collection «Otecheskie zaveschania», allowed giving it more credibility among Fedoseevtsy. Analysis of six different variations of Saint Petersburg council decree of 1809 allows concluding that this text was one of the actual and demanded throughout the 19th century among Fedoseevtsy. It allows to determine how adaptive mechanism allows Fedoseevtsy not create a new regulations but follow the texts of the past, explain and actualizing them.