The Orthodox Church as an Information Resource of the Russian Empire

The change in value orientations that took place in Russia as a result of the reforms of Peter I required constant information and propaganda support from the government. The most effective tool of direct social impact on a national scale during the 18–19th centuries was the Orthodox Church. The explanation of certain state tasks in the form of a panegyric sermon, the reading of the Imperial manifestos and decrees in a language accessible to listeners using a system of images understandable to them from the pulpit of the church was the most important component of the ideological policy of the Russian Empire.