Construction of orthodox churches and their restoration in the first postwar years as an entity of the population's religious beliefs (based on the example of the Pskov region)

Based on the analysis of archival materials, the study reveals the process of restoration of Orthodox churches in the first post-war years on the territory of the Pskov region, traces the sources of funding and the nature of the ongoing repair and restoration work. The desire of believers to preserve and restore churches destroyed during the Great Patriotic War is emphasized. The restoration of the Pskov-Caves Monastery, the only one in the North-West, was proceeding most intensively. The restoration and construction of churches in the conditions of Soviet reality was a manifestation of the “warming” of state-confessional relations. Since the second half of 1948, in the context of increased regulation of state-confessional relations, the number of operating churches began to decrease, and the failure to carry out repair and restoration work was one of the reasons for the closure of churches and the loss of their buildings.