Regional orthodox culture: brotherhood of Saint Nicholas of Mirliki

The author analyzes one of the brightest pages of the regional cultural heritage, the Brotherhood of Saint Nicholas based on archival documents and printed pre-revolutionary sources. The brotherhood was created at the end of the 19th century in Tuma, the village of Ryazan province, by the initiative of the clerics and the most active parishioners of the Holy Trinity Church. The main goal of the created organization was to attract people to the Trinity Church activities, to teach them to be socially active themselves, to solve pressing issues all together. The Brotherhood took care of low-income citizens, of charity development, provided financial support to start-up entrepreneurs, was engaged in education, special attention was paid to promoting a sober lifestyle. The key role in the work of the Brotherhood was played by Stefan Ostroumov, rector of the Church, a deputy of the IV State Duma from the Ryazan region. The study presnts the analyses of his biography, published works, publications in periodicals.