Judicial Activity of the Ryazan Ecclesiastical Consistory in Relation to Clerics (on the Example of the Analysis of Illegal Acts of Priests I. Gornostaev and V. Gorsky)

The Ryazan Ecclesiastical Consistory was the main judicial body in the diocese during the synodal period. By the example of the analysis of the illegal acts of priests I. Gornostaev and V. Gorsky, the mechanism of the consistorial office work process, with its advantages and disadvantages, is shown. The consistory made a decision to convict the defendant not on the basis of the court debates held, but on the materials of the judicial investigation conducted, and often the degree of punishment of the defendant depended on the competence of the investigator appointed by the consistory. Clannishness also played a significant role, affecting the conduct of the investigation, which was indicated by the example of sentencing the priest V. Gorsky. The study of the history of the judicial activity of the consistory makes a significant contribution to the study of the activities and functioning of this diocesan institution. Currently, significant archival material on the history of the consistory has been accumulated, which needs to be subjected to scientific analysis. The consistorial judicial record-keeping in the Ryazan diocese was extensive and multifaceted. There is still work to be done to systematize and catalog the extant cases.