The priestly service of Hieromonk Nikodim (Rotov) in the Yaroslavl diocese

The works devoted to Metropolitan Nikodim mainly cover his activities “at the peak of his career” — at the Leningrad cathedra and as chairman of the DECR. The purpose of this article is to cover the early period of the hierarch’s activity, without which it is impossible to objectively characterize the features of his further activity. The personality traits, methods and areas of work, laid down at the very beginning of the path, in the future had a fundamental influence on the works of Metropolitan Nikodim. The novelty of the work is the use of a range of sources that have not previously been introduced into scientific circulation. They are information reports of the authorized representatives of the Council for Religious Affairs. Despite the biased nature of the characteristics of church figures, they contain important information about who served in the churches of the diocese at what time, how active they were, what sermons they delivered, etc. The reports of the commissioners are one of the most important historical sources containing information about the state of church life in the diocese. In the course of the study, based on the use of these sources, it was revealed that even in the earliest period of his activity, Bishop Nikodim showed himself to be an active and versatile preacher, advocating for the preservation of the liturgical heritage of the Church and using all available opportunities for preaching and educating the population. His abilities as an orator, biography and active character predetermined his very complex and specific service as the voice of the Church for the “outsiders”.