The Influence of the “Liberation” Movement on the Flock of the Chernigov Diocese in 1905–1915 (According to Reports of Diocesan Bishops)

At the beginning of the 20th century in the history of Russia, two major events took place that completely changed the life of society at that time: the revolutions of 1905 and 1917. After the first of them, the liberation movement began to spread throughout the country, which influenced all aspects of the life of the population. It also touched the Church. First of all, this applies to the flock. The archpastors closely followed the life of their dioceses, therefore such a strong revolutionary movement in society could not pass unnoticed by them. This was reflected in the reports of the bishops on the state of the dioceses entrusted to them. One of these was the Chernigov diocese, which at the time was ruled by Bishop Anthony (Sokolov) and his successor, a member of the Holy Synod, Hieromartyr Basil (Epiphany). In the article, based on an analysis of the reports of diocesan bishops on the state of the Chernigov diocese for 1905–1915, an attempt is made to examine the scale of the influence of the liberation movement on the life of the local flock. Also, a similar question is raised regarding the clergy.