Voronezh Parish Clergy in the Struggle Against the Dissemination of Count L.N. Tolstoy’s Religious Teachings (Late 19th – Early 20th Centuries)

The study examines the role of the parish clergy of the Voronezh Diocese in combating the spread of the religious teachings of Count Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At the end of the 19th century, within the territory of the Voronezh Governorate, a so-called Tolstoyan colony was established through the efforts of the landowner V.G. Chertkov. Zealous adherents of the great Russian writer’s religious ideas actively propagated his doctrine, endeavoring to persuade peasants of the falsity of Orthodox faith. The aim of the study is to analyze the contribution of the Voronezh parish clergy in countering the dissemination of Tolstoy’s religious teachings. Drawing upon a wide range of archival and published sources, the article investigates the principal methods of missionary activity employed by the clergy and church officials in their pastoral work. Both local authorities and ecclesiastical hierarchs regarded Tolstoy’s teachings as socially dangerous and sought to mobilize all available resources to restrict their spread. The author concludes that, owing to the proactive stance of the clergy and the vigilance of regional authorities, Tolstoyism had significantly declined in popularity by the early 20th century, with the number of adherents to the Count’s religious doctrine markedly reduced.