Interaction between the State and the Russian Orthodox Church in the Sphere of Ministry in the Middle Volga Region in the Second Half of the 19th century

A study of the directions of social service of the Russian Orthodox Church in the second half of the 19th century in the dioceses of the Middle Volga region made it possible to understand the mechanism of interaction between the official Church and provincial society in post-reform Russia. The purpose of the study is to examine, basing on the analysis of archival materials, memoirs of contemporaries, and office work, the forms of interaction between the state and the Russian Orthodox Church in the provinces of the Middle Volga region in the second half of the 19th century. Formal-logical and comparative-historical methods were used. The use of a wide range of sources, relying on the possibilities of the social method, made it possible to study the position of various classes of Russian society in the context of areas of Church charity. From the second half of the 19th century, against the backdrop of systemic reforms in the province, the process of widespread establishment of public organizations of confessional nature began. Such organizations were, in particular, the parish trustees created in 1864, the main task of which was to develop Church charity. The 1870–1890s are a flourishing period of Orthodox missionary organizations in the Russian province.