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The Conformism of K. P. Pobedonostsev’s Parish Reform

2014; Ural Federal University; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.15826/qr.2014.3.064

2313-6871

Alexey Beglov,

Regional Socio-Economic Development Trends

The article is devoted to the measures taken by chief procurator of the Holy Synod Konstantin Pobedonostsev between the 1880s–1890s and aimed at the reduction of the severity “of the parish question” in the Russian Empire. The measures included the revision of the parish reforms of the epoch of Great reforms, resulting in a parish counter-reform. It introduced the policy abolishing the enlargement of parishes, which was supported by the episcopate. It also included an unachieved attempt to change The Regulations of the Parish Wards in Orthodox Churches (1864). A new edition of The Instruction to the Church (Parish) Elders was published at that time, and new attempts were made to solve the issue of material support of the clergy, primarily through the introduction of a government salary. The author agrees that in his parish reform K. P. Pobedonostsev was maneuvering between different social forces, especially between the bishops and the active zemstvo members, trying to make concessions to both, but not changing anything substantially. As a result, his “reform” consisting of halfmeasures was not only incomplete, but, in fact, could not enhance the life of the parish and therefore met the challenges of the time.