I. Управление

Presence of the Holy Governing Synod in 1896–1897 were: metropolitans: Palladium of St. Petersburg and Ladoga - throughout the reporting period, Ioannikiy of Kiev and Galicia from January 1 to May 19, 1896, from November 14 of the same year to March 21, 1897 and from November 9 to the end of 1897, and Sergius of Moscow and Kolomna (now deceased) from January 1 to February 22, 1896 and from November 14 of the same year to March 12, 1897 and from November 9 to the end of 1897, archbishops: Novgorod and Starorussky Feognost from January 1 to May 19, 1896, from November 14 of the same year to May 2, 1897 and from October 14 to the end of 1897 g.; Finnish and Vyborg Anthony - during all reporting periods, Kherson and Odessa Justin - from January 1 to May 19, 1896, Irkutsk and Verkholsky Tikhon - from January 27 to May 19, 1896, Riga and Mitavsky (now Kazan) Arseny - from June 5 to November 2, 1896 and from June 2 to October 14, 1897 and bishops: Pskov and Porkhov Antonin - from November 14, 1896 to May 10, 1897, Tobolsk and Siberian (now Riga) Agafangel - from May 10 to August 9, 1897, Tverskoy and Kashinsky Dimitri from October 14 to the end of 1897, Markell, former Polotsk and Gury, former Smolensk - both during the entire reporting period. At the end of 1897, there were 64 dioceses within the Empire and one diocese in America; The dioceses were governed by 3 metropolitans, 14 archbishops and 48 bishops. There were 36 vicars under the diocesan eminences. Changes in the composition of the Russian hierarchy In the personal composition of the Russian church hierarchy occurred in 1896–1897. the following changes: Bishop Martinian of Tauride and Simferopol (now deceased) was elevated to the rank of archbishop. Elevated to the rank of bishop and appointed: vicar of the Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Archimandrite Sergius - Bishop of Uman, vicar of the Kyiv diocese; rector of the Arzamas Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, Archimandrite Euthymius - Bishop of Novgorod-Seversky, vicar of the Chernigov diocese; Rector of the Irkutsk Theological Seminary, Archimandrite Eusebius - Bishop of Kirensky, Vicar of the Irkutsk Diocese, and then Bishop of Kamchatka; Rector of the Novgorod Theological Seminary, Archimandrite Arkady - Bishop of Balakhna, Vicar of the Nizhny Novgorod Diocese, and then Bishop of Turkestan; rector of the Kostroma Theological Seminary, Archimandrite Menander - Bishop of Priluki, vicar of the Poltava diocese, and then Bishop of Balta, vicar of the Podolsk diocese: rector of the Samara Theological Seminary, Archimandrite Philip - Bishop of Priluki, vicar of the Poltava diocese, rector of the Mogilev Theological Seminary, Archimandrite Mikhail - bishop Kovensky, second vicar of the Lithuanian diocese; rector of the Kazan Theological Academy, Archimandrite Anthony - Bishop of Cheboksary, vicar of the Kazan diocese; Rector of the Kholm Theological Seminary, Archimandrite Tikhon - Bishop of Lublin, Vicar of the Kholm-Warsaw Diocese (now Bishop of Aleutia); rector of the Tomsk Theological Seminary, Archimandrite Nikanor - Bishop of Kirensky, vicar of the Irkutsk diocese (now Bishop of Yakutsk) and rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary, Archimandrite Pavel - Bishop of Staritsky, vicar of the Tver diocese. The second vicar of the Lithuanian diocese, Bishop Joachim of Brest, was renamed into the first vicar of the same diocese. On October 14, 1897, the highest permission was granted to restore the department of the third vicar in the St. Petersburg diocese, giving him the title “Bishop of Yamburg” and providing him with support from local funds. On the same October 14, the rector of the St. John the Theologian Cheremenets Monastery, Archimandrite Veniamin, was appointed to the chair of the Bishop of Yamburg. Moved: Archbishop Arseny of Riga - to the Kazan bishop's see; Bishop Nikanor of Arkhangelsk - to the see of Bishop of Smolensk, Bishop of Ekaterinoslav Vladimir - to the see of Bishop of Yekaterinburg (now retired); His Eminence Simeon of Ekaterinburg - to the Ekaterinoslav bishop's see; Bishop Justin of Ryazan - at the see of Bishop of Ufa; Bishop Misail of Oryol - to the see of Bishop of Mogilev; Bishop Mitrofan of Astrakhan - to the see of Bishop of Oryol; Bishop Sergius of Vyatka - to the see of Bishop of Astrakhan, Bishop of Yakut Meletius - to the see of Bishop of Ryazan; Bishop Dimitry of Podolsk - to the see of Bishop of Tver; Bishop of Tula Iriney - to the see of Bishop of Podolsk; Bishop of Tobolsk Agafangel - to the see of Bishop of Riga; second vicar of the Lithuanian diocese, Bishop Joseph of Brest - to the see of Bishop of Ostrogozh, vicar of the Voronezh diocese; vicar of the Tver diocese, Bishop Gabriel of Staritsky - to the department of Bishop of Veliko-Ustyug, vicar of the Vologda diocese. Appointed: vicar of the Kyiv diocese, Bishop Ioannikiy of Uman - bishop of Arkhangelsk; vicar of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese, Bishop Alexy of Balakhna - Bishop of Vyatka; vicar of the Irkutsk diocese, Bishop Nicodemus of Cyrene - Bishop of Yakutia (now Bishop of Transbaikal); vicar of the Poltava diocese, Bishop Tikhon of Priluki - Bishop of Orenburg (now deceased); vicar of the Chernigov diocese, Bishop of Novgorod-Seversky Pitirim - Bishop of Tula; vicar of the Voronezh diocese, Bishop of Ostrogozh Vladimir - Bishop of Orenburg; vicar of the Tula diocese, Bishop Mikhail of Kashira - Bishop of Tauride (now deceased); vivarium of the Vologda diocese, Bishop Anthony of Veliko-Ustyug - Bishop of Tobolsk, first vicar of the Lithuanian diocese, Bishop Christopher of Kovno - Bishop of Yekaterinburg; vicar of the Kazan diocese, Bishop of Cheboksary Anastasy - Bishop of Turkestan (he was retired for some time and is now appointed Bishop of Balakhna, vicar of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese) and second vicar of the St. Petersburg diocese, Bishop of Gdov Nazariy - Bishop of Olonetsky. Dismissed from the administration of dioceses: Bishop Gury of Smolensk, for his appointment as present in the Holy Synod, chairman of the School Council of the Holy Synod and manager of the Moscow stauropegial Donskoy Monastery; Bishop Evgeniy of Mogilev (now deceased); vicar of the Kholm-Warsaw diocese, Bishop Gideon of Lublin, with the appointment of his place of residence in the Moscow stauropegial Novospassky monastery; Archbishop of Tauride Martinian (now deceased); Bishop Vladimir of Yekaterinburg, with the appointment of his residence in the Korsun Monastery; Bishop Pavel of Olonets, with the appointment of his place of residence in the Moscow Vysokopetrovsky Monastery. Losses suffered by the Russian Church in the person of deceased hierarchs During 1896–97 The Russian Church suffered no losses in the person of deceased hierarchs. During this time, she lost three archbishops and seven bishops. On October 13, 1896, Archbishop Sava died. In the person of the deceased archpastor, a close disciple and witness of the labors and exploits of the ever-memorable Metropolitan of Moscow Philaret, who took up considerable work to perpetuate in the memory of posterity the high merits for the Church and state of the famous saint, died away. The Right Reverend Savva served in the Moscow diocese under the leadership of its glorious archpastor, Metropolitan Philaret, in the positions of sacristan of the Moscow Synodal (Patriarchal) Sacristy, rector of the theological seminary and academy and vicar of the Moscow Metropolis in the rank of Bishop of Mozhaisk (since 1862). The valuable fruit of his activity was the “Index of the Moscow Synodal (Patriarchal) Sacristy” compiled by him, which was awarded a prize from the Imperial Academy of Sciences. His Eminence Savva successively ruled the Polotsk (since 1866), Kharkov (since 1875) and Tver (since 1879) dioceses. Among the scientific works of the Right Reverend Savva, it should be especially noted - published by the works of the Right Reverend “Collection of opinions and reviews of Moscow Metropolitan Philaret on educational and church-state issues and on the affairs of the Orthodox Church in the East” and “Letters” of the Moscow saint to the highest persons and many other persons. These publications, equipped with scholarly notes and explanations, and especially the “Collected Opinions and Reviews” among them, represent a valuable contribution to church historical science. Archbishop Vladimir of Kazan, who died on September 2, 1897, was known for his missionary activity, which lasted about 30 years. He served as bishop since 1880, when he was ordained Bishop of Biysk, vicar of the Tomsk diocese; after that, he successively ruled the dioceses: Tomsk (from 1883), Stavropol (from 1886), Nizhny Novgorod (from 1889) and Kazan (from 1892). With his appointment as head of the Altai mission, his practical missionary activity began, which had fruitful consequences. His more than 20-year stay in Altai (1865–1886) was of great importance for the young Altai mission, which was just beginning its existence. He set up up to 20 villages for newly baptized people, and erected 28 churches and prayer houses in different places, and built more than 30 buildings for missionary institutions: schools, libraries, hospitals, pharmacies, post offices, etc. He paid special attention to schools, since they educated the children of newly baptized people on the principles of the Christian religion, who would later themselves become missionaries and teachers among their unbaptized brethren. Constantly traveling around the cities of Altai, mostly on horseback, Bishop Vladimir tirelessly preached the Word of God to the Altai people in their native language. At the same time, under his personal leadership and with his participation, the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Sunday liturgical gospel readings, some liturgical rites, lives of saints and various instructive articles in prose and poetry were translated into the Altai language and published; an Altai-Russian dictionary with a reading book and a grammar of the Altai language with Altai-Russian and Russian-Altai dictionaries. While he was in Kazan, in the last 5 years of his life, the archpastor made frequent trips to foreign villages of the Kazan region, teaching faith and good morals to the baptized Tatars, Chuvash, Cheremis and Mordovians and with his heartfelt words making a deep impression on the simple hearts of his listeners. All missionary institutions in Kazan also received special attention from the late archpastor: the foreign seminary, the baptized Tatar school and missionary courses at the Kazan Theological Academy. He also took the closest and most active part in the third All-Russian Missionary Congress that was held in Kazan, not long before his death. In the person of His Grace Dionysius, Bishop of Ufa, who died on September 8, 1896, the Russian Church lost a missionary saint who undertook great labors and exploits for the good of the Holy Church during his 55 years of pastorate. A student and associate of the enlightener of Siberia Innocent, Archbishop of Irkutsk (later Metropolitan of Moscow), His Grace Dionysius began missionary service in 1844, with the appointment as a priest of a camp missionary church in the distant Yakut region. Within 10 years after that, he made a missionary journey with this church of 9130 versts across the Upper, Middle and Lower Kolyma to enlighten the teachings of foreign tribes living in the space from the Indigirka River to Anadyr with the light of Christ. Thousands of foreigners were converted to Christ by his preaching. Across the immeasurable expanses of the Yakut region, he had to ride in terrible frosts on dogs and deer and walk through deep snow, mountains and rapids, constantly endangering his life, especially during the snowstorms raging in the north of Siberia. Along with preaching among Yakut foreigners, there was a study of morals, customs and various foreign languages. The fruit of this deep study was the compilation and publication of the alphabet and grammar of the Yakut language and the translation of sacred, liturgical and spiritual and moral books into the Yakut language. Elevated in 1867 to the rank of Bishop of Yakutsk, vicar of the Kamchatka diocese, Eminence Dionysius, upon his departure to Moscow as his leader in missionary service. the great missionary saint Innocent, appointed (in 1868) Metropolitan of Moscow, was the successor of his educational exploits among the foreigners of Siberia, first in the rank of vicar of the said diocese, and then, from 1870, from the time of the opening of the episcopal see in Yakutsk, in the rank of Yakut diocesan bishop. Like Archbishop Innocent, he repeatedly undertook, as before in his retinue, long and difficult journeys throughout his vast diocese. Moved to the Ufa See in 1883, Right Reverend Dionysius worked tirelessly on the blog of the Orthodox Church until the last days of his life. The rest of the deceased eminences: Gabriel, Bishop of Imereti (died on January 25, 1896), Nikolai (died on October 29, 1896) and Tikhon (died on December 5, 1896), bishops of Orenburg, Nikon, Bishop of Turkestan (died on June 19, 1897), and Macarius, Bishop of Kamchatka (died September 7, 1897), left a memory of their zealous concern for the improvement of various parties in the diocesan administration. Of these, the Right Reverend Gabriel gained fame for his zealous missionary activity among the wild tribes of Abkhazia and Svaneti and for his preaching talent; His sermons went through 3 editions in his native Georgian language and were translated into Russian and English. Bishops Nicholas and Macarius attracted attention with their missionary work: the former in the Orthodox mission in China and the latter among Siberian foreigners. Of the bishops who retired from the diocesan administration and lived in retirement, Donat, the former Archbishop of Lithuania (died on April 16, 1896), and Eugene, the former Bishop of Mogilev (died on April 22, 1897), died. Changes in the central administration of the Department of Orthodox Confession The following changes have occurred in the central administration of the Department of Orthodox Confession: 1) According to the highest opinion of the State Council, approved on February 26, 1896, the School Council under the Holy Synod was formed on a special staff, in the form of a separate institution in the central administration of the department, intended, under the supreme control of the Holy Synod, for the immediate management of parochial schools and literacy schools. The composition of the School Council is determined to include the following persons: the chairman, his assistant, the observer of parochial schools with 2 assistants, 9 permanent members, a doctor and an architect. For office work in the School Council, an office was established under the supervision of one of the permanent members consisting of 8 full-time ranks and a Statistics Department under the control of the observer of parochial schools consisting of 2 ranks. At the same time, positions have been established for inspectors of parochial schools in dioceses and other local officials for school management. The expenses caused by the formation of these institutions and positions, in the amount of 82,200 rubles, were charged to the account released from the State Treasury from the beginning of 1896. In general, for the maintenance of parish schools and literacy schools, 3,279,145 rubles. The same opinion of the State Council approved the regulations on the management of the designated schools, defining the structure of this management, as well as the rights and responsibilities of management officials. Thus, the great cause of public education on church foundations, revived in 1884 by the sovereign will of your late father, Your Imperial Majesty, received a lasting structure, under which a full opportunity was opened for it to improve and develop for the true good of our fatherland. On January 1, 1896, the new states of control under the Holy Synod and the archives and libraries of the Holy Synod, approved in 1895, came into force. Increased in their composition, these institutions were able to properly expand their activities and conduct them on more solid foundations. In the same year, 1895, the Holy Synod received control and a special position, which determined the scope and methods of activity of this institution. For the Archive of the Holy Synod, in accordance with its new staff, it was also considered necessary to develop a special provision, which received the highest approval on July 31, 1897. Since the same 1897, an allowance of 3000 rubles was released from the State Treasury, according to the highest opinion of the State Council approved on May 6, 1896. per year, for 5 years, for the publication of the works of the Highest Commission established in 1865 for the analysis and description of files and documents of the Synodal Archive, which until recently was chaired by the late Academician Bychkov. The Moscow and St. Petersburg Synodal Printing Houses, which are under the jurisdiction of the Economic Administration under the Holy Synod, received a new device. With the spread of literacy in Russia in recent decades and with the awakening among the people, especially under the influence of parish schools emerging everywhere, the need for religious and moral reading, the activity of the Moscow and St. Petersburg Synodal Printing Houses in printing books increased from year to year. A significant part of the Synodal publications, published several years ago in thousands and tens of thousands of copies. It turned out to be necessary to print hundreds of thousands of copies. In view of this, the Holy Synod in 1888 instead of the previous small one, which was located in the Synod building, the St. Petersburg Synodal Printing House with 5 speed printing machines and several printing presses, a new extensive Printing House was built in a building deliberately built for the purpose on Kabinetskaya Street, with 16 improved speed printing machines, adapted to print several thousand sheets per hour, and with the opening of new departments in it - typesetting, stereotyping and bookbinding. The Moscow Synodal Printing House has long served as the main center for the release of Synodal publications into Russia. Meanwhile, despite the expansion of the activities of both Printing Houses, the staffs approved for them in 1867 and 1870 remained in operation, which, due to the limited number of employees and the insufficient salaries for their maintenance, did not correspond either to the current state of these Printing Houses, or to the living conditions that had changed over the past 25 years. In view of this, the Holy Synod recognized the need to make some changes in the indicated states with an increase in the number of employees and with an increase in the salaries of their maintenance at the expense of special funds of the Holy Synod. In total, in the new states, 36,250 rubles were allocated for the maintenance of the Moscow Synodal Printing House, an increase of approximately 10,000 rubles from the previous amount, and 27,950 rubles from the St. Petersburg Printing House, an increase of approximately 8,000 rubles from the previous one. The newly developed staff of the Synodal Printing Houses were awarded the highest approval on April 20, 1896. State of diocesan departments Diocesan administration was concentrated in the 60 ecclesiastical consistories that had been by the beginning of 1896. Of these, two - Vladikavkaz and Finland, which received states back in 1895, came into force for these states in January 1896, according to the highest opinions of the State Council approved on May 29 and December 25, 1895. There have been no significant changes in the structure of all other ecclesiastical consistories existing on the basis of their common staff, which was supremely approved on March 25, 1869. Only for one of them - Irkutsk, a new staff was drawn up, which, according to the Highest approval on December 16, 1896, was put into effect on January 1, 1897. The need to grant the Irkutsk spiritual consistory a new staff was caused by the fact that the amount allocated for the maintenance of the consistory by state in 1869, due to the significantly changed living conditions in the 25 years that followed, turned out to be so insufficient, that the employees in the consistory experienced extreme poverty of means of subsistence, and the diocesan authorities found it difficult to carry out affairs correctly and successfully given the resulting unsatisfactory composition of officials. The new staff of the Irkutsk spiritual consistory was drawn up in relation to the same new staff approved in 1894 and 1895 for the newly opened Transbaikal and Omsk spiritual consistories and introduced in 1895 in the previously existing consistories - Yakutsk and Kamchatka. In this state they are laid down, as in the 4 named consistories. higher salaries: secretary - 2,275 rubles. (instead of the previous 1500 rubles), heads of office and the secretary of the diocesan bishop 1050 rubles each. (instead of 600 rubles) and the treasurer, archivist and registrar 900 rubles each. (instead of 500 rub.); and the amount allocated for the maintenance of office officials and for office and business expenses was correspondingly increased. According to the same new staff of the Irkutsk Ecclesiastical Consistory, some reduction was also made in its composition by the abolition of one (out of 4) office work and the exclusion of 2 positions from the previous consistory staff (member and head). In 1897, the consistories were subject to revision: Finland, Ekaterinoslav, Ekaterinburg, Chisinau and Polotsk. Regarding the irregularities discovered by these audits in the record keeping of the said consistories, the Holy Synod issued temporary corresponding instructions to the diocesan authorities. Regardless of this, in order to improve office work in the consistories, I found it necessary to give the secretaries of the consistories special instructions, which would accurately define the official duties of the secretaries and at the same time provide them with detailed guidance regarding the manner of their actions in various, especially difficult, cases of official activity. For this purpose, in 1897, I formed at the office of the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod a special commission of ranks experienced in the office work of the Department of the Orthodox Confession, the central administration of the department, the diocesan administration and the administration of the military and naval clergy, arranged in many respects in the manner of the diocesan administration. Review of dioceses by the Reverends Diocesan bishops continued to personally survey their dioceses, despite sometimes the extreme distances and difficulties of communication; in other dioceses, while surveying some areas themselves, they assigned vicars to inspect others. During these reviews, the Right Reverends paid attention to the external and internal state of the churches, to the activities of the clergy in performing divine services, performing religious services, preaching the word of God in churches and outside them, to storing church sums and church property in general, to maintaining documents, to the relationship of clergy with parishioners, and to the state of spiritual enlightenment among the people. The subject of special attention when reviewing the dioceses were schools and the activities of the clergy in these schools. When surveying the dioceses, the Siberian archpastors had to work especially hard. Thus, His Eminence of Transbaikal made two trips in winter: one from Chita to Baikal over 700 versts and the other to the east of Chita over 800 versts. The area to be surveyed by His Grace Transbaikalsky on his first trip lies from Verkhneudinsk along the Selenga River to its mouth and is populated very densely by Orthodox residents, zealously devoted to the Holy Church; There are many churches and quite a few schools here. In this area there is not a single schismatic, not a single sectarian. But, unfortunately, the railway being built in this area, for the work of which many people from all over have gathered, has a destructive effect on good morals. The priests complain that the people in general are becoming “weaker” compared to the recent past: many people noticeably have a desire for easy money, a passion for clothes is developing (for women), a desire to furnish their homes in a city manner, there is less trust in each other, drunkenness is developing in places, and disrespect among younger people for elders. In general, it is noticeable that the region is entering some kind of fermentation. During conversations with priests, the Right Reverend George inspired them to use all their strength to take advantage of the movement of the people and direct them along the good path. The means for this, in addition to the usual communication with parishioners in everyday life, were recommended to the bishops everywhere - church sermons, outside liturgical interviews, school and the influence of the confessor during confession, especially on those in whom a change in character or life is noticeable. Fortunately, in this locality the clergy in their way of life and in their education and development are higher than in many other places in the diocese. How devoted the population remains to the Holy Church and its shepherds can be partly seen from those meetings, extremely solemn, that the population makes to their archpastor. Despite the winter cold and the piercing cold wind, the Right Reverend found all the churches filled with people even late at night; in some places the people could not fit into the church and stood outside it in the church fence. From Chita to the east to the border of the diocese, the bishop traveled up to 800 versts. Here the population consists of Cossacks and partly peasants. Most villages are located along the river. Ingoda and Shilka and their tributaries; A railway track is also being laid along these same rivers. All the named villages, in the summer of 1896, were extremely damaged by the former flood, so that some villages, for example. Kruchinsky, were completely demolished by water, and in some only individual parts of the dwellings were demolished, but almost all were flooded with water. Both churches and clergy were damaged by the water. In the Ust-Kariysky village, a new wooden church, although it survived, was significantly damaged, since the water in the church flooded the lower row of candlesticks on the chandelier. The fence and gatehouse were completely swept away by the water. The church is supposed to be moved to higher ground. The Transbaikal Cossacks are generally not distinguished by their religiosity, and the railway, on the one hand, which attracted a mass of depraved people from everywhere for its construction, and on the other hand, gave local residents generously paid earnings, further reduced this feeling: drunkenness, gambling, and family discord began to develop to a greater extent than before; churches began to be empty even on great holidays; on holidays in every village from early morning until late at night, according to the priests, noise, screaming, ugly swearing and songs of a drunken crowd scurrying from yard to yard can be heard, and this ugliness was reflected in school-age children... But then the wrath of God erupted in the most formidable phenomenon of nature: from continuous torrential rains that lasted for weeks, the water in all rivers and streams rose to an extraordinary height, overflowed its banks and drowned everything in its path: hayfields, arable land, trees, grazing cattle and even in many places the railway; since the water came in a huge wave and, therefore, its appearance was sudden, everyone had to save not their property, but their lives. In many villages the ruin of the inhabitants was complete, but, thanks be to the Lord! – there were almost no human casualties. According to the priests, this misfortune was accompanied everywhere by repentance. In all the villages where churches were damaged, the residents first of all took care to repair the damage in the parish church, and by the arrival of the Right Reverend, all the churches were already in splendid condition. His Grace of Tobolsk visited the extreme points of the diocese to the east, namely the areas of the Surgut district, which the Tobolsk archpastors had not visited for almost half a century. On this trip (up to 4000 versts), the Right Reverend visited, in addition to the city of Surgut, villages. Where the steamer landed on the shore to load firewood and where people generally always gathered, the bishop came ashore to talk and bless those gathered. These stops were always accompanied by the distribution of brochures and icons. Especially in the settlements of the Ostyaks, who perhaps had not seen the Orthodox bishop at all, his coming ashore was a kind of event in the city. His Eminence of Yenisei made a trip of more than 2000 miles to view the churches of the diocese. Churches in the southwest, south and southeast of the diocese were chosen for review. This choice was caused by the need to be on the border of the Achinsk and Minusinsk districts to consecrate the completed construction of a prayer house in the name of St. Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon on Lake Shiro. The vicar of the Irkutsk diocese, Bishop of Kirensky, Nikolai, on behalf of the diocesan bishop, made four trips around the diocese; in total, the right reverend vicar made about 2000 miles on these trips. The first trip was aimed at opening a new Bolshe-Goloustensky missionary camp along the shores of Lake Baikal, which opening took place on March 4th. The second trip was made to consecrate the newly built, instead of the one that burned down in January 1895, church in the name of St. Apostles Peter and Paul in the village of Bykovsky. The third trip was of a specifically missionary nature to the Tunkinsky region. On this trip, five missionary camps were visited, Nilova Monastery, where the Shimkovsky missionary’s employee resides, and five parish churches. The fourth trip also had a specifically missionary character - to preach the word of God to the pagan Buryats. On this trip, the Right Reverend had the consolation of personally baptizing 419 people, pagan Buryats, in all missionary camps. On the same trip, the Right Reverend, on behalf of the archbishop, in front of a large crowd of people and with great solemnity, laid the foundation stone for a church in the name of St. and the Wonderworker Nicholas in memory of the sacred coronation of Your Imperial Majesties. The Bishop of Kamchatka surveyed the churches located down the Amur to the city of Khabarovsk, then the churches of the Ussuri and South Ussuri regions, and, finally, the churches existing on both halves of the island of Sakhalin - northern and southern. all these churches were visited by Bishop Macarius from June 26 to August 19, 1896. During the review of the diocese, several churches were consecrated, namely: on July 1, the church in the village of Vetokova was consecrated, in the name of the Nativity of Christ. This church was built with funds from parishioners and donations from benefactors. The first contribution to its beautification was donated by Your Imperial Majesty, when passing through the village of Vetokova in 1891. The dilapidation and squalor of the old Vetokovsky church prompted your Majesty to express a desire to replace it with a new one, and now, instead of the dilapidated and wretched one, a spacious, new, sufficiently decorated holy house of God has been erected. On July 13, the Bishop of Kamchatka consecrated a church in the village of Berezniki, on southern Sakhalin, in the name of St. Blessed Prince Vladimir, and on July 21, a church in the village of Korsakovsky, in northern Sakhalin. On August 1, a church was consecrated in the village of Rakovka, South Ussuri Territory, in the name of the Life-Giving Trinity. On the 11th of August, on the return journey of the bishop through the city of Khabarovsk, an elegantly constructed and beautifully decorated church in the house of the Amur Governor-General was consecrated in honor of St. Martyr Sergius - and on August 12th the church was consecrated in the name of St. Apostle Philip, at the preparatory school of the Siberian Cadet Corps. When reviewing the diocese, it turned out that there are priests who, to a good extent, serve with their lives in the pastoral spirit and a good example for their parishioners, zealously teach both from the church pulpit and in schools, as teachers of the law, and do not forget to guide parishioners in the matter of better organizing their material life, seeking, for example, new branches of agriculture, for which they themselves set a good example. Thus, the clergy of the South Ussuri region tries to breed exemplary beekeepers and thereby introduces the population to such a useful branch of the economy, which, with reasonable management and insignificant costs, can serve the peasant as a significant help in his life. Experience has shown that beekeeping in the local climate is amazing in its results. One hive produces up to 10 good swarms, so that from the 6 blocks brought in 1890 there are now up to 2500 hives. While viewing Sakhalin churches, in repeated personal conversations with the military governor, acute. Sakhalin, Eminence Macarius had a judgment on matters relating to the improvement of Sakhalin churches and better security for the clergy, in relation to the highest approved new staff of prison officials on the island of Sakhalin, as well as the need to increase the number of churches on the island, due to the increase in its population. Review by Protopresbyter Zhelobovsky of the churches of the military department In 1896, the protopresbyter of the military and naval clergy visited the churches of the Finnish Military District under his jurisdiction and several churches of the St. Petersburg District more distant from the capital. Both in Finland and along the banks of the Volkhov, military units are placed alone from society, and live exclusively as a military family. At railway stations, hotels, ships (in Vyborg, Tavastgust, Uleaborg, Torneo, Helsingfors, Reval) the protopresbyter did not see a single Russian newspaper or book, and occasionally heard a Russian word: the Russians there are like strangers, and the local residents make the Russians feel this at every step. In fact, it turns out that in Finland, Russian troops, living in society, are deprived of society, and what is even worse, they are surrounded by people who, for the most part, are unfriendly towards them. This alienation adversely affects the character and behavior of not only lower ranks, but also officers, especially single ones. The priest, through services, and non-liturgical conversations, and the distribution of brochures with religious and moral content, and in word and deed, must work tirelessly to beneficially influence his flock. A recruit soldier, cut off from his own family, under new conditions and demands of military service, finds it difficult to get used to a special, unfamiliar way of life: and then the station is not entirely favorable, depriving him of those innocent entertainments that his brothers-in-arms abundantly enjoy in other areas. The priest, the guardian of the peace of mind of his spiritual children, is morally obliged, by measures depending on him, to prevent the bitter consequences of loneliness, boredom and melancholy. “Homesickness” can develop with particular success among troops stationed in the indicated areas. To our consolation, the military shepherds of these areas, according to the testimony of Fr. protopresbyters, stand at the height of their calling; the churches of God are, relatively speaking, magnificent, the singing is harmonious, the preaching in the church and the conduct of conversations in the barracks is unforgiving, sensible and understandable; libraries at churches and hospitals are quite replete with brochures and books of religious and moral content. Military cemeteries are being put into better order every year: in Vyborg, Revel, Tavastgusta, even churches of God have been built on them. In the fortress of Sveaborg, in Tavastgust, Reval, in the Krechevichi barracks, schools for children, mainly of military rank, are established and supported mainly by the funds of officers: military priests with love and zeal devote their free hours to the benefit of the religious and moral development of children. There are three schools in the Sveaborg fortress and all, thanks to the care and material assistance of the fortress commandant, Lieutenant General Argamakov and his wife, have been brought to exemplary order. These schools in a fortress located three miles from the city of Helsingfors, given the sometimes difficult communication between Sveaborg and Helsingfors, represent an invaluable benefit for the inhabitants of the fortress - people with families and insufficient income. With particular interest, the protopresbyter examined the military church on the farthest outskirts of Finland, in the city of Torneo. The church is called a military marching church, the city has a commandant, it was founded in 1826 by Emperor Nicholas I of blessed memory, for hundreds of Cossacks located in the city of Torneo. Until 1883, it was housed in a camp tent, and since that time a permanent wooden church has been built, although small in size, but extremely elegant and beautiful, so that foreigners, especially Swedes, willingly visit it and purchase photographs from it. This church has great historical significance: introduced into the state of military churches by the wise will of Emperor Nicholas I, in the far north of Finland it serves as the only visible monument to the annexation of the city of Torneo to Russia and a beacon of Orthodoxy in it. The local population, jealously guarding their nationality, did not preserve the modest house in which Emperor Alexander the Blessed, of blessed memory, spent the night in Torneo (1809). The situation of the Torneo Church at this time is very sad: in 1826 it which had more than a hundred spiritual children, now has seven lower ranks and a commandant - staff captain. Under the priest there is a clergyman from the lower ranks. In 1897, the protopresbyter surveyed the Kiev Military District, which occupied one of the first places in terms of the number of military units located in it. Orthodoxy, thanks to the significant number of people of different faiths and other faiths (Roman Catholics and Jews) living in this district, wages a constant struggle here to protect its spiritual interests, which, in addition to the reserve of strength and experience, also requires vigilant vigilance: opponents act cunningly, secretly and skillfully. The beneficial influence of church services is greatly harmed by the absence of their own churches in some military units. To improve the religious and moral state among the military, it is highly desirable that each military unit, which has a priest on staff, should have its own separate church. As a highly gratifying phenomenon, one can note in the Kiev district the newly built military churches in Orel - for the Kozlovsky infantry regiment, Lutsk - for the Okhotsk and Kamchatka infantry regiments, Proskurov - for the Belgorod Dragoon Regiment. Planting and strengthening in the hearts of the lower ranks the truths of the Orthodox faith and the rules of piety, after church services. Non-liturgical conversations contribute a lot. Introduced relatively recently (nine years ago), this method of instruction and admonition, thanks to the zeal of the priests and the assistance of the commanders of military units, found the most convenient and fruitful soil among the Russian army. The success of pastoral service in the troops is greatly aided by “fraternal meetings of clergy,” organized several times a year in cities in and around which there is a significant number of military clergy, such as, for example, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Warsaw, Kyiv, Vilno, Askhabad. There are many visitors from the military-spiritual world, even from distant lands: in St. Petersburg, for example, priests from Warsaw, Kovna, Dvinsk, Minsk come to meetings. At fraternal meetings, puzzling cases from the service practice of the regimental priest are proposed and explained. For information and guidance for the military clergy, who are deprived of the opportunity to attend meetings, the content of the conversations that take place at them is reported on the pages of the “Bulletin of the Military Clergy.” The libraries of spiritual and moral books at the churches of the Kyiv Military District, just like in other districts, are not thriving, mainly, of course, due to the scarcity of church funds. And the need for them is urgent and glaring; Literacy has recently been rapidly developing among the common people, the thirst for reading is intensifying so much that the lower ranks often spend their last pennies to get a book. Military cemeteries in the Kiev district are not well-equipped everywhere: in many military units there are no separate cemeteries, and lower ranks are buried in general city cemeteries, where places are allocated for them that are not entirely convenient, and not without difficulties.