Orthodox Clergy and Special Purposes Units of the Russian Empire: Forms and Features of Interaction

Abstract

The investigation followed the forms, methods, directions, and mechanisms of interaction of the Russian Orthodox Church, particularly its clergy, with the Ministry of Interior's gendarmerie and police bodies, with the institutions and divisions of the military and naval departments, with the prison services of the Ministry of Justice, with the separate corps of border guards of the Ministry of Finance as well as the courier body of the Ministry of War. The gradual increase of this category of Orthodox clergy and the extension of their position and influence on the relevant population is proved based on the examination of sources. Russian Empire clerics of these structures have played a critical role in providing authorities and employees with basic intellectual, moral, and educational training. Their activities ranged from strictly religious obligations to educational and moral-spiritual activity, as well as charity, all of which contributed to the inviolability of autocratic principles. Fulfilling the mission of aligning the Russian Orthodox Church with the political institutions of the Russian autocracy, the clergy of state departments acted as an ideological and educational tool for ensuring the efficient functioning of the branch's control mechanism of the Empire.

Keywords

• orthodox clergy
• autocracy
• special units
• military clergy
• ideological activities
• religious and educational work