Bishop Andrey (worldly Aleksandr Ukhtomskiy) — founder of the journal “Employee of Transcaucasian Mission”

Abstract

The article provides a brief overview of the history of the Sukhum diocese, as well as provides more detailed information about Bishop Andrey (worldly Aleksandr Ukhtomskiy), who occupied the Sukhumi Eparchy in 1911–1913. An outstanding undertaking by Bp. Andrey was the establishment of the Church-missionary journal “Employee of the Transcaucasian Mission”, which published sermons, articles of religious-moral, church-historical, ethnographic content, discussed issues of missionary affairs, church-social and church-school. One of the main problems of Sukhumi eparchy was the paganism of the population; in each issue of the “Employee” this issue was considered from different angles. Covering the life of parishes, the publication posted on its pages information about parish churches, their history and condition; these testimonies are gaining undoubted value today. It is a reliable picture of the life of Abkhazia in the first decades of the 20th century created by statistical data published in the “Employee” — on the number of births, married and buried parishioners, on the composition of the population and religion. The journal also published the so-called “Travel Notes” that told about the travels of clergymen to remote corners of Abkhazia to communicate with local residents. Some of the publications of the materials of the journal “Employee of the Transcaucasian Mission” are offered to the readers’ attention.