Construction of Churches in the Mordovian Villages of the Alatyrsky District in the Second Half of the XVII – XIX Century

Abstract

Introduction. The study of the features of the confessional and socio-cultural development of peoples and individual regions of the Russian state is one of the important research tasks. Results and Discussion. At the end of the XVII century the village of Novotroitskoye of the Alatyrsky district became the first Mordovian Christian settlement of the region, in which the new Christians, protected from oppression, began to live, who were an example for their tribesmen in the adoption of the Orthodox faith. From the middle of the XVIII century in many Novokreschen villages of the region, a chapel was initially built, in which a priest was determined to serve. Then money was allocated for the construction of the church. In the XIX century active construction of Orthodox churches continued on the territory of the Alatyrsky and Ardatovsky districts of the Simbirsk province: instead of outdated and dilapidated church buildings, new ones were built, and parish churches were opened in populous villages. Conclusion. The Christening of a Mordva and opening of churches became an important step in strengthening of Orthodoxy and autocracy in the region, have played a positive role in spiritual and moral education of the people, have left a noticeable mark in education development. To acceptance of christianity there was a sociocultural integration of a mordva into structure of the Russian Empire. On the other hand, the commonality of the Orthodox religion was one of the factors in the development of assimilation processes among the Mordovian people.