Parish clergy as an object of false denunciation by parishioners. A sketch of everyday life of Kazan diocese of the second half of the 19th century

Abstract

The article attempts to highlight such a little-studied, but important and interesting phenomenon of the daily parish life of the late synodal period as the discrediting of the clergy by parishioners. The relations between pastors and the flock in the designated period went far beyond the limits of liturgical practice and had their own specific psychological, cultural, social and economic refraction. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the clergy were an integral, but not always an organic part of the socio-cultural space of the parish, occupying a separate position in it due to a special legal and spiritual status. Meanwhile, the integration that took place had visible side effects, predetermining the rigid and multifaceted dependence of the clergy on the flock. Their relationship was in a permanent search for a balance between different centers of power, needs and interests. This often resulted in a sharp dissonance, which turned into slanders, false denunciations of priests, deacons and acolytes, prompting the diocesan authorities to initiate inquiries and investigations. The very fact of the presence of such a phenomenon in parish life not only speaks about the specifics of the ethical background of rural society, but also the extremely vulnerable position of the clergy. Archival files deposited in the fund of the Kazan Spiritual Consistory and stored in the State Archive of the Republic of Tatarstan reveal a tragic picture of cases of confrontation between clergy and flock, indicating the dominance of illegal approaches of peasants in resolving conflicts that have arisen. For the completeness of its reflection, the article uses the method of a rich description, and attention is purposefully paid to the smallest details of each of the cases involved. The sources involved in the publication are being introduced into scientific circulation for the first time.