NOBILITY AND “ANCIENT PIETY” IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY: THE CASE OF A NOBLEWOMAN AND AN OLD BELIEVER NUN ELIZABETH LANGEL

Abstract

The article deals with the little-studied problem of the interaction between the Russian nobility and the Old Believers in the first half of the 19th century. Cases of conversion to the “old faith” of representatives of the upper class are considered as a natural phenomenon, explained by the softening of state control over the nobility, a change in state policy regarding the “schismatics”, as well as general mystical sentiment among the Russian nobility of this period. As an example, we consider the case of a noblewoman Elizaveta Petrovna Langel, who was tonsured in Fedoseev's congregation with the name of Catherine, her spiritual father, a monk Ephrem, and the landowners Golitsyns. The unique archive documents and letters of E. Langel are introduced into scientific circulation, directly reflecting the nature of her religiosity, attitudes towards the Old Believers and the religious policy during the reign of Nikolas I. They show that the conversion to Old Belief was partly influenced by family history and the mystical religious mood of Langel. In addition, it is suggested that the presence of the noblewoman Langel in their ranks allowed the Old Believers to better interact with the landlords. This is indirectly confirmed by the patronage to the noblewoman's spiritual father, monk Ephrem, from the landowners Golitsyns.