The Tobol’sk Bishop’s House as an Actor of the Colonization of Siberia in the 17th Century

Abstract

During the development of Siberia, the Russians created an authentic “living space” on the colonized lands, based on their religious traditions and practices. This article shows the role of the Tobol’sk Bishop’s House in shaping the sociocultural environment in the developed territory in accordance with the norms of the Christian way of life. The bishop’s house is understood as a regional institution of the Russian Orthodox Church, which organized and controlled the spiritual sphere of the life of the local society. Fulfilling its mission, the Tobol’sk cathedra, established in 1620, used the centuries-old experience of the Russian Orthodox Church and at the same time responded to specific challenges associated with the huge scale of the controlled territory and considerable remoteness from the center, the lack of priests and their ambiguous moral character, specifics of the gender composition of the first Russian settlers, and disagreements with local governors on the issue of delimitation of powers. The main concerns of the Siberian bishops of the 17th century were the maintenance of the moral state of society, the ordering of the church sphere, and the intercalation for the convicted and disgraced among the population of Siberia, including yasak-payers. During the 17th century a system of diocesan administration was established. The regional features of this system were expressed in the variety of principles for the allocation of tithe uezds and the pace of replacement of secular tithers with spiritual customers (representatives of the clergy). The ecclesiastical court organized by the Tobol’sk Bishop’s House was an important tool to contain commotion both among the clergy and in the lay community. The Orthodox landscape that had developed on the territory under its jurisdiction made it possible to satisfy the spiritual needs of the local society. By the end of the 17th century, the diocese had at least 225 churches, including monastic ones. Most of them were in Western Siberia, the most developed part of the diocese and close to its center. The problem of providing parishes with priests was solved, and widely revered regional shrines appeared. The Christianization of the indigenous population was carried out mainly by monasteries. Using various forms of influence on the flock, the Tobol’sk Bishop’s House had a great influence on the religious and moral state of the local society and became one of the leading actors in the colonization process.