PETER THE GREAT'S REFORMS IN THE RELIGIOUS SPHERE

ABSTRACT

This article examines the key issues of Peter the Great's reforms in the religious sphere.  The purpose of the article is to describe the prerequisites, the main directions and changes in relation to the state and the church, as well as the consequences of the reformist actions of the Emperor. Administrative significance of the reform was expressed in the centralization of power in the hands of Peter the Great, economic - reduction in the number of monasteries and churches and, therefore, optimization of resources, increase in taxes flowing into the treasury, class - reduction of the influence of the clergy on citizens and the state.

Keywords: Peter the Great, Church Reform, Clergy, Synod, State and Church Power, Taxes, Regulations, Monasteries, Theophanes Prokopovich.

In the early 18th century, the emperor undertook a series of measures that became known as the church reforms of Peter the Great. Their purpose was to transform the system of functioning and management of the Orthodox Church and were aimed at the subordination of the church to state (secular) power, the elimination of the economic and administrative independence of the church.

One of the prerequisites for changes was the dissatisfaction of Peter the Great over the negative attitude of the clergy to the reforms underway in state and public life which were aimed at creating a state modeled on Western Europe. For church servants, however, such transformations were perceived as a disruption of customary customs and systems.

The emperor's transformations were also pushed by such factors as the excessive authority of the church for ordinary people, the church and monasteries' possession of large financial and human resources, which were unaccountable to the state, suppression of the emperor's authority and non-acceptance of his innovations in state life, and others.

Peter 1 for a very long time carefully prepared for the reorganization of church management, holding frequent meetings with the eastern patriarchs. Their essence was to solve spiritual and political issues.

Previously the clergy was not obliged to pay basic taxes and were exempted from military duties. However, already with the Azov campaigns of 1695-1696. Clergy were involved in the construction of the fleet. Clergy fees were increased, which meant not only taxes on immovable property, but also special "dragoon money" (money that went for the maintenance of the dragoon cavalry regiments), a tax on the maintenance of the army clergy was introduced. Monastic values were seized to replenish the treasury. Clergy was involved in guard duty and building work [4].

In 1701 the Monastic Prik was issued on which were transferred to the management of archpriests and monastic estates that especially undermined the economic well-being of the church.

Peter 1 also promoted the conscription of the so-called "unempowered priests" who were fit for military service. Because of the reduction of the clerical staff, graduates of ecclesiastical schools had to become officials for civil service.

From 1701 the functions and prerogatives of the church court were significantly restricted. The clergy dealt with almost all categories of cases, both civil and criminal, related not only to religion, but also to inheritance, marriage, and others. After Hadrian's death on October 16, 1701, a number of cases were removed from the jurisdiction of the church court: marriage, divorce, forced marriages, rights of legitimate birth, adultery, violence against women, and others. The church court had jurisdiction over blasphemy, heresy, schism, witchcraft, and superstition, but even in these cases the church conducted only a preliminary investigation (establishing guilt), and the final decision was made by a secular court. On the basis of the Monastic Edict, cases over peasants who belonged to the church were also subject to secular court [4].

After the death of Patriarch Adrian the emperor tried to prevent the election of a new head of the clergy out of fear of a new and influential representative of the clergy who might oppose Peter's reforms.

Nevertheless, Peter I delegated to the clergy the responsibility to carry out some administrative and, to some extent, political functions. Thus, during Sunday services clergy were to tell the congregation about the state laws, to keep metric books on the baptisms, weddings and burials of the population of their parish, and during the censuses to record those who evaded the revision, to make special lists and report on them, to keep an eye on the dissenters.

Absence of church services by parish priests on the names of the Tsar and all members of the royal family, coronations, royal military victories and other similar holidays, was treated as a political offense. By the decree of April 22, 1722 was introduced a mandatory oath of allegiance to the Emperor by the clergy (previously the priest was obliged to follow only the church statutes). Confessional secrecy was abolished, and henceforth the priest was obliged to report cases of theft, treason against the sovereign, etc., known to him during the confession. The same decree stipulated that all the secret affairs that were entrusted to the priest by the authorities should be kept absolutely secret from all outsiders and not be announced to anyone [4].

By the following decrees, all persons falling into the category of "dissenters" were expelled from monasteries, and the age threshold for entry into monasteries was set after forty years of age, land plots were withdrawn from monk property, and voluntary contributions could be made only in almshouses. The Northern War interrupted church reforms for some time, but after victory in it the emperor actively returned to reform. To solve some nuances, he enlisted the help of the Bishop of Narva and Pskov, who was entrusted with the development of the rules of interaction between the state and the church [2].

Peter I issued decrees regulating church worship, which was perceived by the clergy as an intrusion by state power into the canonical spheres of the church. In the legislative order prescribed mandatory annual confession of parishioners (decree of 1718), which should be recorded in the "books of faith. Priests were to record all those who avoided confession and report them to the authorities (both church and state). Those who avoided confession were called "dissenters" and were to be punished for it. Specific decrees also required priests to ensure that parishioners attended morning and evening services, during which they listened attentively to the service in complete silence and reverence and were not distracted by other matters.

A further significant step was the necessity of subordinating the clergy to the monarch politically and administratively. To achieve this goal, the patriarchate was abolished and a new secular collegial body responsible for church affairs, the Most Holy Synod, was established. This was a fundamentally new, synodal period in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Peter 1 sought supporters mainly in Ukraine, primarily among the clergy of the Kiev-Mohyla Theological Academy, due to the fact that they, with few exceptions, supported Peter's reforms. In 1700 the emperor issued a decree about governing posts in the Russian Church from Malorossian clerics. The most famous of them were Stephan Yavorsky (metropolitan of Ryazan and Kolomna), Philotheus Leschinsky (metropolitan of Siberia) Theodosius Yanovsky (archimandrite of the Alexander Nevsky monastery in Petersburg), and the rector of the Kiev-Mohyla Theophanes Prokopovich (bishop of Pskov), who actively supported Peter's reforms and was one of his closest associates and ideologists.

Russian clergy, not having occupied the main leadership positions, were hostile to the "newcomers," seeing them as "heretics" and "Latins. In turn, the Ukrainian clergy were praised for their education and scholarship, unlike the Russian, which only intensified the schism and enmity between them.

In 1718 Theophanes Prokopovich was entrusted to draw up a draft of a collegiate body of administration of the Russian Orthodox Church on the basis of the civil collegia which were being established at that time. The project was ready by 1720, was agreed upon with the Emperor, and was sent to the Senate for discussion. After the draft was approved by the Senate, another year had to wait for the consent of the rest of the higher of the clergy of the church.  The regulations were approved only on January 25, 1721 by decree of Peter and were published under the title "Ecclesiastical Regulations of the Sovereign Sovereign Peter the Great, Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia.

The regulations were aimed at confirming the need to replace the sole (patriarchal) body for governing the church with a collegiate one. Among the arguments were: the speed of decision-making by a collegiate body was much greater, as well as the fact that a collegiate body would in any case be more impartial, independent and authoritative, as well as reduce the likelihood of rebellion and revolt from the people.

In May 1722 an "Addendum" to the Spiritual Regulations was issued. It similarly spelled out the basic duties of the clergy, priests in relation to parishioners, state and spiritual authorities, the conditions and procedure of entry into the monastic order, the rules and order of monasteries.

In 1722 the emperor approved the post of chief procurator. The first chief public prosecutor was appointed Colonel I. V. Boltin, who was obliged to oversee the activities of the Synod. All these actions and decrees resulted in the complete subordination of church life to state power.

Thus, the scheme of the church hierarchy under Peter 1 began to look as follows: Emperor; Synod; Metropolitans and bishops; priests; deacons [1].

Church reform was carried out in parallel with the tax reform. There was an accounting and classification of priests, and their lower strata were transferred to a per capita salary [3].

Changes also affected the monasteries, to which Peter 1 always had an extremely negative attitude, as in them he saw a threat of conspiracies and treason. In addition to reducing the total number of monasteries in the country and reorganizing their activities, the conditions of entry into monasticism became more complicated. To a greater extent Peter I tried to use the monastic economy for useful secular institutions: asylums for beggars and disabled soldiers. Monks and nuns were allowed to leave the monastery only for two or three hours.

The conditions of entry into the clergy became more complicated. Initially, almost anyone could become a clergyman, special education was not required. Entire priestly dynasties were formed in small settlements, when his son became a spiritual director after his father's death. Many entered the priesthood solely for selfish reasons. The monarch was extremely unhappy with all this, and his decree-imposed restrictions on entry into the clergy, while, on the contrary, making it easier to leave the ministry. This led to a considerable reduction in the number of priests.

Thus, the church reform of Peter I has brought enormous changes in the spiritual life of Russia, as a result of it the Russian Orthodox Church actually appeared in full submission to secular power, and the established management of the Church became part of the state apparatus. Among the pluses of the reform, it is possible to distinguish the following moments: the treasury began to receive money from the clergy, church land began to sell to all comers, and the monastic income began to be taxed, the struggle against poverty was actively conducted, only the infirm were allowed into almshouses, the number of clergies was reduced, and also, they began to have special education, which allowed a more effective distribution of human resources. Among the disadvantages, as a rule, are highlighted such factors as: stricter rules for attending churches, the abolition of the secret of confession, the introduction of the obligation to confess annually for all citizens, the introduction of the obligation of citizens of other faiths to convert to Orthodoxy, the increase in the number of beggars and the poor.

As a result of the reforms, the influence of the church in the state decreased, and the secular power was almost completely able to control it in administrative and political matters, the number of monasteries and clergy decreased, priests were obliged to receive special education, and the treasury was replenished by taxes from the church.

The results of the reforms show that Peter I well thought through all the nuances of transformation and on major issues achieved positive results.

References:

1. URL: https://school1208.ru/istoriya-rossii/cerkovnaya-reforma-petra-i.html (date of access: 06.05.2021).
2. Irlyk A. The Church Reform of Peter the Great - Causes, Objectives, and Consequences.
3. Nesterov, V. V. Church reform. Peter I / V. V. Nesterov, N. A. Sysoev. - Text: direct // History and archeology: materials of the III Intern. scientific. conf. (St. Petersburg, December 2015). - St. Petersburg: Own publishing house, 2015. - S. 33-35. - URL: https://moluch.ru/conf/hist/archive/168/9305/ (date of access: 05.06.2021).
4. The Russian Orthodox Church and the state. Synodal period (1700-1917) / V.A. Fedorov. - M.: Rus. panorama, 2003 (Kaluga: State Unitary Enterprise Oblizdat). - 479 p. - URL: https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Istorija_Tserkvi/russkaja-pravoslavnaja-tserkov-i-gosudarstvo/ (date of access: 05.06.2021).