MISSIONARY AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES OF ARCHBISHOP AMBROSE OF KAZAN (A.I. PROTASOV)

DOI: 10.47026/1810-1909-2025-1-143-152

УДК 94(47);37.014

ББК 63.3(2)521

Leonid A. TAYMASOV

Key words

Archbishop Ambrose (A.I. Protasov), Kazan Diocese, peoples of the Middle Volga region, the newly baptized, missionary work, Christian education, the Russian Bible Society, clergy, flock.

Abstract

The relevance of studying the history of religion and the church is determined by the need to preserve the spiritual heritage of the past. The study of the activities carried out by a prominent Archbishop Ambrose (Protasov) of Kazan, who made a great contribution to strengthening the church and the development of Christianity in the Middle Volga region, will complement the information about the Orthodox archbishop, as well as the information on the history of religion and the church in the region.

The purpose of the study is to analyze the contribution made by Archbishop Ambrose (Protasov) of Kazan and Simbirsk to the development of Orthodox missionary work in a multiethnic region.

Materials and methods. The analysis of documents from the collections of the Russian State Historical Archive and periodicals of the XIX century. (“Zavolzhsky Ant”, “News of Kazan Diocese”, “Russian Antiquity”), scientific publications was carried out using chronological, biographical methods, as well as the institutional approach.

Research results. At the beginning of the XIX century, the ethnoconfessional map of Kazan governorate was diverse: the Christians of various confessional and sectarian groups, the Muslims, the adherents of traditional folk beliefs and the Jews lived on its territory. The largest group consisted of Orthodox Christians; most of them were newly baptized, i.e. converted to Christianity in the middle of the XVIII century during the period of activity carried out by Novokrestenskaya office. The main goal of Orthodox missionary work in the eastern outskirts of the country was Christianization and Russification of the non-Russian population. Administrative measures against the newly baptized did not bring the desired result: they remained adherents of the ancestral faith. Among the representatives of the secular and spiritual authorities, there were supporters of “direct” Christianization, relying on the authority of the power and the law, at the same time, individual officials and clergy advocated Christian education of the newly baptized. The study showed that Archbishop Ambrose, who had an excellent education and gained extensive pedagogical and managerial experience while working in theological educational institutions and heading Tula diocese, understood better than many archpastors of the Russian Orthodox Church the need for educational measures to establish the newly baptized in Orthodoxy. During the years of his ministry, Kazan, Simbirsk, Cheboksary theological schools were opened, classes of the Chuvash and the Mari languages were established, Kazan branch of the Russian Bible Society was established, books of Holy Scripture in the languages of the Volga peoples were published, the educational level of the Orthodox clergy increased, and its social status improved.

Conclusions. The archbishop Ambrose of Kazan became the head of Kazan and Simbirsk diocese in 1816, when it was in a state of crisis, and cases of the newly baptized returning to traditional beliefs and Islam became more frequent. The archpastor’s work made it possible to significantly strengthen the church department, increase the educational level of the clergy, and strengthen educational measures to establish Orthodoxy among the newly baptized. During his ministry, theological schools were opened, and classes for learning local languages operated in them. Ambrose was one of the active figures of the Russian Bible Society, the founder and head of its Kazan branch. He was directly involved in organizing Christian translations and publishing books of Holy Scripture in the Tatar, the Chuvash, the Mordovian and the Mari languages. In the conditions of socio-political instability during the reign of Nicolay I, he was ranked among the “unreliable” camp and transferred to Tver diocese, which stood below Kazan and Simbirsk in the church hierarchy.

References

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Information about the author

Leonid A. Taymasov – Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Department of Archeology, Ethnography and Regional History, Chuvash State University, Russia, Cheboksary (taymasov@mail.ru; ORСID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3301-5682).

For citations:

Taymasov L.A. Missionary and educational activities of archbishop Ambrose of Kazan (A.I. Protasov). Vestnik Chuvashskogo universiteta, 2025, no. 1, pp. 143–152. DOI: 10.47026/1810-1909-2025-1-143-152 (in Russian).

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