THE CHURCH HIERARCHY REACTION TO THE CAPTURE OF KAZAN (BASED ON HISTORICAL SOURCES)

Based on the historical literary monuments about the capture of Kazan and the letters of Metropolitan Macarius, the paper analyses the role of the Orthodox Church during the conquest of Kazan. The Church hierarchy, represented by Metropolitan Macarius, expressed support for the military campaign of Tsar Ivan. The Church blessed the Tsar and the army for the battle, prayed for victory, positioning itself as a moral authority. The article shows that the analysis of sources does not provide any reasons for assertions about the significant influence of Church representatives on Tsar Ivan in terms of his foreign policy decisions, in particular on the issue of the campaign against Kazan. The Church participation was expressed (in the political aspect) in the formulation of the religious and ideological justification of the Kazan campaign, which was perceived as the defense of the Orthodox faith from the Muslims.