Sociocultural Environment of the Orthodox Parish of Small Town in the Russian Empire, late XVIII – early XXth centuries (on the example, the Town of Tsarevosanchursk, Yaransky District, Vyatka Province)

Using the example of the church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in the peripheral town of Tsarevosanchursk, Yaransky district, Vyatka province the life of the Russian Orthodox Parish (XVIII -early XXth centuries) is shown from different sides, both cultural and social.In the 18th and 19th centuries, Tsarevosanchursk served as the center of spiritual and everyday life for the Mari and Russian people who lived in the Vyatka Province.The authors focus on issues of interaction between the clergy and parishioners from the point of view of everyday life: prayers, services, religious processions, and the work of church schools, the formation of the calendar, taking into account the patronal holidays and especially revered icons.It was found that the parish's integration into socio-political processes at the local level was particularly high.The long tenure of parish priests allowed them to be real spiritual fathers of their flock, knowing the needs and aspirations of their parishioners.Despite various manifestations of abnormal behavior of parishioners and serious social changes in the post-reform period, the parish, as a whole, performed consolidating, moral, educational, and enlightenment functions.The authors deduce that the emergence of an Orthodox society in a provincial town had an impact on the socio-cultural like of the population and influenced the formation of spiritual and moral values that determine everyday life and morality.For the first time, the Chronicle of the Tsarevosanchursk Vladimir Church from the funds of the Historical Museum of Sanchursk is introduced in to scientific circulation.