Dynamics of Religiosity in the Yenisei Province in the 19th century

The article is devoted to the study of the dynamics of religiosity in the territory of Yenisei Province.This region was a space of integration of many faiths, therefore, it is relevant to study the interaction of different faiths: Orthodoxy and shamanism, beliefs of indigenous peoples of the North and Siberia, as well as the penetration of foreign religions (in particular, Muslimism, Judaism, Lutheranism and other Christian movements).To achieve this goal, the authors studied the materials of the First General Population Census of the Russian Empire in 1897 and "Statistical Review of Siberia" by Y.A. Gagemeister.The analysis of these sources allowed us to assess the general picture of confessional diversity of Yenisei province, to analyze the quantitative data reflecting the transformation of religiosity.We also studied the materials of the newspaper "Yeniseyskiye yeparkhial'nyye vedomosti", which was the official printed organ broadcasting reports on missionary and other activities of Orthodox priests.As a result of the research work, the authors recorded a number of factors that determine the specifics of the dynamics of religiosity in Yenisei province.On the one hand, of course, from year to year the growth of Orthodox Christians is recorded both at the expense of immigrants and among the indigenous inhabitants of the region, which is a natural fact, and there is such a factor as active missionary activities of Orthodox priests.But at the same time, significant factors are the peculiarities of the region itself as a space for exiles, as a free land for agrarian development, leads to the growth of the number of representatives of other religious movements, both traditional and non-traditional (mysticism, new sects).