Features of Serving the Sentence of Persons of the Clergy in Nerchinsk Assumption Monastery-Penitentiary of the 18th Century (on the History of the Nerchinsk Assumption Church)

Abstract

The proposed article continues the thematic cycle of author’s publications, revealing the peculiarities of the penitentiary activities of the Nerchinsky Assumption monastery. Acquaintance with unknown pages of history Nerchinsky Assumption monastery relevant on the eve of the 315th anniversary her foundations, which will celebrate this year. The article substantiates, that throughout its history the Nerchinsky Assumption monastery was actively used as a place of exile, imprisonment and punishment for both laity and clergy of various ranks (from the lower echelon of the clergy to the arch pesters of church government of the Russian Orthodox Church). The next group of prisoners is considered, represented by the governors of this monastery, who at different times were involved in the bishop’s investigation for illegal acts. Research result historical-religious-legal problem can be called identifying features prison imprisonment influential persons of clergy and coverage of forensic activities in respect of some of them. The appeal to the principle of historicism made it possible to seek and subject to a comprehensive analysis of a significant amount of previously unpublished handwritten historical documents from the archives of the city of Chita and city of Irkutsk, with the subsequent introduction into scientific circulation. The principle of objectivity helped to trace the relationship and interdependence of the specifics of monastic punishment on the political-ideological and spiritualmoral priorities of specific historical periods, manifested in the gradual abandonment of the penitential and corrective component of monastic punishment and the acquisition of punitive and intimidating practices. The topic considered in the article deserves further research insofar as Nerchinsky Assumption monastery throughout all 18th was one element in the chain of penitentiary monasteries in the Russian empire.