Keyword: «russian orthodox church»

Confessional female education has several specific features: class isolation, strict subordination of the diocesan to the bishop, inseparability of the educational and edifying processes. Russian historiography studied the specificity of female education in the post-reform period, associated with the breakdown of the traditional patriarchal model of female education understanding. Within the framework of historical feminology and gender studies, the question was raised about the professional self-realization of diocesan schools students. Purpose of the study: firstly, to introduce the information about the activities of the Omsk Women's Diocesan School in 1906-1917 into scientific circulation. Secondly, to identify the specifics of female theological education in the Siberian province. The sources of the research were: clerical works and other materials of a regional nature, a significant amount of which is presented in the fund of the Omsk Spiritual Consistory, the diocesan periodical "Omsk Diocesan Gazette", where the reports of the diocesan observer and the statements of the Diocesan School Council were published. Based on the reports of the diocesan observer on the condition of parish schools and literacy in teaching and education, the teaching and methodological process, teaching staff and the condition of teaching and educational work are reconstructed. The Omsk diocesan school for women was supported by contributions from the diocesan purse, the income of the diocesan candle factory and private donations. The educational process was aimed at obtaining an education sufficient for teaching in primary school. In contrast to the tendencies of strict regulation of church practical implementation in women's education, noted by researchers using the example of the European Russia, the students of the Omsk Women's Diocesan School performed completely “non-female” mission in the church, such as lighting lamps, giving a lectern, carrying out candles at the entrances and to the Gospel reading, which is usually the prerogative of the sacred sexton. Changes in the teaching staff indicate a gradual prevalence of male teachers and an increase in the educational graduation level. The theoretical significance of the work lies in the fact that the presented material and conclusions can be used in further research of the history of the Omsk diocese in the 20th century, as well as in the study of the history of spiritual education in peripheral dioceses. The practical significance of the work lies in the possibility of using its materials in educational work: in the preparation of specialized courses on the history of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as for preparation of articles, reports at scientific events of various levels.

Based on the functional method of research and analysis of sources on the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church (hereinafter referred to as the ROC) in the social sphere on the territory of the Russian Federation and its regions, including materials from books, articles and open Internet sources, the article analyzes the ROC's approach to providing social assistance through social service, areas of work in the field of social service and the functioning of metropolises in the regions. It is concluded that the church is a reliable support of the state in the implementation of social assistance to the population, forming a significant segment of civil society and ensuring the absence of «gray areas» where the social policy of the state for one reason or another cannot reach.

Studying the historical experience of church charity in the field of orphan care in pre-revolutionary Russia is of considerable interest both from the point of view of recreating a holistic picture of social policy and for finding effective ways of interaction between the government, society and religious organizations in modern social work. The aim of the article is to examine the formats of the Russian Orthodox Church's participation in the care for orphans and children left without parental care in Russia in the last third of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The methodological foundations of the research were the problem-chronological and historical-contextual approaches, as well as the concept of humanistic pedagogy. As a result of the study based on the analysis of a wide range of archival documents, statistical materials and periodicals, it was found that the church's contribution was realized both through the direct establishment of orphanages and other educational institutions and through indirect participation in the activities of secular children's institutions. An analysis of the all-Russian statistics showed the key role of the largest charitable societies, such as the Romanov Committee, in coordinating the network of orphanages that actively interacted with church parishes. Using the example of Moscow, the article analyzes the integration role of the Elizabethan Charitable Society, which united 230 parishes, and the multifaceted activities of the Novodevichy Monastery, which organized a vocational school, orphanages and a school on its basis. It is shown that the financing of church initiatives was largely (up to 74%) based on private donations. The theoretical significance of the work lies in the concretization of the historical, pedagogical and social aspects of the church's participation in charitable activities for the care of orphaned children, which deepens the understanding of the role of the Russian Orthodox Church in the social policy of the Russian Empire. The practical significance lies in the possibility of adapting the identified historical approaches to the interaction of the church, the state and society, the implementation of the experience of using private donations in the organization of parish care for children in the development of modern social programs to support children left without parental care.