«Efforts to voluntarily spread the gospel teaching...»: missionary activity in the policy of the Russian authorities in the North Caucasus (1793–1817)

The missionary activity of the Greek Church played an important role in appeasing the peoples of the North Caucasus. It was supposed to restore among them those spiritual values that their ancestors had previously professed. For this purpose, in 1793, the post of vicar bishop of the Astrakhan diocese was established in Mozdok. This made it possible to quickly resolve issues related to the spread of the Christian faith here. Very soon Mozdok became one of the leading religious centers of the region. But the authorities had many complaints about the missionary work itself: the number of converts to the new faith did not meet expectations, and the sincerity of the neophytes’ beliefs raised serious doubts. Emperor Paul I, who replaced Catherine II on the throne, ordered the abolition of the vicariate. Nevertheless, the very idea of preaching Orthodoxy in the mountain environment was preserved and had many supporters.

The question of restoring the Ossetian Commission, with the help of which it was supposed to o influence the confessional situation in the region, arose again. Projects to attract foreign missionaries for missionary work in the mountain environment arose and were tested. But the main role was assigned to Orthodox priests, for whose successful work the treasury was ready to allocate the necessary funds. The activities of the church in this case should not have contradicted the steps of the secular authorities. With the appointment of A.P. Yermolov to the Caucasus, the militarypolitical situation in the region is becoming more complicated, which marked a new stage in the missionary practice of the Orthodox clergy.

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