Authors

Marta Łukaszewicz¹;  ¹ University of Warsaw, Poland

Discussion

In recent years, there has been significant research on the changes in the Russian Orthodox clergy during the late imperial period. Scholars such as Scott Kennworthy (2006), Jennifer Hedda (2008), and Daniel Scarborough (2022) have examined the emergence of a new vision of the Orthodox pastorate in the second half of the 19th century. They have also explored the growing social commitment of clergymen and their increasingly radical political stance. The Russian Orthodox Church experienced a shift towards social consciousness, similar to the global "social turn" observed in Christianity. These changes, influenced by social shifts in Russian society, gave rise to a new type of priest who prioritized their responsibilities towards their congregation over liturgical service.

When studying Russian clerical fiction, one can also observe how these changes, alongside journal debates about the role of the Church and clergy in modern society, impacted the representation of clergymen in literary works published in the second half of the 19th century and in the first years of the 20th century. In my paper, I demonstrate these trends, drawing upon analysis of over fifty literary works devoted primarily to clergymen’s everyday life and written in this period.