Irkutsk Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

In our time, the Irkutsk and Angarsk diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church includes monasteries and parishes on the territory of the Irkutsk region. Together with the Bratsk and Sayan eparchies, also located on the territory of this district, it is part of the Irkutsk metropolis.

Penetration of Orthodoxy into Siberia

The history of the creation of this diocese is very interesting - like no other division of the Russian Orthodox Church, it changed its borders. The first in Siberia, after its annexation to Russia, was the Diocese of Tobolsk. It was in 1620. The Irkutsk Territory was part of it, but due to its vastness in 1706 it was separated into a conditional church-administrative unit of the diocese called "vicariate", and already in 1721 an independent Irkutsk diocese appeared. And this was a positive development, both for the region and for Russia as a whole.

Missionaries have always played a very important role in planting religion in new places. The first saint was InnocentKulchitsky, who was a real ascetic - he brought with him the first private library, actively conducted educational work. In addition, he streamlined the church-administrative structure. His undertakings were worthily continued by St. Saphronius, who also carried on active missionary work. In addition, the diocese was rich in clergy who were engaged in scientific activities and were engaged in translations, as well as research in the field of ethnography, linguistics.

Formation of a diocese

Siberia is huge, the Irkutsk diocese constantly grew in territories into which it was necessary to carry the "word of God." Thus, in 1731 it included Yakutia, and soon the entire territory of Siberia and the vast expanses of the Far East belonging to Russia.

Further - more. Alaska and the Aleutian Islands in 1796 were part of the Irkutsk diocese. Naturally, it is difficult to keep these endless territories under one command, because at that time the area of the diocese was equal to half of the entire vast Russia.

In 1840, the reverse process began. The first to separate into independent Kuril, Kamchatka and Aleutian dioceses. Yakutia ceded to the latter in 1856. Then, in 1894, the Chita vicariate was formed, which in the same year became an independent church-administrative territorial unit. Thus, by the beginning of the 20th century, the Irkutsk diocese had borders similar to the current ones.

Years of Unbelief

But then the era of atheism began, the huge administrative units of the Orthodox Church were simply abolished, and churches and monasteries were plundered and destroyed. Not a single spiritual institution remained on Siberian land and the space of the Far East. From 1917 to 1930, the Irkutsk diocese, which was not closed, absorbs the lands of the abolished structures, and its size again reaches the Far Eastern shores. However, under the pressure of anti-God sentiments, the authorities closed this diocese as well, although not for long - already in 1943 it was restored. Until the last years of Soviet power, the Irkutsk Orthodox diocese extended to the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

New times

Perestroika is coming, the Orthodox Church is beginning its epoch-making revival. There is a process of resurrection of everything abolished and destroyed. In 1988, the Khabarovsk department was restored and isolated, in 1993 the Yakut diocese became independent, in 1994 - Chita. Again, the moment came when the borders of the Irkutsk region and, in fact, the diocese coincided. However, already on October 5, 2011, the eparchies of Sayan and Bratsk leave it and gain independence. And on October 6, a metropolis is formed within the borders of the Irkutsk region, the head of which becomes the Irkutsk bishop.

Glorious names

During its history, the Irkutsk diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church gave three bishops who became famous for their righteous life and pastoral activity, that is, saints. They were:

• first bishop Innokenty Kulchitsky (1727-1731);
• SafroniyKristallevsky (1754-1771);
• Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Innokenty Veniaminov (1868-1879).

Until 1917, the number of bishops managing the Irkutsk diocese was 17. Their selfless activity transformed the region. Through the efforts of the church, a network of educational institutions was organized and included in the active educational process. By the middle of the 19th century, there were more than 35 parish-type schools and five schools of religious education in the diocese, directly in the Irkutsk province - 14.

Missionary activity

By the beginning of the 20th century, there were 2 seminaries and a women's school, and the number of schools reached 229. The requirements for priests were constantly increasing, their level of training grew, and by the beginning of the 20th century, many of them had higher education. Of course, for the Christianization of the indigenous population, both carrots and sticks were used, but missionary activity also gave positive results. The first book was published under the name "Abridged Catechism", its main key point was the publication in the Yakut language (1819), a little later, the main liturgical texts were published in their languages for the population of Russian Alaska and the "newly baptized Buryats".

Even after a significant reduction in the territories of the diocese, Irkutsk remained the largest religious center. There were many churches and monasteries in the diocese. In this regard, it is impossible not to mention one of the oldest monasteries in Siberia, founded at the end of the 17th century on the right side of the Angara. It became a monasterydedicated to the Sign of the Mother of God, especially since now the administration of the diocese of the Irkutsk Metropolis is located on its territory.

Znamenskaya Convent

Famous people are buried in the necropolis of the monastery, for example, Princess Ekaterina Trubetskaya and her children Sophia, Vladimir and Nikita. Kolchak was shot near the monastery. In 2004, a monument was erected here in honor of this great ruler and admiral. At the foot of the wall, looking south, the writer Valentin Rasputin was buried in 2015. Throughout the years of the monastery's life, the nuns-gold seamstresses and seamstresses brought glory to it, their skills were known and appreciated even in both Russian capitals.

Features of modernity

The Church is not frozen in its development and even uses all the achievements of science and technology. All church-administrative territorial units have their own websites, including the Irkutsk diocese. The regional Orthodox portal, which contains many single-directed target sites, united by a common great spiritual thought, word and domain name, carries comprehensive information about the Irkutsk diocese, its history and today. Absolutely all news are in the public domain.