History of the Russian Church (1700–1917)
This fundamental work by Igor Kornilyevich Smolitsch, historian of the Russian Church, is devoted to the Synodal period of its history — from the reforms of Peter the Great at the beginning of the eighteenth century to the restoration of the Patriarchate in 1917. The author examines in detail the formation of the system of state-controlled church governance, the structure and activity of the Most Holy Synod, the relationship between the Church and the imperial authority, as well as the development of diocesan administration. Particular attention is given to the condition of the parish clergy, their material and social circumstances, the organization of theological education, and the changes that took place in church life under the influence of state and social reforms. Smolitsch considers the history of the Church within the broad context of the political, social, and cultural development of the Russian Empire, revealing the complexity and contradictions of the Synodal era. The book is furnished with an extensive scholarly apparatus, sources, and a bibliography, and stands as one of the most thorough studies of the history of the Russian Church from the eighteenth to the early twentieth century.