Educational significance of the monasteries of the Altai ecclesiastical mission in the second half of the 19^th – early 20^th centuries (Based on the materials of the State Archive of the Tomsk Region)

The article discusses the educational value of the monasteries of the Russian Orthodox Church on the example of the Altai Ecclesiastical Mission. The basis for the analysis of its activities was the reporting documents of the beginning of the 20th century, presented in the State Archives of the Tomsk Region. For the first time, an archival document is introduced into scientific circulation - the Report of the Altai Ecclesiastical Mission for 1914. It is important for identifying the role of monasteries in missions in the region during the period under study. The source data reveal the greater significance of the educational activity of the oldest monasteries of the region. They are the Chulyshman Annunciation Male Monastery and Ulalinsky Nikolaev Female Monastery. Particular attention is paid to the evangelism of zealots and missionaries whose efforts brought about the conversion of the Altai ethnoses to Orthodoxy. The authors consider the work on the creation of the Altai script, the translation of sacred texts into local languages, the construction of schools where the indigenous population was taught literacy and crafts. Attention is also drawn to the activities of the monasteries devoted to the introduction of Russian culture and the achievements of medicine. In conclusion the analysis of the document presented in the paper makes it possible to reconstruct the process of the formation of a new culture among the indigenous population of the region by spreading of literacy and transition to a settled way of life. The presented factual material shows that it was not by chance that the Altai Ecclesiastical Mission was recognized as the best among the missions and regained the status until the end of its existence. During the years of its activity, a network of missionary settlements, liturgical institutions, monasteries as well as a system of educational and charitable institutions were created, mechanisms for successful conversion to Christianity of the non-Russian population were developed.

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