In our time, the Irkutsk and Angarsk diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church includes monasteries and parishes in the Irkutsk region. Together with the Bratsk and Sayan dioceses, also located on the territory of this district, it is part of the Irkutsk metropolis.
The penetration of Orthodoxy in Siberia
The history of the creation of this diocese is very interesting - like no other division of the Russian Orthodox Church, it has changed its borders. The first in Siberia, after its accession to Russia, the Tobolsk diocese was formed. It was in 1620. The Irkutsk Territory was part of it, but in view of its vastness, in 1706 it was singled out as a conditional church-administrative unit of the diocese under the name "Vicariate", and already in 1721 an independent Irkutsk diocese appeared. And this was a positive phenomenon, both for the region and for Russia as a whole.
Missionaries have always played a very large role in planting religion in new places. The first saint was Innokenty Kulchitsky, 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 worthily continued by Saint Safronius, who also conducted active missionary activity. In addition, the diocese was rich in representatives of the clergy, who conducted scientific activities and were engaged in translations, as well as research in the field of ethnography and linguistics.
The formation of the diocese
Siberia is huge, the Irkutsk diocese constantly grew in territories, in which it was necessary to carry the "word of God." So, in 1731 it includes 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 are part of the Irkutsk diocese. Naturally, it is difficult to keep these endless territories under one head, because in these times the area of the diocese was equal to half of all vast Russia.
In 1840, the reverse process began. The first to stand out in the independent Kuril, Kamchatka and Aleutian dioceses. To the last in 1856, Yakutia departed. Then, in 1894, the Chita Vicariate was formed, which in the same year became an independent church-administrative territorial unit. Thus, the Irkutsk diocese at the beginning of the 20th century 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 began to be simply abolished, and churches and monasteries were plundered and destroyed. On Siberian soil and the space of the Far East, not a single spiritual institution remained. From 1917 to 1930, the Irkutsk diocese, which was not closed, absorbs the lands of the abolished structures, and its dimensions again reach the Far Eastern shores. However, under the pressure of the atheistic moods, the authorities close this diocese, however, not for long - already in 1943 it is being 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 begins its epochal revival. There is a process of resurrection of all that is abolished and destroyed. In 1988, the Khabarovsk department was restored and secured, in 1993 the Yakut diocese became independent, in 1994 - the Chita. Once again, the moment came when the borders of the Irkutsk region and, in fact, the diocese coincided. However, already 10/05/2011 they are leaving its structure and gaining independence of the diocese of Sayan and Bratsk. And on October 6, a metropolis is formed within the borders of the Irkutsk region , the head of which is the Irkutsk bishop.
Nice names
During its history, the Irkutsk diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church gave three bishops who became famous for their righteous life and pastoral activities, that is, saints. They were:
- First Bishop Innocent Kulchitsky (1727-1731);
- Safroniy Kristalevsky (1754-1771);
- Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Innokenty Veniaminov (1868-1879).
Until 1917, the number of bishops administering the Irkutsk diocese was 17. Their ascetic 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 XIX century, the diocese had more than 35 schools of a parish type and five schools of religious education, 14 in the Irkutsk province itself.
Missionary activity
By the beginning of the 20th century, there were 2 seminaries and a female school, and the number of schools reached 229. The requirements for priests were constantly increasing, their level of training was growing, and by the beginning of the 20th century, many of them had higher education. Of course, both the carrot and the stick were used for the Christianization of the indigenous population, but missionary activity also yielded positive results. The first book was called The Abridged Catechism, its main key point was the publication in the Yakut language (1819), a little later for the population of Russian Alaska and the “newly baptized Buryats” the main liturgical texts were published in their languages.
Even after a significant reduction in the territory of the diocese, Irkutsk remained the largest religious center. The diocese had many churches and monasteries. In this regard, one cannot fail 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 monastery dedicated 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.
Znamensky monastery
Famous people are buried in the necropolis of the monastery, for example, Princess Ekaterina Trubetskaya and her children - Sophia, Vladimir and Nikita. Near the monastery Kolchak was shot. In 2004, a monument was erected here in honor of this great ruler and admiral. At the foot of the wall facing south, in 2015, writer Valentin Rasputin was buried. Throughout the life of the monastery, nuns of gold and seamstress brought fame to him, their skill was known and appreciated even in both Russian capitals.
Modern features
The church is not frozen in its development and even uses all the achievements of science and technology. All church-administrative territorial units, including the Irkutsk diocese, have their sites. The regional Orthodox portal, which contains many unidirectional 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 is widely available.