The article analyzes false denunciation in the daily life of the Orthodox parish clergy of the Kazan diocese of the second half of the 19^th – early 20^th centuries. To date, perhaps, there were no special research dealing with this problem. It would not be an exaggeration to state the fact that, due to certain ideological prerequisites and historical inertia, this topic, as part of a broader problem field concerning behavioral deviations of the clergy, continues to be a topic incognita for a wide range of researchers and non-specialists. Meanwhile, regional archival funds provide a lot of material that testifies in favor of the fact that whistleblowing in general, and false whistleblowing in particular, was not just a well-known phenomenon and an integral part of the daily life of the servants of the Russian Church at the peak of the Synodal era, but also one of the important elements of communication between the diocesan authorities, the grassroots clergy and a wide range of ordinary people of various class origins. New information opens the veil over the complex and ambiguous picture of the existence of the practice in question. Filling in the historiographical gaps in this part, of course, contributes both to the formation of a more objective, integral and accurate picture of the history of the Orthodox Church of the post-reform period, devoid of “dark spots”, and the value evolution of our contemporaries. The results of the efforts will allow us to take a fresh look at current events and develop mechanisms to overcome the negative part of the experience of the national cultural heritage.

Key words: denunciation, false denunciation, church, law, cultural practice, clergy, everyday life, parish

DOI: 10.22250/20728662_2023_2_38

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About the author

Alexander А. Khokhlov – Ph.D. (History), Assistant Professor of the Department of Anthropology and Ethnography, Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University; 1/55 Pushkin str., Kazan, 420008, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.