Sacraments of confession and communion in the «foreign» parishes of the Tobolsk North (XVIII – early XX centuries)

Introduction: the article notes that in the spread of Orthodoxy among the indigenous population of North-West Siberia, Christian rituals played a special role, among which confession and communion are distinguished. The study of the influence of these sacraments on newly baptized allows to better understand the methods of Christianization of the region, peculiarities of relations of the Orthodox clergy and the «foreign» congregation, the nature of interaction of representatives of two different cultures: arrived and autochthonous. Objective: to identify the regional specifics of organization and conduction of the sacraments of confession and communion in the «foreign» parishes of North-West Siberia during the synodic period, forms and results of influence of Orthodox rituals on the indigenous population. Research materials: a sample of confession and clerical records of the parishes of Beryozovsky and Surgutsky Districts, correspondence, reports of abbots, deans about the participation of indigenous people in the sacraments of confession and communion. Results and novelty of the research: the study showed that the timely fulfillment of Orthodox rituals by the «foreigners» required considerable efforts from the parish clergy and was a constant concern of the diocesan leadership. The majority of the newly baptized were generally loyal to confession and communion, which were also one of the instruments of control over the religious life of the indigenous population. Along with other elements of Christianity, confession and communion contributed to the penetration of certain elements of Russian everyday culture into its environment and the formation of religious syncretism. In the scientific literature, no research has been conducted on their impact on the newly baptized people of the Tobolsk North.