Margarita Dmitrievna Kushnareva,
Doctor of Historical Sciences, Irkutsk State University, Irkutsk, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Role of Religious Education in the Fate, Social and Educational Activities of the Yakutsk Merchant of the Second Guild P.I. Kushnarev (Late 19th – Early 20th Century)
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2021-1-2
The article analyzes the role of the religious education of the Yakutsk merchant of the second guild P.I. Kushnarev in his fate and social and educational activities in the late 19th – early 20th century. It is noted that the problem of the influence of religious education on the fate of representatives of the Siberian merchants is relevant and little studied in modern historiography. The article provides a reconstruction of certain periods of P.I. Kushnarev’s life on the basis of his autobiography, preserved in the author’s personal archive. The basic principles of P.I. Kushnarev’s upbringing in the family of Russian peasants (who were the Old Believers), the chief among which were work, reverence for parents, independence, literacy, knowledge of religious texts, are determined. Part of upbringing was the assimilation of certain stereotypes of behavior associated with the old faith. The article indicates the main results of commercial activities of P.I. Kushnarev related to the wine and fur trade. It was revealed that religious education determined the directions of P.I. Kushnarev’s social and educational activities. In 1905 he opened a school, in 1908 the remains of Bishop Methodius were transported. In 1905–1913 prominent figures of the Old Believer church were invited to Pavlovsk. All this contributed to enlightenment, strengthening and maintaining the spirituality of fellow villagers. The religious education of P.I. Kushnarev was reflected in his personal life. He perceived the arrest, nationalization of property and deprivation of civil rights as a test for faith. At present, the legacy left by P.I. Kushnarev retains its significance in the upbringing, enlightenment and spiritual life of the population. The primary school, opened by P.I. Kushnarev in Pavlovsk, celebrated its centenary. The burial place of Bishop Methodius is annually visited by pilgrims, modern adherents of the old faith, from all regions of Russia.
Publishing: 28/02/2021
The article has been received by the editor on 15.12.2020
How to cite: Kushnareva M.D. The Role of Religious Education in the Fate, Social and Educational Activities of the Yakutsk Merchant of the Second Guild P.I. Kushnarev (Late 19th – Early 20th Century) // Historical Courier, 2021, No. 1 (15), pp. 21–30. [Available online:] http://istkurier.ru/data/2021/ISTKURIER-2021-1-02.pdf
Links: Issue 1 2021
Keywords: North-Eastern Siberia; peasantry; merchants; Old Believers; upbringing; social and educational activities