From the Editor
The history of Russian Orthodoxy has always been a focus of attention for Russian humanities. Even in the most unfavorable periods for its study, humanists found opportunities for research work in this area of scientific knowledge. Like no one else, the “ancientists” and medievalists have always known that without studying the history of Russian Orthodoxy it is impossible to fully understand Russian history in the Middle Ages and the modern era. Even in later times, religion played a significant role in the life of our country and people. Over the past three and a half decades, exceptionally favorable conditions have emerged for conducting research on a comprehensive study of confessional history. Significant quantitative and qualitative changes have occurred in this field, the subject range has expanded incredibly and become more detailed, the professional team has expanded significantly, including both secular and religious researchers, and the methods of conducting scientific analysis have become more sophisticated.