Ksenia Sergeevna Kazakova,
Candidate of Historical Sciences, Barents Centre of the Humanities − Branch of the Federal Research Centre “Kola Science Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, Apatity, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Book as a Tool of Missionary and Educational Activity in the Kola North in the 19th − Early 20th Century
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2026-2-11
This article, drawing on archival materials and the collections of the Arkhangelsk and Kholmogory Diocese, examines the distribution of religious literature in the Kola North in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Important components of this process included diocesan censorship, the distribution of religious literature in the language of the Sami, the indigenous peoples of the Kola North, and the creation of book collections at parish schools in the district. From the late 19th century, the spread of book culture among the population of the Kola North paralleled the development of the public education system. Due to the low literacy rate of the population, the use of books in missionary work and the dissemination of Orthodox literature among the population were limited. Libraries that existed in the parishes of the Kola North primarily served educational and missionary purposes. Replenishment of book collections was carried out through funds allocated by the School Council of the Holy Synod. The district school board was responsible for placing orders for the purchase of books and distributing them to parishes. Periodicals and books for supplementary reading from the church library were actively used during public readings. It has been revealed that the libraries of small parishes contained approximately 150−300 books, including educational literature and religious and moral books. The Trifon-Pechenga Monastery held a more extensive book collection, using its library for enlightenment on the Murmansk coast. Based on data from reports on the activities of parish schools, which included information about libraries, it is possible to observe an increase in reader interest in Orthodox periodicals covering current affairs in Russia in the early 20th century. The spread of literature in the Kola North, to a certain extent, contributed to the inclusion of the European Arctic in the intercultural communications of imperial Russia.
Publishing: 28/04/2026
The article has been received by the editor on 12/01/2026
How to cite: Kazakova K.S. The Book as a Tool of Missionary and Educational Activity in the Kola North in the 19th − Early 20th Century // Historical Courier, 2026, No. 2 (46), pp. 154−166. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2026/ISTKURIER-2026-2-11.pdf]
The article is on the topic of the state assignment “Dynamics of the Socio-Cultural Image of the Kola North in the Context of the History of the Russian Arctic Frontier Exploration” (FMEZ-2024-0002).
Links: Issue 2 2026
Keywords: the Arctic; book culture; missionary work; parish school; library; Kola North