The article is devoted to the study of the contribution of the Old Believer Bishop Methodius to the formation of the spirituality of the communities of the outlying territories of the Russian Empire. The main purpose of the publication is to analyze the role of Bishop Methodius in maintaining the spirituality of the peasants in the village of Pavlovsk, Yakutsk Region at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries. Achievement of this goal presupposes the widespread use of previously unpublished and not introduced into scientific circulation sources, some of which have been preserved in the author's personal archive. The article examines the stages of formation and features of the religious life of the Old Believer community of Russian peasant migrants in Pavlovsk, Yakutsk region. The publication mentions some facts of the biography of Bishop Methodius, in whose subordination were the Old Believer communities of the Tomsk, Irkutsk, Yenisei provinces, Amur, Yakutsk, Trans-Baikal regions. It is noted that Methodius was accused of spreading the “schism” and hiding from the persecution of the authorities in Kuytun of the Trans-Baikal region. Here he conducted religious rituals and corresponded with the headman of the Old Believer community of Pavlovsk – P. I. Kushnarev. In his letters, Methodius provided spiritual support to fellow believers, explained the peculiarities of understanding religious texts, the essence of church rituals. The article describes the arrest, imprisonment and the last months of the life of Bishop Methodius in Vilyuisk. In 1908 P. I. Kushnarev transported the remains of Methodius to the Old Believers' cemetery in Pavlovsk, Yakutsk region. During the period of persecution of the clergy of the Old Believer Church, Methodius' activities to strengthen and maintain the spirituality of fellow believers became an example for his followers. In 1905-1913 prominent representatives of the Old Believer Church visited Pavlovsk: Bishop Anthony, Bishop Joseph of Eastern Siberia. The article presents their unique photographs from the personal archive of the author. Currently, Bishop Methodius has been canonized. Every year the place of his burial in Pavlovsk, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), is visited by pilgrims from all regions of modern Russia.

Kushnareva Margarita Dmitrievna, Doctor of Sciences (History), Associate Professor, Chair of Service and Service Technologies, Irkutsk State University, 1, K. Marx st., Irkutsk, 664003, Russian Federation, e-mail: rita270880@mail.ru

Kushnareva M.D. The Role of the Old Believer Bishop Methodius in Maintaining the Spirituality of the Peasants in the Village of Pavlovsk, Yakutsk Region at the Turn of the 19^th – 20^th Centurу. The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series History, 2021, vol. 36, pp. 53-61. https://doi.org/10.26516/2222-9124.2021.36.53 (in Russian)

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