The missionary work of Archpriest Joseph Stefanov

Identificator

EDN: UTQTOX ; УДК: 947(470.342)

Authors

Orlov Мaxim Alexandrovich, PhD in Historical Sciences, Petersburg Lyceum. Russia, Kirov. ORCID: 0000‑0003‑4663‑9443. E‑mail: orlov.m.a.87@yandex.ru

Journal

HERALD OF HUMANITARIAN EDUCATION №1 (41), 2026

Section

NATIONAL HISTORY

Pages

19-29

Abstract

The article examines the missionary activities of Archpriest Joseph Stefanov. He was a full‑time missionary and carried out his activities in the Glazovsky district of the Vyatka province. The position of full‑time missionaries was introduced in the Volga‑Ural region under Emperor Nicholas I. The missionary activities of the Orthodox clergy among the non‑Russian peoples of the Vyatka‑Kama region in the first half of the 19th century have not been studied in detail. Despite several publications devoted to the activities of Joseph Stefanov, his biography and mission are poorly reflected in historiography. In the Vyatka province during the missionary activities of Joseph Stefanov, there were two missions – Udmurt and Mari. The purpose of the article is to describe the missionary activities of Archpriest Joseph Stefanov in relation to the non‑Russian peoples of the Vyatka diocese: Udmurts, Tatars and Besermyans. Based mainly on archival documents, an attempt was made to analyze the missionary activities of Fr. Joseph. New documents from the collections of the Holy Synod and the Vyatka Spiritual Consistory are introduced into scientific circulation. The novelty of the study is the study of the missionary work of Joseph Stefanov among the Tatars of the Glazovsky district. The conducted study emphasizes the importance of this missionary in the history of the Orthodox mission in the territory of the Vyatka diocese. At the same time, contradictions were revealed in his activities: simultaneously with educational forms of missionary activity, Joseph Stefanov used the administrative power of the state. The methods of missionary activity of Father Joseph are described, his contribution to the development of the Orthodox mission within the Vyatka diocese is determined. At the end of the article, the results of the missionary activity of Joseph Stefanov are summarized.

Keywords

V. I. Orthodoxy paganism Islam missionary activity Vyatka province Glazov district Udmurts Besermyans Tatars

Recieved

17.07.2025

Published

03.06.2026

References

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