Women’s Monasteries of North Caucasus in Orthodox Female Asceticism from 19th to Early 20th Century
https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2025-14-6-422-439
Abstract
This study contributes to the analysis of the ecclesiastical-monastic system during the Synodal period of the Russian Orthodox Church, prior to the sweeping changes brought about by the 1917 Revolution and the Civil War. It characterizes all women’s monasteries that emerged and operated in the North Caucasus during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The first female monastic community in the region was established in Mozdok in 1797, though it was short-lived. It was not until the 1840s to 1860s that women’s monasteries began to supplement the existing male monastic establishments in the North Caucasus. The study notes that subsequent legal reforms enabled the transformation of convents into monasteries. It has been determined that most women’s monasteries in the North Caucasus originated from female communities, with only a small fraction being founded as monasteries by regional authorities. The research illustrates the evolving status of women’s monasteries within society, linked to the development of female Orthodox asceticism. Through an analysis of this theme, it highlights the missionary and educational focus of provincial women’s monasteries. It has been revealed that all monasteries in the region operated on principles of communal living, sustained themselves through their own earnings and donations, had opportunities for constructing church complexes, and organized educational activities.
About the Authors
V. N. Goncharov
Stavropol State pedagogical University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Vadim N. Goncharov, Doctor of Philosophy, Associate Professor, Professor, Department of Philosophy
Stavropol
P. G. Nemashkalov
Stavropol State pedagogical University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Pavel G. Nemashkalov, Doctor of History, Associate Professor, Professor, Department of Theory and Methodology of History and Social Studies
Stavropol
O. M. Kuklenko
Stavropol State pedagogical University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Oksana M. Kuklenko, Postgraduate Student, Senior Lecturer, Department of Theory and Methodology of History and Social Studies
Stavropol
References
1. Belyakova, E. V., Belyakova, N. A. (2001). The question of deaconesses at the Local Council of 1916—1917. Church Historical bulletin, 8: 139—161. (In Russ.).
2. Denisov, L. M. (1908). Orthodox monasteries of the Russian Empire. Moscow: A. D. Stupina. 984 p. (In Russ.).
3. Essays on the history of the Astrakhan Diocese over the 400 years of its existence. In 2 volumes, 1. (2002). Rostov-on-Don: Foliant. 632 p. (In Russ.).
4. Kirichenko, O. V. (2010). Female Orthodox asceticism in Russia (XIX — mid-XX century). Moscow: Alexievskaya pustyn Publ. 640 p. (In Russ.).
5. Kirichenko, O. V. (2017). Abbesses of the Stavropol St. John Mariinsky Convent. In: Orthodoxy in the History and culture of the North Caucasus: issues of source studies and historiography. Materials of the VII International St. Ignatius Readings, 1. Stavropol: STDs Publishing Center; Design Studio B. 273—296. (In Russ.).
6. Kuklenko, O. M. (2023). The development of women’s spiritual education in Russia in the second half of the 19th — early 20th centuries. (on the example of the Caucasian (Stavropol) diocese). Humanitarian and legal studies, 10 (1): 64—70. DOI: 10.37493/2409-1030.2023.1.8. (In Russ.).
7. Lyubushkina, E. Y., Morgun, I. N., Nemashkalov, P. G., Novikova, O. N., Shafranova, O. I. (2022). Mary Magdalene women’s desert in the Kuban in the field of charity, education and enlightenment in the second half of the XIX — early XX century. Voprosy istorii, 4(2): 32—40. DOI: 10.31166/voprosyistorii202204staty46. (In Russ.).
8. Mozdok city: A historical sketch. (1995). Vladikavkaz: RIPP im. Gassieva. 279 p. (In Russ.).
9. Nemashkalov, P. G. (2024). On the issue of the foundation of the St. Alexander Athos Zelenchuk Desert and its role among the monasteries of the Stavropol and Yekaterinodar dioceses. Bulletin of the Moscow State Pedagogical University. Series II: History. The History of the Russian Orthodox Church, 121: 77—94. DOI: 10.15382/sturII2024121. (In Russ.).
10. Nemashkalov, P. G., Volodkova, E. N. (2023). The problem of organizing the work of correctional orphanages for juvenile offenders at monasteries of the Stavropol and Yekaterinodar dioceses in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Humanitarian and legal studies, 10 (3): 431—439. DOI: 10.37493/2409-1030.2023.3.9. (In Russ.).
11. Rostislavov, D. M. (1876). The experience of research on the property and income of our monasteries. Saint Petersburg: Tip. Mor. m-va. 396 p. (In Russ.).
12. Serafim (Chichagov), archim. (1903). Chronicle of the Serafimo-Diveevsky Monastery. Saint Petersburg: Serafimo-Diveevsky Monastery. 851 p. (In Russ.).
13. Shalikashvili, E. N. (2024). The contribution of the abbesses of the first women’s monasteries to the development of the socio-cultural space of the North Caucasus. Scientific Almanac of the Black Sea countries, 10 (4): 48—53. DOI: 10.23947/2414-1143-2024-10-4-48-53. (In Russ.).
14. Sinitsyn, N. V. (ed.). (2005). Monasticism and monasteries in Russia. XI—XX centuries. Historical essays. Moscow: Nauka Publ. 346 p. ISBN 5-02-008779-3. (In Russ.).
15. Smolich, I. K. (1997). The history of the Russian Church: 1700—1917, 1. Moscow: SpasoPreobrazhensky Valaam Monastery. 800 p. (In Russ.).
16. Titorenko, M. F. (2017). From the history of Orthodox churches in the Upper Kuban region. Historical and socio-educational thought, 9 (3—1): 79—84. DOI: 10.17748/2075-9908-2017-9-3/1-79-84. (In Russ.).
17. Zavyalov, A. A. (1900). The question of church estates under Empress Catherine II. St. Petersburg: A. P. Lopukhina. 400 p. (In Russ.).
18. Zhukov, D. A., Kuklenko, O. M. (2024). Problems of the monastic life of the monasteries of the Stavropol diocese in the early 20th century. Humanities and socio-economic sciences, 1 (134): 75—78. DOI: 10.18522/1997-2377-2024-134-1-75-78. (In Russ.).
19. Zverinsky, V. V. (1890). Materials for historical and topographic research on Orthodox monasteries in the Russian Empire, 1. St. Petersburg: V. Bezobrazova and Comp. 314 p. (In Russ.).
20. Zyryanov, P. N. (2002). Russian monasteries and monasticism in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Moscow: Verbum-M. 319 p. ISBN 5-8253-0027-9. (In Russ.).
Review
For citations:
Goncharov V.N., Nemashkalov P.G., Kuklenko O.M. Women’s Monasteries of North Caucasus in Orthodox Female Asceticism from 19th to Early 20th Century. Nauchnyi dialog. 2025;14(6):422-439. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2025-14-6-422-439
Views:
66
Email this article 