In the affirmation of absolutism, an important role was played by the church reform of Peter 1. The position of the Russian Orthodox Church in the second half of the 17th century was quite strong. At that time, she was able to maintain administrative, judicial, and financial autonomy with respect to the tsarist government. The policy pursued by the last patriarchs of the church was aimed at strengthening these positions. It is about Joachim and Hadrian.
Church reform of Peter 1: briefly on the main
From this reform, the maximum squeezed funds for the implementation of state programs of various nature. During the reign of Peter, first of all, funds were needed for the construction of the fleet (the so-called "campanism"). After the Russian Tsar travels as part of the Great Embassy, his new problem becomes the complete submission of the tsarist authority to the Russian Church. <! - [endif] ->
Church reform of Peter began after the death of Hadrian. Then the king issued a decree on conducting an audit in the Patriarchal House, where all the property had to be rewritten. According to the audit, the king cancels the next election of the patriarch. Metropolitan of Ryazan Stefan Yavorsky is appointed to the post of "Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne" by the Russian Tsar . In 1701, a Monastic order was formed, according to which church affairs were managed during this period. Thus, the church loses its independence from royal authority, as well as the right to dispose of church property.
The enlightening idea of the welfare of society, in which the productive work of society as a whole is necessary, unleashes an attack on monasteries and monks. The church reform of Peter 1 is, among other things, a limitation of the number of monks, which is noted in the royal decree issued in 1701. In order to obtain permission for tonsure, it was necessary to turn to the Monastic order. Over time, Peter got the idea in the monastery to create shelters for the poor and retired soldiers. Peter the Great in 1724 issues a decree according to which, in a monastery, the number of monks directly depends on the number of people whom they should look after.
The relations that developed between the church and the tsarist government, which resulted in the Church reform of Peter the Great, required a new design from a legal point of view. Feofan Prokopovich, a prominent figure in the era of Peter the Great, drafted the Spiritual Regulation in 1721, which provided for the destruction of the patriarchal institute and the creation of a new body called the “Spiritual College”. After some time, the official administration in the rights of the Senate changed its name to the “Holy Government Synod”. It was the creation of the Synod that was the start of the absolutist period in the history of Russia. In this period, all power, including church authority, was in the hands of the sovereign - Peter the Great.
Church reform of Peter 1 turned clergy into government officials. Indeed, in this period, even the Synod was supervised by a secular person, the so-called chief prosecutor.