R. R. Sadikov, R. A. Abdulkhalikov (Ufa, Russia). Orthodoxy of the Mordovians of Bashkiria

Ranus R. Sadikov,
Doctor of History, Institute of Ethnological Research,
R. G. Kuzeev Ufa Federal Research Center,
Russian Academy of Sciences (Ufa, Russia), kissapi@mail.ru

Rishat A. Abdulkhalikov,
Post-graduate student (PhD), Institute of Ethnological Research,
R. G. Kuzeev Ufa Federal Research Center,
Russian Academy of Sciences (Ufa, Russia), rishat24rishat@gmail.com

Mordovians, who live in Bashkortostan, have been practicing Orthodoxy for a long time, as they had moved to this territory already baptized. Religious features of the Mordovians of Bashkiria, including the history of Orthodoxy, has not been covered in historical and ethnographic research. In this paper, the authors made an attempt to identify the confessional features of the Orthodox Mordovians of Bashkiria.
The sources of the study were the writings of church authors and the diocesan chronicle of the late XIX – early XX century. The research is based on the principle of historicism; the main methods were historical-genetic, comparative-historical and problem-chronological.
In the late XIX – early XX century researchers noted the high religiosity and zeal in following Orthodox rites and sacraments among the local Mordovians, in which they surpassed the Russians. But the priests of Mordovian origins pointed out that they did not understand the Christian dogma. In 1910 an Orthodox diocesan mission was established to worked with the Mordovian flock. Since the Mordovians showed strong pagan traditions, the diocesan was the division of an anti-pagan diocesan missionary. In the late XIX – early XX century many churches were built in Mordovian settlements. A diocesan missionary Fedor Strelkov and a priest Avksenty Yurtov played a significant role in the Christian enlightenment of the people. During the Soviet era, Orthodox rites were practically ousted from the life of the people. At present, the positions of Orthodoxy among the Mordovians of Bashkortostan have become stronger again.
Orthodoxy, the main religion of the Mordovians of Bashkortostan, played a significant role in ethno-cultural development and contributed to the formation of many ethnographic features.

Key words: Mordovians; Orthodoxy; churches; monasteries; missionaries; Ufa diocese; Bashkiria.

For citation: Sadikov RR, Abdulkhalikov RA. Orthodoxy of the Mordovians of Bashkiria. Finno-ugorskii mir = Finno-Ugric World. 2018; 2: 90–97. (In Russian)