The Evolution of Religious Communities in Bessarabia's Khotyn County (1812-1868): Between Freedom of Worship and the Tsarist Government's Policy

Abstract: The study examines how the Russian Empire annexation of Bessarabia province affected the confessional structure of its northern part, bordered by the Habsburg Empire (from 1867, Austria-Hungary) and the Land of Moldavia (since 1861, Romania). The author demonstrates how, under the impact of colonization and immigration, the quasi-exclusively Orthodox nature of the region alters in intensity to a certain extent. Thus, during the first half of Tsarist rule, significant elements of the confessional structure turned into the Mosaic community, the Roman Catholic one, and certain sects separated from the Orthodox Church. Even though the Russian authorities pursued the “divide et impera” approach nationally, the geopolitical uniqueness of Bessarabia, as well as the Orthodox population’s tolerance, ensured a non-conflicting cohabitation of Christian cults and Mosaic or Lipovans