Role of Russian Orthodox Church in Life of Peasants in Russia in XIX – the beginning of the XXth centuries

The article discusses the role of the Russian Orthodox Church in the outlook of the peasantry in Russia in XIX – early XX centuries. It is shown that the priests have helped peasants in their households and even in the sickness, for which they used their special favour. In addition, our attention is given to the Orthodox Church holidays, with which the peasants tied the most significant events in their lives. We have analyzed the value of the parish in the life of the peasants, which determines the formation of the moral character of the peasantry. The attitude of the peasants to the different events, their assessment were often based on the judgment of the priest, not only obliged to hold services in the Church, but also to carry on business, has become a factor of integration of the clergy in the world of Russian village. In the article, on the archive material, the charity of peasants is differentiated. The peasants took an active part in the affairs of philanthropy, not only in their parishes or dioceses, but also in charity events throughout Russia. The scientific problem solved in this article makes it possible to identify that it is in the village of Russian Orthodox Church rallied the population, and it was considered citizens as a spiritual institution, where the cleric was in constant and close contact with the peasants, with the result that there is a certain transformation in the national consciousness. On the specific examples given in the article, we can say that the priests were authentic spiritual teachers of their congregations. Cautionary preaching of the clergy has played an important role in ritual and religious life of the Russian peasants