The Sober Movement and the Activity of the Orthodox Clergy in the Struggle for the Piety of the Flock in the second half of the XIX-early XX centuries (on the Example of the Penza Province)

The article examines the activities of the Orthodox clergy of the Penza diocese in countering alcoholization of the population in the second half of the XIX - early XX centuries. The fight against drunkenness was one of the directions of pastoral care. In the second half of the XIX - early XX centuries, temperance societies, including parochial ones, played an important role in distracting the population from drunkenness. During the period under study, special attention was paid to the issue of the sober movement and the activities of the Orthodox clergy in the struggle for the piety of the flock. The main measures to combat the national disease were preaching, home visits, private conversations, sobriety holidays, distribution of special brochures. The study focuses on the regulatory framework regarding the direction of the activities of the Orthodox clergy, measures and recommendations from the diocesan authorities on the issue of combating the spread of alcohol addiction. The article provides information on the functioning of the Guardianship of People's Sobriety on the of the Penza since 1901, as well as their activities.