Subbotniks cult followers of Irkutsk and Yenisei provinces (the first quarter of the 19th century - the first quarter of the 20 th century)

The article represents a reconstruction of the history of the life and activities of the Subbotniks (Sabbatarians), cult followers who lived in Irkutsk and Yenisei provinces in the first quarter of the 19^th century - the first quarter of the 20^th century. An analysis of the pre-revolutionary, Soviet and post-Soviet historiography on the issue of Subbotniks showed the need for studying exiled Subbotniks in Siberia. The purpose of the study is related to the authors’ attempt to reconstruct the conditions and peculiarities of life and activities of Subbotniks in these regions over an extensive chronological period. The formulation of the problem justifies the novelty of this study. The core of the source base for the research was formed by regulatory legal acts, documents of the Russian State Historical Archives, the State Archives of the Russian Federation, the State Archives of Irkutsk Region, the State Archives of Krasnoyarsk Territory, and the archives of the city of Minusinsk. Working on the article, the authors relied on the principles of historicism, objectivity, integrity, and employed comparative, historical, chronological, and prosopographical research methods in combination with periodization and methods of analysis and synthesis. The authors of the study summarize the essence of the relationship between the central and regional authorities, on one part, and the Subbotniks cult followers, on the other. The article reflects particular features of the activities of Subbotnik sectarian communities in Irkutsk and Yenisei provinces, their religious life, everyday life, and discusses the established forms of interaction between Subbotniks and the Jewish population of Irkutsk province. The study identifies the settlements of Irkutsk and Yenisei provinces where the Subbotniks lived. The dynamic changes in the number of Subbotniks who lived in the regions during the considered period are given. The conducted historical analysis showed that the central authorities followed the policy of counteracting various cults, which predetermined the process of forced resettlement of Russian peasant serfs who were converted to Subbotniks to Siberia. However, in Siberia, as evidenced by archival documents on the history of Irkutsk and Yenisei provinces, the essence and nature of relations with Subbotniks cult followers can be judged by the position chosen by regional authorities. This is evidenced by the situation in Irkutsk province, where the authorities did not pursue a policy of limiting the religious and everyday contacts of Subbotniks with the Jewish population, while the local authorities of Yenisei province did not allow contacts between the Subbotniks and the Jewish population.

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