Попытка устроения пещерного монастыря в слободе Калач Воронежской губернии в конце XIX — начале XX в.

Abstract

Kalach caves dug out in a chalk relic in the town of Kalach, Voronezh region, is an underinvestigated historical and cultural heritage site. The archive materials found in the funds of RSHA, together with evidence of local people, provide insight into the final period of the cult dungeon functioning in the late XIX – early XX centuries. At that time the rural community of Kalach made an attempt to establish there an official orthodox cave monastery. On the 11th of August, 1885, residents of Kalach authorized peasants Ivan Serjakov, Matvey Bezugly and Gavriil Lebedinsky to solicit different authorities for a monastery foundation. The community also allocated 1300 roubles and 36 dessiatines of land area for the monastery arrangement. The rural community request was examined in Voronezh Ecclesiastical Consistory, Voronezh Provincial Government, Voronezh Provincial Peasant Council and in the Second (Peasant) Senate Department. The attempt was not successful, it encountered resistance of authorities. Meanwhile the cave diggers managed to accommodate the caves and arrange regular divine service by the local secular clergy. Functioning of the caves as a sacred locus for the rural community was interrupted by revolution events of early XX century. At present Kalach caves are put on Russian cultural heritage register.