“Monastic” laws of Peter the Great and monasticism in the Olonets county in the first half of the XVIII century

Using new and little-known written archival documents the author identifies the implications and significance of “monastic” legislation of Peter the Great for the Russian Orthodox monasticism in the Olonets County. The current research resolves the previously unanswered question of how the Tsar-reformer’s “antimonastic” policy influenced the lives of the monks who lived in various monasteries and hermitages in the Olonets County (Uyezd) during the first half of the XVIII century. The analysis of the data shows that the tightening of state policy towards monasticism led to the sharp reduction in the size of fraternal communities at the local level.