Social image of Moscow Catholics of the late 17-th century: an attempt of prosopographical research

The article attempts to represent the socio-psychological portrait of Moscow Catholics at the end of the 17-th century using the method of prosopography (the method of collective biography). The authors examine the biographies of those who were members of the Church Council or the initiative core of the community in 1684, 1689 and 1698. The article discovers their social features such as social origin, nationality, occupation, education, family status, participation in sacraments and religious services, activeness in church affairs, etc. It is concluded that a typical Moscow Catholic was a Western European from a good noble family, a professional in his field, widely educated, and well-versed in various areas of social life. In addition, many Moscow Catholics were devoted to their religion, they were aware of the need for divine services and therefore much paid attention to the things within the parish. With their social qualities, such people were well suited for the role of the main conductors and accelerators of Russian modernization.