RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TSARIST GOVERNMENT AND THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH IN KAZAKHSTAN AND THEIR ROLE IN THE COLONIZATION OF KAZAKH LANDS (19TH – EARLY 20TH CENTURY)

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Tsarist government in the Kazakh territories during their incorporation into the Russian Empire (19th century – early 20th century), as well as the Church’s role and functions within the colonial administration system in Kazakhstan from a historical perspective. The study describes the process by which the Church was transformed into a part of the state apparatus of the Tsarist regime (the establishment of the Holy Synod, the introduction of diocesan administration, and the role of the Ober-Procurator institution). Relying on materials from the Orenburg and Omsk dioceses, the author analyzes the administrative and missionary activities of the Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan and reveals its connection to colonial policy. The article provides a comprehensive exploration of the interaction between the church administration and local governmental structures, missionary initiatives, and mechanisms of religious control and spiritual governance. Using historical-comparative and historical-systematic methods, the study analyzes the institutional ties between the Church and the Tsarist authority, as well as the content of its mission. The features of synodal governance and its impact within the framework of colonial policy are substantiated through specific archival data and press materials. The research concludes that the Orthodox Church functioned not only as a spiritual institution but also as an administrative body serving the interests of colonial power during the incorporation of the Kazakh territories into the Russian Empire.