К истории Новгородской епархии XVI в.: Соловецкий монастырь и новгородский архиепископ Феодосий (1542–1551 гг.)

It is impossible to recreate full and objective history of the eparchy of Novgorod without a proper analysis of the sources on the Solovky Monastery. Despite the submission of Novgorod to Moscow throne after the collapse of the Republic, the Monastery stayed under control of Novgorod’s cathedra that was headed by archbishop Feodosiy from 1542 to 1551. Exactly in this period begins a quick development of the Monastery due to the election of hegumen Phillip (Kolychev). Also, a major part of history of Monastery and the whole Orthodox Church was canonization of the founders of monkhood on Solovky - Zosima and Savvatiy. The analysis of different sources is done. They include chronicles, acts, material sources, hagiographic literature, sources on everyday life of the church and the government in the middle of XVI century, and also sources of much later times (manuscript collections, old believer’s literature) - all of them allow giving a complex description of the Monastery life in the particular era and a participation of Novgorod archbishop in it. Feodosiy ordained Phillip (future metropolitan of Moscow) as a hegumen twice, participated in a process of canonization of the saints Zosima and Savvatiy of Solovky, contributed to the financial stability of the Monastery after the fire of 1538. It is established that actions of Feodosiy and monks of the Solovetsky Monastery were similar in several aspects of the church and governmental life: the fight against alcoholism, Christianization of the people of North and their enlightenment, and also blessing to Ivan IV for the Kazan conquest. It was found that the text of Feodosiy’s message to newly baptized Lapps contained in the composition of manuscript collections, which are connected to the Solovky Monastery and mentions of archbishop Feodosiy come about in the Solovky chronicle.