러시아ㆍ유라시아

This article aims to examine and evaluate the enlargement and limitation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Central Asia mainly during the 19th century by the point of view of the formation of Religious Communities and the Expansion of Imperial Russia. In essence, the core players in enlarging of the Orthodox Communities in Central Asia were the Holy Synod of the Church, the Cossack troops and the orthodox immigrants composed of Slavic peoples. Among them, the Cossack troops equipped with native orthodox belief had a leading role and other components followed them. But it is admitted that the Cossacks were not entirely supporters towards the Moscow Patriarchate (the Holy Synod). So they were underestimated in forming the orthodox communities in the newly obtained territories, but they must be highly evaluated in enlargement of jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church in Central Asia, in my opinion, regardless of their size and belief. On the basement of the Cossacks efforts, many Slavic migrants gathered in the new places, and they built churches and monasteries. But they had such problems as the lack of priests, the failure of missionary works and the environment surrounded by the majority of Muslims. So the key role of the Russian Orthodox Church was to maintain the religiosity of the established orthodox believers, not to proselyte other Muslims. In conclusion, the external territory of the Russian Orthodox Church evidently was enlarged in proportion to the expansion of the Imperial Russia towards Central Asia, but her internal activity was evaluated as the limited role of religiously maintaining of the migrated and orthodox Slavic believers.