Challenges of Delimitation of Jurisdiction between the Church and Secular Bodies in Russia in the 1720-1760-s

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problems arising in the relations between the church and secular judicial bodies in the consideration of related categories of cases in the Russian Empire in the 18th century. The author shows that due to the change in the jurisdiction of ecclesiastical courts, which was not precisely defined in the legislation, there were numerous cases of disputes about competence between judicial bodies, which had to be resolved directly by the Holy Synod and the Senate. The shortcomings of the legislative regulation were gradually eliminated by practice throughout the eighteenth century. The article demonstrates another side of the relationship between secular and ecclesiastical bodies, which was expressed in mutual assistance in court cases. The article also considers the relations of the church court with the bodies of political investigation, which were mainly reduced to the fulfilment by the clerical bodies of the instructions of the Privy Chancellery and other bodies with similar competence.