The article discusses the activities of the Russian Orthodox mission as the mechanism of formation of Russian statehood and Russian national identity in Ossetia. The specific factors of influence of the Orthodox Church on the socio-political and cultural processes are identified, namely building of temples, the development of parish life, the foundation of schools and literacy dissemination, the formation of the Ossetian clerical intelligentsia and implementation of educational projects. The results of nonspecific (social) functions of Orthodoxy are revealed, which in the conditions of post-reform modernization actively affected the Ossetian society in several interrelated directions and promoted Ossetia’s integration into the national socio-political, religious and socio-cultural processes.

Keywords: Orthodox mission, non-specific features of Russian statehood, Russian national identity.

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