The Russian Empire’s policy of settlement of the North Caucasus’ steppe regions was one of the main factors not only of national and social, but religious diversity of the region. The religious factor played quite a significant role in the policy of resettlement. Focusing on the faith of settlers, the Russian government promoted not only the dissemination of the Orthodoxy in the region, but also the appearance of the sectarians here. The attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church to the sectarians was contradictory. One of the main tasks of the Vladikavkaz Eparchy, formed in 1885, was the missionary work among sectarians. Forming a position of diocesan anti-sectarian missioner (Rural Dean) corresponded to “anti-sect” activity, the latter became especially active at the beginning of the XX c. But this activity did not lead to any appreciable results. The growth of sectarian communities was accounted for not only by geographical and political reasons, but also by their ability to adapt to the peculiarities of the North Caucasian region. Nowadays realities in the Republic of Dagestan clearly demonstrate not only the absence of global results in the Russian Orthodox Church’ missionary activity in the region, but prove the need for historical analysis of the polyconfessional competitive space formation. Having passed a hard historical path, 26 Protestant organizations function at present in Dagestan: Adventists of the 7th day, Evangelical Baptists, referred to the Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, the Council of Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, Christians of Evangelical Faith (Pentecostals), and Jehovah’s Witnesses. The following documents and materials, extracted from the funds of the Central State Archive of the Republic of Dagestan (CSA RD), show the specifics of the processes in this sphere at the beginning of the XX с.

Keywords: Russian Empire, the North Caucasus, Dagestan region, Russian immigrants, the sectarians, the Russian Orthodox church, an Orthodox priest.

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