About the book: 2002 / Taking into account the large chronological framework and volume of the material being studied, the authors of the monograph chose the key stages of history: genesis and the first centuries of Russian monasticism, the cenobitic reform of St. Sergius of Radonezh and Metropolitan Alexei, the spread of desert living and the growth in the number of monasteries in the 15th-16th centuries, controversy over the types of monastic structure and the tasks of monastic service, monasteries of the 17th century, the significance of secularization of the 18th century. for monasticism and monasteries, Russian eldership, the legal status of monasteries in the 19th century, the revival of the institution of monasticism in our days. For researchers of the history of Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church, students and a wide range of readers.