The topic included in the title of this work may seem incompatible with the exact chronological framework. It is difficult to imagine that religiosity can change from year to year or from decade to decade. Therefore, both the upper and lower dates are quite conditional - this is rather the framework of the period to which the sources that form the basis of our work belong. It is easy to see that both of these dates are quite significant in Russian church history. Peter's refusal to elect a new patriarch in 1700 is often seen as the beginning of a new period in Russian history. 1740 - the last year of the reign of Anna Ioannovna - in this sense, a less bright date.