Care for blind children in Tambov diocese during the period of its management by St. Kirill (Smirnov) (1910–1918)

The relevance of the research topic is due to the growing interest on the part of Tambov local historians in the biography of Hieromartyr Kirill (Smirnov), one of the outstanding hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church of the twentieth century. The article allows us to complete biographical information about the time of Bishop Kirill’s running Tambov See, which emphasizes the scientific novelty of the study. At the same time, the practice of individual activism is of extreme interest in a situation where the state is partially removed from solving social problems, ceding its functions to other individual and collective actors. The main research methods are ideographic (narrative), historical-genetic and content analysis methods. The article presents the history of a school for blind children operating in Tambov. The emphasis in the narrative is on the personal contribution of Hieromartyr Kirill (Smirnov) and other trustees to the establishment of an institution for the socialization of disabled children in the Tambov province. The article shows the role of the Holy Cross Cemetery Brotherhood in the organization of the school. The results of the study show that with the arrival of Bishop Kirill at Tambov See, the school developed rapidly, and construction of a new building and a house church attached to it began. The author traces the dynamics of the development of the educational institution, the growth in the number of students, the expansion of the range of disciplines taught and staff. The events of the First World War and the subsequent revolution significantly reduced the school’s funding and led to its closure.