Abstract
The unique object of the present study (parish books, one of St Catherine’s and two of Our Lady of France’s, created by Fr. Michel Florent in 1936—1939) is observed within the comprehensive historical context.
The Catholic registers mirror the tragic experience of the clergy and the faithful. The reds performed the seizure the records of the baptisms and weddings under the pretext of their predominantly secular importance (under the Imperial regime, the religious communities were obliged to substitute the virtually inexistent civil records with their own registers); the newly-started parish books were used by the state for the hostile surveillance over the flock. Remaining priests tried to hide the registers, or to keep them in odd parts, or declined from keeping them at all. Of all Russian records of the time, survived Florent’s three volumes only; they are digitalised now.
Keywords
Parish registers, Roman Catholic Church, Leningrad, 1930s, Fr. Michel Florent OP, religious life