The paper aims to restore the biography of Pankratius, the founder and the first prior of the Holy Assumption Monastery. Prior Pankratius was a former Siberian nobleman, Nerchinsky equestrian Cossack named Nikita Titov, the son of Varlamov, having Mara nickname. So far, the history of the Assumption Monastery has been a blank page in the history of all Siberian monasteries and of Eastern Siberia in particular. The relevance of the paper is due to the fact that the research object has never been considered promising and never attracted attention of researchers. There are no research works on the history of the monastery as well as no information about the people who lived there., Its history, however, is interesting and unique while its founder is a real mystery. The scientific community is misinformed regarding the initials of the person who initiated the monastery construction as well as his functions prescribed by the status. The paper is based on the archive materials dating back to the end of the XVII–XVIII centuries collected by the author in the State Archive of Zabaikalsk Krai and National Archive of the Buryat Republic and introduced to the scientific community for the first time. The author used historical and descriptive research methods, a problem and chronological method, a method of historical reconstruction, and context analysis of documents. The author concludes that the founder of the monastery was a well-educated and talented person with strong personality and outstanding organizing skills. The article describes in details his involvement in the plot of Nerchinsk Cossacks who wanted to escape and move to the Amur River and the Eastern Ocean islands. The author emphasizes that the Assumption Monastery was founded as the final refuge for old and sick fellow soldiers who came to Dauria together with A.F. Pashkov, a Yenisei commander of the military group, and led lonely lives being unable to start families. Unknown biographical facts of prior Pankratius can be a model of conduct for people endowed with powers. On the threshold of the beginning of restoration works aimed to restore the main cult building of the monastery – the Assumption church, the article can help recreate a historically correct image of the ancient sanctuary.

Bushueva Elena Sergeevna, Senior Lecturer, Irkutsk National Research Technical University, 83, Lermontov st., Irkutsk, 664074, Russian Federation, tel.: 8(3952)405481, e-mail: spasite.tserkov1712@gmail.com

Bushueva E.S. Unknown Biographical Facts about the First Prior of the Assumption Monastery in Nerchinsk (to the 310^th Anniversary since the Beginning of the Construction of the Nerchinsk Assumption Church). The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series Political Science and Religion Studies, 2019, vol. 28, pp. 72-83. https://doi.org/10.26516/2073-3380.2019.28.72 (in Russian)

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