Description

In the early 19th century, the Russian Orthodox Church turned its focus to the more remote regions of Siberia, particularly the Altayskiy Kray (Altai). One of the priests sent to the region was Vasilii Verbitskii (1827–90), who established a new mission in the Kuznetsk district of the Altai in 1858. Verbitskii, who had studied science and worked as a teacher before joining the priesthood, took a great interest in the local flora and fauna as well as the language of the local people. He published a number of works ...