Vologda Governorate (Russian: Вологодская губерния, romanized: Vologodskaya guberniya), also known as the Government of Vologda, was an administrative-territorial unit (guberniya) of the Russian Empire and the Russian SFSR, which existed from 1796 until 1929. Its administrative center was in the city of Vologda.
Historically the region belonged to what is known as the Great Perm later being incorporated into the Novgorod Republic after the disintegration of the Kievan Rus. With the annexation of Novgorod, Vologda also became part of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. Among the first monks who permanently established Christianity in the region was Saint Stephen of Perm, born in the city of Ustyug sometime in 1340/45. In 1383 he became the first bishop of the newly established Perm Eparchy. In the course of the administrative reform carried out in 1708 by Peter the Great, the area was included into Archangelgorod Governorate. In 1780, Archangelgorod Governorate, with the center in Arkhangelsk, was abolished and transformed to Vologda Viceroyalty. The viceroyalty was subdivided into three oblasts: Vologda, Veliky Ustyug, and Arkhangelsk. March 26, 1784 Arkhangelsk Oblast was split off and established as Arkhangelsk Viceroyalty.[1] In 1796, Vologda Viceroyalty was transformed into Vologda Governorate with the seat in the city of Vologda.
From 1872 to 1906 the construction of railroads connected the governorate with the rest of the Russian Empire.
In 1918, Petrograd, Novgorod, Pskov, Olonets, Arkhangelsk, Cherepovets, and Northern Dvina Governorates decided to merge into the Union of Northern Oblast Communes. The union was, however, short-lived and was abolished in 1919.
On April 30, 1919 Kargopolsky Uyezd, formerly of Olonets Governorate, was transferred to Vologda Governorate.[2] In November 1923, several volosts of Vologodsky Uyezd were merged into Sverdlovsky District which in 1924 was augmented with several volosts of neighboring Kadnikovsky Uyezd. On August 7, 1924, Gryazovetsky Uyezd was disestablished and merged into Vologodsky Uyezd. In 1928, Sverdlovsky District was reorganized into volosts and incorporated into Kadnikovsky Uyezd. Thus, in 1928 Vologda Governorate consisted of five uyezds: Kadnikovsky, Kargopolsky, Totemsky, Velsky, and Vologodsky.
According to the Imperial census of 1897,[5] almost all the population were Eastern Orthodox with a small minority of Old Believers. Other religions in the governorate were much less common (not exceeding 500).
¹ Italics indicates renamed or abolished governorates, oblasts, etc on 1 January 1914. ² An asterisk (*) indicates governorates formed or created with renaming after 1 January 1914. ³ Ostsee or Baltic general-governorship was abolished in 1876.
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