office
Church Warden (Tserkovny Starosta)
church warden
also: церковный староста, tserkovny starosta
An elected lay office managing a parish church's property and finances, typically held by a respected local merchant; Avdeyev's forced surrender of this post -- one more mark of disgrace -- follows swiftly on his removal from the town duma once he comes under investigation.
Reading notes
- Trouble §12 warden
Tserkovny starosta, the elected lay warden who managed a parish church's property and finances -- typically a post of some local standing held by a respected merchant, which is precisely why its loss in section 28 registers as one more public humiliation.
- During Holy Week §6 assistant to the church warden
The church warden (starosta) was an elected lay office managing a parish's property and finances; Prokofy Ignatyich, an old retired soldier, serves as his assistant, a minor lay functionary rather than clergy.