- Education was still held tightly in Church’s hands, making it influential throughout the nation. This harmed the ruling power of Tsar The Orthodox Church was closely aligned with the tsarists system
- Holy men, or starets , were held in special regard
- It supported the divine right of the Tsar to rule and exhorted believers to obey the tsar as the agent of God
- It had developed its own traditions and customs, which included a heavy dose of mysticism and superstition