In memory of Anatoly Nikolaevich Leshchinsky (1941–2023)

This obituary is dedicated to the memory of the distinguished Russian religious studies scholar Anatoly Nikolaevich Leshchinsky (1941–2023), his life, and his scholarly work. A.N. Leshchinsky, who began his professional and working career as a museum worker and researcher, rose through the ranks from a senior official at the Council for Religious Affairs under the USSR Council of Ministers to the rank of State Counselor of the Russian Federation, 2nd Class, and after retirement, devoted himself entirely to religious studies. Over the course of his scholarly work, Anatoly Nikolaevich authored several hundred works on various issues of religious studies in contemporary Russia. Leshchinsky was particularly influential in the classification of church divisions in contemporary Russian Orthodoxy, becoming one of the few specialists with an understanding of the jurisdictional diversity of various Orthodox groups and communities not affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church. His intense intellectual activity, passionate research, and inquisitive mind resulted in the writing of several extensive monographs devoted to Church unity and state-confessional relations. In addition to these topics, A.N. Leshchinsky had a particularly warm affection for St. Sergius of Radonezh and the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius he founded, about which he also wrote and published several works. Sadly, his death put an end to many creative and scholarly endeavors. The memory of Anatoly Nikolaevich Leshchinsky's scholarly works will forever remain in Russian religious studies, not only among scientometric databases and libraries, but also among his students, colleagues, and researchers of contemporary Russian religious diversity.