Abstract: This article examines the published and unpublished reminiscences on the protoiereus and publicist Iosif Ivanovich Fudel (1864-1918) – a figure who played a noticeable role in Moscow cultural life, however, neglected by the researchers. The subject of study became the image of I. I. Fudel in witness testimonies. The goal is to reconstruct the portrait of I. I. Fudel and his social roles in perception of the memoirists. The author attempts to trace his personality traits and vectors of activity important to his contemporaries, as well as characterize people’s attitude towards him and peculiarities of their perception. Testimonies of the contemporaries allow reconstructing the daily life of the extraordinary priest of the turn of the XIX – XX centuries – he personified a father, a mentor, a friend, a confessor, and a writer. The author depicts a vivid portrait of multifarious personality of father Iosif for everyone remembering the church minister as the ideal of righteous and strenuous life.

Keywords: public thought, The Russian Orthodox Church, religious and philosophical societies, intelligentsia, intellectual biography, Lev Tikhomirov, Sergey Fudel, memoir, microhistory, Joseph Fudel