 In that period, from 1721 to 1894, the local canonization was completely removed as the tradition of honouring relics of local saints was seen as superstitious according to the Spiritual Regulation of 1721, and the church-wide canonizations greatly decreased.On the other hand, some of the most important saints were canonized in that period, such as the vast majority of Kiev Caves monks or Metropolitan Michael I.A separate period within the Synodal period were the last years of the Russian Empire, ruled by Emperor Nicholas II (1894–1917).