At the very moment when his car entered the territory of the Rogozhskaya Sloboda, Vladimir Putin put an end to the three and a half centuries of expulsion of the Old Believers. On May 31, for the first time since the painful split of Russian Orthodoxy in 1667, the country's leader paid a visit to an ancient spiritual community that was persecuted by both the tsarist and Soviet authorities.
it historical event, which went almost unnoticed and took place in a closed area in the south of Moscow (earlier the Old Believers had premises only outside the capital), followed the congress of the Old Believers gathered from all over the world. “We discussed returning to our homeland, participation in agriculture. They would very much like to be given land. They would revive it and pray, ”Metropolitan Korniliy told the president.
The spiritual leader of the Old Believers, a man in a black cassock, with a half-hidden well-groomed beard, a large medallion and long hair under a black headdress, took on the role of a tour guide for the guest of honor.
Our guide is called Peter. He is wearing high Cossack boots, the waist is intercepted by a cloth belt, and the beard is hardly inferior to that of the Metropolitan (under Peter the Great he would have had to pay an additional tax for it).
The terrible schism of the 17th century
This 26-year-old Siberian received a degree in chemistry, but then went into theology. We say that it reminds us a bit of the Amish, a closed community living in North America, which also formed as a result of religious schism in Europe in the 17th century. “Nothing like that,” he says. "We live in a society and watch TV, but not action films or horror films." Be that as it may, in order to get to the Intercession Cathedral, you need to familiarize yourself with the rules.
Context
Ministry of Traditions
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Here the service is conducted by candlelight, which is manually lit from a giant chandelier suspended from the ceiling. The floor is pristine, and many icons are hung on the walls: they say that there are about 4 thousand of them here.
The Old Believers are distinguished primarily by the form of the sign of the cross: two joined fingers symbolize in the Byzantine tradition the dual, human and divine, nature of Christ. This seemingly harmless gesture caused a terrible schism in the 17th century, when Patriarch Nikon decided to reform the Holy Scriptures and introduce the three-finger sign of the cross according to the Greek model (symbolizing the Trinity). The reform was supported by the second Tsar in the Romanov dynasty, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, but some believers perceived it as the imposition of "European" orders to the detriment of Russian traditions.
Oppression before 1905
Whole families of Old Believers ended up on fires or died during the burdensome journey to remote regions of Russia, far beyond the Urals, or abroad.
The painting "Boyarynya Morozova" by Vasily Surikov, exhibited in the famous Tretyakov Gallery, captures their martyrdom: she sits on a sleigh with her hands chained, but raises her palm with two fingers in the sign of the cross.
Peter tells us about the existence of an Old Believer Frenchman, a certain Babila, who studied at the Sorbonne, who chose to end his life at the stake during Vladimir region but did not renounce the newfound faith.
The persecution of the Old Believers continued until 1905, when Tsar Nicholas II removed the label of "schismatics" from them, and also gave them the right to ring bells and build churches. Be that as it may, the lull was short-lived: after 12 years, the Bolshevik terror fell upon representatives of all religious movements. The Orthodox Church itself lifted the anathema only in 1971. “There are too many disagreements over dogmas,” says Peter.
Religion - Russia's difference from the West
The Rogozhskaya Sloboda, restored after the collapse of the USSR, occupies an area of several hectares (it even has its own cemetery), like an island in the middle of Soviet buildings that has fallen out of the stream of time.
In one of the churches, which was recently used as a dining room, the exhibition "Strength of the Spirit, Fidelity to Tradition" is being held. It depicts the life of Old Believers, somehow survived icons, portable iconostases, miniature religious objects and leaflets.
Roman Antorin, a representative of the Old Believers Church, calls Putin's visit "divine providence": "The authorities are finally turning their faces to us and assessing the contribution of the Old Believers to the history of Russia, its culture and heritage."
The head of state understands this very well. A retired KGB officer today actively relies on religion as the difference between Russia and the West. In particular, he promised to help with the return of the Old Believers living abroad.
InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively of foreign mass media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial board.
Old Belief, Old Belief, Old Orthodoxy - a set of religious movements and organizations in line with the Russian Orthodox tradition, rejecting the church reform undertaken in the 1650s - 1660s by Patriarch Nikon and Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the purpose of which was to unify the liturgical order of the Russian Church with the Greek Church and, above all, with the Church of Constantinople.
The liturgical reform caused a split in the Russian Church. Adherents of the Old Believers until April 17, 1905 Russian Empire were officially called "schismatics". In the 20th century, the position of the Moscow Patriarchate (ROC) on the Old Believers' issue was significantly softened, which led to the determination of the Local Council of 1971, which decided, in particular, “to approve the resolution of the Patriarchal Holy Synod of April 23 (10), 1929 on the abolition of the oaths of the Moscow Cathedral of 1656 and the Great Moscow Cathedral of 1667, imposed by them on the old Russian rituals and on Orthodox Christians adhering to them, and to consider these oaths, as if they had never been ”. Thus, the Local Council attested the old Russian rituals as salutary, the condemnatory expressions about the old rituals were rejected, and the oath prohibitions of the Councils of 1656 and 1667 were canceled, "as if they had not been."
The lifting of the "oaths", however, did not lead to the restoration of prayer (Eucharistic) communion between the Old Believers and the canonically recognized local Orthodox Churches. Old Believers, as before, consider themselves only fully Orthodox Christians, qualifying the ROC of the Moscow Patriarchate as heterodox. Popovtsy consider the new believers to be heretics of the "second order" (for admission into prayer communication from whom chrismation is sufficient, and such a reception is carried out, as a rule, with the preservation of the spiritual dignity of the person passing into the Old Believers'); the majority of bespopovtsy (except for chapels and some of the Netovites) consider the new believers to be heretics of the "first order", for the reception of which in prayer communion those who convert to the Old Believers must be baptized.
Based on their views on church history, bespopovtsy distinguish between the concepts of "Old Orthodox Christianity" in general (right faith, in their opinion, coming from Christ and the apostles) and Old Believers in particular (opposition to Nikon's reforms, which arose in the middle of the 17th century).
The largest Old Believer association in the modern Russian Federation - the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church - belongs to the priests.
Reforms of Patriarch Nikon
In the course of the reform undertaken by Patriarch Nikon in 1653, the liturgical tradition of the Russian Church, which developed in the XIV-XVI centuries, was changed in the following points:
The so-called "book on the right", expressed in the editing of texts Scripture and liturgical books, which led to changes, in particular, in the text of the translation of the Symbol of Faith adopted in the Russian Church: the union-opposition "a" was removed in the words about faith in the Son of God, "born, not created," the future ("there will be no end"), and not in the present tense ("there will be no end"), the word "True" is excluded from the definition of the properties of the Holy Spirit. Historical liturgical texts many other corrections were also made, for example, another letter was added to the word "Isus" (under the title "Ic") and it began to be written "Iesus" (under the title "Iis").
Replacement of the two-finger sign of the cross with the three-finger sign and the abolition of the so-called. throwing, or small bows to the ground- in 1653 Nikon sent a “memory” to all Moscow churches, which said: “It is not proper to throw to your knees in a church, but you should bow down to your belt; more and three fingers would be baptized naturally. "
Nikon ordered the processions to be carried out in the opposite direction (against the sun, not salting).
The exclamation "Hallelujah" during the singing in honor of the Holy Trinity began to be pronounced not twice (augmented hallelujah), but three times (triangular).
The number of prosphora on the proskomedia and the style of the seal on the prosphora have been changed.
Old Believers' currents
Population
One of the two main currents of the Old Believers. It arose as a result of a split and took root in the last decade of the 17th century.
It is noteworthy that Archpriest Avvakum himself spoke out in favor of accepting the priesthood from the New Believer Church: “And others like him in Orthodox churches, where singing without admixture is inside the altar and on the wings, and the priest is newly appointed, judge this - if he is a priest curses the Nikonian and their service and with all his strength he loves the old days: for the need of the present, for the sake of time, let there be a priest. How can the world be without priests? To come to those churches. "
Popovtsy accept all 7 sacraments of Christianity and recognize the need for priests in divine services and rituals. Participation in church life is characteristic not only of the clergy, but also of the laity.
The main centers of priesthood were originally the Nizhny Novgorod Territory, where there were tens of thousands of Old Believers, the Don region, Chernigov, Starodubye. In the 19th century, the community of the Rogozhsky cemetery in Moscow, in which the owners of manufactories played a leading role, became the largest center of priesthood.
At first, the priests were forced to accept priests who had deserted for various reasons from the Russian Orthodox Church. For this, the priest received the name "runaway popovtsy". Due to the fact that many archbishops and bishops either joined the new church or, otherwise, were repressed, the Old Believers could not ordain deacons, priests or bishops themselves. In the 18th century, several self-appointed bishops (Afinogen, Anfim) were known, who were exposed by the Old Believers.
When receiving fugitive new believers priests, the priest, referring to the decrees of various Ecumenical and local councils, proceeded from the reality of ordination in the Russian Orthodox Church, in view of the fact that grace in this church was preserved, despite the reforms.
In 1800, a small part of the priests came under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church, preserving the pre-reform rituals. A separate structure was created for them - the so-called. Uniform Church. Subsequently, most of them recreated the three-ruled hierarchies, the third part passed into non-popovism.
In 1846, after the transition to the Old Believers of the Metropolitan of Bosnian Ambrose, the Belokrinitskaya hierarchy arose, which is currently one of the largest Old Believers' trends accepting the priesthood.
According to dogma, the priests differ little from the new believers, however, they adhere to the old - pre-Nikonian - rituals, divine service books and church traditions.
The number of priests at the end of the 20th century is about 1.5 million people, most of whom are concentrated in Russia (the largest groups are in the Moscow and Rostov regions).
At present, the priests are divided into two main groups: the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church and the Russian Old Orthodox Church.
Unpopularity
Chapel of the Bespopovites. 1910 year. Built in with. Keys, Ivolginsky district of Buryatia. Exhibit of the Ethnographic Museum of the Peoples of Transbaikalia.
Main article: Dullness
It arose in the 17th century after the death of the priests of the old ordination. After the schism, there was not a single bishop in the ranks of the Old Believers, with the exception of Pavel Kolomensky, who died in 1654 and did not leave himself a successor. According to canonical rules, the Orthodox Church cannot exist without a bishop, since only a bishop has the right to ordain a priest and deacon. The Old Believer priests of the pre-Nikon ordination soon died. Some of the Old Believers, who deny the possibility of the existence of a "true" clergy, have formed a pop-free sense. Old Believers (officially referred to as Old Orthodox Christians who do not accept the priesthood), who rejected the priests of the new ordination, left completely without priests, began to be called bespopovtsy in everyday life.
Bespopovtsy originally settled in wild uninhabited places on the coast of the White Sea and therefore began to be called Pomors. The Olonets Territory (modern Karelia) and the Kerzhenets River in the Nizhny Novgorod lands became other large centers of the Bespopovites. Subsequently, in the bespopov movement, new divisions arose and new accords were formed: Danilov (Pomor), Fedosov, chapel, Spasovo, Aristovo and others, smaller and more exotic, like midships, hole-makers and runners. At the present time, the largest association of unprofessionalism is the Old Orthodox Pomor Church.
In a number of cases, some pseudo-Christian sects have been attributed to the number of pop-free consents, on the grounds that the followers of these sects also reject the care of the official priesthood.
Distinctive features
Liturgical and ritual features
Differences between the "ancient Orthodox" service from the "new believers":
The use of the sign of the cross with two fingers
secular types of singing are not allowed: operatic, partisan, chromatic, etc. Church singing remains strictly monodic, unison.
the service is held according to the Jerusalem charter in the version of the Old Russian typicon "Church Eye".
there are no abbreviations and substitutions characteristic of the New Believers. Kathisma, stichera and canon songs are performed in full.
no akathists are used (with the exception of "Akathisto to the Most Holy Theotokos") and other later prayer works.
not served Lenten service Passion having catholic origin.
the initial and initial bows are preserved.
the synchronicity of ritual actions is maintained (the ritual of congregational prayer): the sign of the cross, bows, etc., are performed by those praying at the same time.
The Great Agiasma is considered to be water consecrated on the eve of the Epiphany.
Religious procession takes place in the sun (clockwise)
in most currents, the presence of Christians in ancient Russian prayer clothes is approved: caftans, kosovorotkas, sarafans, etc.
more widely used pogos in church reading.
the use of some pre-schismatic terms and the Old Slavonic spelling of some words are preserved (psalter, Jerosalim, Savatius, Eve, priesthood women (not hieromonks), etc.)
Symbol of faith
In the course of the “book inquiry”, a change was made to the Symbol of Faith: the union-opposition “a” in the words about the Son of God “was born, not created” was removed. Thus, from the semantic opposition of properties, a simple enumeration was obtained: "born, not created." The Old Believers sharply opposed the arbitrariness in the presentation of dogmas and were ready "for a single az" (that is, for one letter "a") to go to suffering and death.
Comparison of the text: Pre-reform text "New Believer" text
Ісусъ, (Ісъ) Іисусъ, (Іisъ)
Born, not created Born, not created
His kingdom will have no end His kingdom will have no end
Lord of the true and life-giving Lord of the life-giving
The Old Believers believe that the Greek words in the text - that Kirion - mean Lord and True (that is, Lord True), and that according to the very meaning of the Creed it is required to confess the Holy Spirit as true in it, as they confess in the same Creed God the Father and God the Son True (in the 2nd term: "Light from Light, God True from God true"). ...
Name Jesus
In the course of church reforms, the traditional spelling of the name of Christ Isus was replaced by the modern Greek Jesus. Old Believers continue to adhere to the traditional spelling. They indicate that among other Slavs (Serbs, Montenegrins) the spelling "Jesus" is found in the liturgical books.
Three-piece eight-pointed cross
The perfect form of the cross among the Old Believers is considered to be an eight-pointed, four-pointed cross, as a borrowing from the Latin Church, it is not used in the course of worship.
Two-fingered
Two-fingered blessing gesture. One of the oldest surviving icons of Christ, VI century (from the collection of the Monastery of St. Catherine, Sinai)
In the course of the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, the addition of fingers (finger-making) underwent a change when performing the sign of the cross: a layman was instructed to fold three fingers with a "pinch" when making a cross overshadowing himself or someone, while in the priestly blessing gesture the so-called. “Nominative signage”, in which the fingers mark the letters of the name of Christ - IC XC.
The sign of the cross itself, as part of the tradition, dates back to the first centuries of Christianity. Many authors - for example, Basil the Great, it refers directly to the apostolic tradition, however, written sources about the initial form of fingerprinting probably do not exist.
In support of the gesture, which was newly introduced according to the Greek models of that time, references were made to the works on the noun-word composition of the archpriest of Nauplii Nicholas Malax (16th century). In his name, such a finger-making in the Old Believers' environment is contemptuously called "malaksa".
In many post-split sources close to the Russian Orthodox Church, a theory is given according to which the primary form of finger formation was one-finger, which was later replaced by two-finger and, finally, the finally established three-finger. Old Believers, however, insist on piety, antiquity and the truth of the two-fingered. As evidence of the antiquity of the two-fingered gesture, many ancient monuments of iconography are cited, including those attributed by tradition to apostolic times. When considering the truth of the gesture, its symbolic meaning is revealed: two fingers mean two natures of the Son of God, while slightly bent middle finger means "belittling" (kenosis) of the Divine nature while incarnating the Savior. The other three fingers are connected as a sign of the union and unmixing of the persons of the Holy Trinity in one God. The cross-shaped overshadowing in memory of the Cross of the Crucifixion is performed with two fingers, symbolizing Christ. With the sign of the cross with three fingers, the symbol of Christ is replaced with the symbol of the Trinity, which allows the Old Believers to reproach the "Nikonians" for thus "crucifying the Trinity."
Lamb
Lamb (Slav. Lamb) - liturgical bread used in the Orthodox Church for the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist. According to the teaching of the Church, the liturgical bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. The clergy and believers partake in body and blood. The lamb is prepared by the priest (or bishop) during the proskomedia. With the uttering of special prayers, the priest carves out with a copy a part of the prosphora in the shape of a cube. The remaining parts of the prosphora are called antidor. Such a method of preparing liturgical bread appeared, apparently, in the 9th-10th centuries: from that time on, it began to be mentioned in liturgical literature. Jesus Christ is symbolically called a lamb: like the Old Testament lambs sacrificed for deliverance Jewish people from Egyptian captivity, He sacrificed himself for the deliverance of the human race from the power of sin.
Heavy hallelujah
In the course of Nikon's reforms, the augmented (that is, double) utterance of "Alleluia", which in translation from the Hebrew language means "praise God", was replaced by a triple (that is, triple). Instead of "Alleluia, alleluia, glory to you, God," they began to say "Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to you, God." According to the Greek-Russians (new believers), the triple utterance of Alleluia symbolizes the dogma of the Holy Trinity. However, Old Believers argue that the augmented utterance together with "glory to Thee, God" is already a glorification of the Trinity, since the words "glory to Thee, God" are one of the translations into Slavic language the Hebrew word Alleluia.
According to the Old Believers, the ancient church said "Alleluia" twice, therefore, the Russian pre-schismatic church knew only double Alleluia. Studies have shown that in the Greek church, triple hallelujah was initially rarely practiced, and began to prevail there only in the 17th century. The double hallelujah was not an innovation that appeared in Russia only in the 15th century, as advocates of the reforms claim, and even less is it an error or typo in old liturgical books. Old Believers point out that the triple hallelujah was condemned by the ancient Russian Church and by the Greeks themselves, for example, by the Monk Maxim the Greek and at the Stoglav Cathedral.
Bows
It is not allowed to replace bows to the ground with waist bows.
There are four types of bows:
1. "usual" - bow to Perseus or to the navel;
2. "average" - in the belt;
3. a small bow to the ground - "throwing";
4. great bow to the ground (proskinesis).
For the new believers and for the clergy, and for the monastics, and for the laity, it is prescribed to bow only of two types: waist and earth (throwing).
The "usual" bow accompanies censing, burning candles and lamps; others are performed during conciliar and cell prayer according to strictly established rules.
With a great bow to the earth, knees and head must be bowed to the ground (floor). After the sign of the cross, the outstretched palms of both hands are placed on the handcuff, both are side by side, and then the head is tilted to the ground so that the head touches the hands on the handcuff: the knees are also bowed to the ground together, without spreading them.
Throwing is performed quickly, one after the other, which removes the requirement to bow the head to the very assistant.
Liturgical singing
After the split of the Orthodox Church, the Old Believers did not accept either the new polyphonic style of singing or new system musical notation. Hook singing (znamenny and demestvennoe) preserved by the Old Believers got its name from the method of recording the melody with special signs - "banners" or "hooks". In znamenny singing, there is a certain manner of performance, therefore, verbal instructions are found in singing books: quietly, loudly (in a full voice), and inertly or evenly (moderate singing tempo). In the Old Believer Church, singing is given a high educational value. It is necessary to sing so that "the sounds amaze the ear, and the truth contained in them penetrates into the heart." Singing practice does not recognize the classical formulation of the voice, the person praying must sing in his natural voice, in a folk manner. In the znamenny chant there are no pauses, stops, all chants are performed continuously. While singing, you should achieve uniformity of sound, sing as if with one voice. The composition of the church choir was exclusively male, but due to the small number of singers, at present, in almost all Old Believer prayer houses and churches, the basis of choirs is made up of women.
Iconography
Even before the church schism, changes were outlined in Russian icon painting, caused by the influence of Western European painting. Old Believers actively opposed innovations, defending the tradition of Russian and Byzantine icons. In the polemical writings of Archpriest Avvakum on icon painting, the Western (Catholic) origin of the “new” icons was pointed out and the “living likeness” in the works of contemporary icon painters was harshly criticized.
In "Pomorskie Answers" extensive iconographic material was collected and analyzed; it was one of the first comparative iconographic studies in Russia.
In the "ruling" Russian Orthodox Church, the decline of icon painting gradually began, ending in the almost complete oblivion of the icon to XIX century... Old Believers collected the "pre-schismatic" icons, considering the "new" "graceless". The icons of Andrei Rublev were especially appreciated, since Stoglav called his works as a model. The collection of ancient icons by the Old Believers gave rise to a whole industry of counterfeit "antique" (underfour) icons. Old Believers were the main (and, probably, the only) experts in icon painting and iconography during the awakening of interest in Russian icon painting at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries, during the so-called. "Opening icons".
In large Old Believer centers, independent schools of icon painting were formed. One of the most famous today is the Vetka icon.
The ROC Synod banned the use of cast icons. There was no such prohibition among the Old Believers, and the small-sized copper-cast icons, easily reproduced from the model, were convenient both in production and when used by Old Believers persecuted by the secular and church authorities.
Life, culture, folklore
The Old Believers retained their own education system, including memorizing many prayers, teaching reading and the beginnings of arithmetic, and singing in the sign. The main textbooks have traditionally been the ABC, the Psalter and the Book of Hours. Especially gifted children were taught Slavic letter and icon painting. Some pop-free agreements (Pomors, Fedoseevites, etc.) use Khom singing, which fell out of use in the 17th century.
Persecution of Old Believers
The flight of the Old Believers began after the Council of 1667. The flight abroad especially intensified during the reign of Tsarina Sophia, during the Patriarchate of Joachim. They fled to Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Sweden, Prussia, Turkey, China and Japan. Under Peter I, according to the Senate, more than 900 thousand souls were on the run. With regard to the total of the then population of Russia, this was about ten percent, and in relation to the exclusively Russian population, this number of those who fled was a much larger percentage. The scale of the catastrophe can be understood by comparing it with the number of emigration during the civil war of 1917-1922. Then it was only 1 million people with a population of 150 million in Russia, that is, only 0.5% and not 10%. Abroad, Old Believers settle in large colonies, build their own churches, monasteries, monasteries. Russia had its own large Old Believer centers. The most famous of them: Kerzhenets, Starodubye, Klintsy, Novozybkov, Vetka, Irgiz, Vygoretsia.
Kerzhenets is the name of a river in the Nizhny Novgorod province. In the dense forests along the river, by the end of the 17th century, there were up to a hundred Old Believer monasteries - male and female. The defeat of Kerzhenets began under Peter I. In Nizhny Novgorod, the famous Old Believer deacon Alexander was executed, who compiled the book of Answers to Pitirim's questions: his head was cut off, his body was burned and his ashes were thrown into the Volga. After the defeat of Kerzhenets, the Old Believers fled to the Urals, Siberia, Starodubye, Vetka and other places. Natives of the Kerzhensky sketes in the Urals and Siberia began to be called Kerzhaks, this term later spread to all Old Believers in the Urals and Siberia.
Starodubye is located in the northern part of Ukraine - in the former Novozybkovsky and Surazhsky districts of the Chernigov province. The persecution began during the reign of Sophia. Part of the Old Believers fled from Starodubye to Vetka.
The branch is located in modern Belarus. During the schism, it was located on the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The first defeat of Vetka took place in 1735. 40,000 people were resettled to Eastern Siberia and Transbaikalia. These events were named "First pasture". In 1765, the second forcing took place, and later the third. The last batch of Old Believers was delivered to Transbaikalia in 1795.
Irgiz is a tributary of the Volga in the Saratov and Samara provinces. Inhabited during the reign of Catherine II at the invitation of the Empress. During the reign of Nicholas I, all Irgiz monasteries were destroyed and taken away from the Old Believers.
A fairly large number of Old Believers remained in the Ural Cossack army. One of the reasons why Yaik Cossacks willingly supported Pugachev, there was a salary "with a cross and a beard", that is, the preservation of Old Believer traditions. Before his execution on Bolotnaya Square, one of Pugachev's main associates, Perfiliev, refused to confess to the Nikonian priest - "... due to his schismatic obduracy, he did not want to confess and receive divine communion." In 1802, the Ural (Yaik) Cossacks-Old Believers refused to submit to the introduction of shoulder straps on the new Cossack army uniforms, considering them "anti-Christ" signs. Orenburg Governor-General Volkonsky in 1803 sent a punitive expedition to Uralsk. The Cossacks were ordered to flog until they put on their uniforms, several dozen people were flogged to death [source not specified 521 days]. The reason for the most recent turmoil in the army in 1874 was the refusal to take the oath provided for by the new regulation on military service... Most of the adherents of the old faith considered it impossible to take any oaths. Several hundred stubborn Cossacks were sent to the remote trans-Aral deserts, in 1877 their families were also expelled after them.
The legal status of Old Believers in the 17th-18th centuries
In the context of state policy towards the church, the “old faith” was unrecognized, moreover, persecuted. Over the centuries, the nature of state-church relations with the Old Believers has changed significantly: persecution was replaced by attempts at a compromise.
The Old Believers, who did not accept the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, were convinced until the end of the 17th century that they would be able to defeat the “heretics-Nikonians” and the old faith would triumph. But the government not only did not return to the old faith, but also began to cruelly persecute the Old Believers, imposing innovations on them.
Three major circumstances influenced the life and development of Old Believers in the 17th-19th centuries:
- state policy in relation to supporters of the old faith;
- public and economic development Russia;
- the spiritual quest of the Old Believers themselves.
The question of the position of the Old Believers was one of the most important in domestic policy Russia, starting with the second half of XVII century. The state and the church tried to solve the problem of relations with the Old Believers in various ways. Prohibitions, taxes, violence - all this proved to be untenable in relation to the split.
The brutal repressions of the late seventeenth century gave way to the purely practical approach of Peter, who was very far from theological controversy and organized another radical church reform that abolished the patriarchate. Like other problems, Peter approached the Old Believers primarily from the position of the treasury.
The emperor ordered to rewrite "all schismatics, male and female, wherever they live, and impose a double tax on them" (hence the popular nickname of the Old Believers - "dyedane"). Those who hid from the census, if found, were brought to justice. In the intervening time, a double tax was collected from them or they were exiled to hard labor. Nevertheless, according to the decree, now the Old Believers could live openly. They were strictly forbidden to convert their household and other people into schism. In addition, schismatics were not allowed to public office, and their testimony against those who adhered to official Orthodoxy was not accepted. All Old Believers had to wear a special dress, by which they could be instantly recognizable; for the right to wear a beard, a special tax was also introduced, which, however, extended not only to them, but to the entire population of the empire. Those who did not marry with church pastors also paid tribute. Schismatics could marry those who adhere to official Orthodoxy only by renouncing the old faith, but this requirement extended to heterodox in general. Thus, under Peter, the Old Believers, like representatives of other confessions, were forced to pay a kind of tribute for the right to their own religion.
The schismatics were not allowed to build sketes and deserts, their monks and nuns were sent to monasteries under strict supervision, and sometimes they were condemned to hard labor. Those caught in the deliberate and stubborn concealment of the Old Believers were punished as opponents of the authorities.
After the death of Peter, and especially under Anna Ivanovna, the persecution of the Old Believers resumed. The Old Believers experienced a kind of "golden age" in the 60-90s of the 18th century. The trend towards liberalization of laws in relation to Old Believers is obvious. With the accession of Catherine II, measures against the Old Believers became more lenient. The starting point in solving problematic relations with the old church was educational attitudes, theoretical substantiation of the foundations of a reasonable and just order.
Lestovka
Full forgiveness was announced to the fugitive schismatics if they return to the Fatherland: they will be able to settle in any locality, choose the type of activity they wish, and they are also granted various benefits: they are allowed to wear beards and not wear the specified dress.
This resulted in powerful Old Believer communities in Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Volga region and other places. During the reign of Catherine, Old Believers could be found in any corner of the country: they left the outskirts of the land, where they had previously hid from persecution, returned from abroad (primarily from Poland).
Gradually, the schismatics began to be allowed to take the oath and testify, if they were exempted from the double tax, then they were even allowed to be elected. They also abandoned the use of strict measures against the secret and stubborn Old Believers, who led others to reckless self-immolation.
Nevertheless, the imperfection of the legislative system created a lot of opportunities for infringement of the rights of Old Believers. Schismatism was not recognized along with official Orthodoxy and continued to be considered a delusion. Consequently, other things being equal, the "lost" were treated with special partiality, considering the propaganda of a split and the conversion of people to the old faith to be a serious crime.
In fact, religious tolerance in relation to the Old Believers was more a front facade than a really granted freedom. The state pursued its own interests, seeing the economic and political benefits from some "indulgences". Many Old Believer communities have acquired authority in trade and industry. The Old Believer merchants grew rich and even partly became the mainstay of entrepreneurship in the 19th century. The socio-economic prosperity was the result of a change in state policy towards the Old Believers.
Until the 80s of the 18th century, neither legislation nor practice resolved the issue of the right of Old Believers to publicly practice their rituals. The first precedents for the construction of churches were undertaken in Tver and Nizhny Novgorod and other cities, which made it possible to legally use such mercy in all dioceses, but each case was considered separately
Also during this period, not the last place in the spiritual departments was occupied by the supervision of the distribution of literacy. Throughout almost the entire 18th century, Peter's legislation was in force on the seizure of old printed and manuscript books and icons of old letters and sending them to the Holy Synod. The first proper Old Believer printing house appeared in the Klintsy settlement of the Surazh district, Chernigov province in the mid-1780s.
The Rostov Fair, one of the largest in the country, has become the center of concentration of prohibited books. Discovered "harmful" books and entire libraries could be destroyed without hindrance. In an ideological war, the state-backed church struggled to establish uniform concepts about piety and Orthodoxy. Not without reason, believing that the unity of faith can establish "like-mindedness" among the people.
Catherine II made an attempt to fit “religious dissidents” into the general state structure. The absolutist beginning of religious tolerance was manifested in the fact that legislative initiatives came from the secular authorities, and thereby forced the ruling church to change.
The obvious "relaxation" given to the Old Believers in the last quarter of the 18th century was consolidated in the Synod's decree of March 22, 1800, which prescribed how to deal with people deviating into the Old Believers. The reason for its adoption was the complaints of the Old Believers to the government about harassment by parish priests. In order to prevent any further complaints, the parish priests pledged to treat the Old Believers patiently and humanely. However, this decree remained a beautiful declaration and had no real practical application, since it was impossible to control how a particular priest followed Christian principles in relation to schismatics.
Fearing the strengthening of the opposition, which could follow as a result of "half-hearted" concessions, the government, starting in 1810, chose to step back and return to measures of a repressive and protective nature.
The main results of the development of the Old Believers
Despite the persecution by the authorities and the official church, many Old Believers survived and kept their faith.
Old Believer communities have demonstrated the ability to adapt to the most difficult conditions. Despite their adherence to antiquity, they played a significant role in the development and strengthening of economic relations in Russia, often showing themselves to be hardworking and enterprising people.
Old Believers made great efforts to preserve the monuments of medieval Russian culture. The communities carefully kept ancient manuscripts and early printed books, old icons and church utensils.
In addition, they created new culture, within the framework of which the whole life of a person was subject to communal, conciliar decisions. These decisions, in turn, were based on constant discussion and reflection on Christian dogmas, rituals, and Scripture.
Archbishop Andrei of Ufa (Prince of Ukhtomsky), bishop of the Orthodox Russian Church, one of the founders and leaders of the catacomb church in the USSR, this is how the priestly Old Believers appreciated.
The historical merits of the Old Believers to the church and Russian people are enormous. Such are they in the past, and even more so-called Old Believers can do good in the future. But both the Orthodox and the Old Believers should remember that the Old Believers are a religious, cultural and everyday phenomenon, and not just a narrowly ritual phenomenon. That this is not an exaggeration, but a historical truth, we can provide reliable evidence:
The Old Believers, defending the purity of Evangelical Christianity, rebelled against the autocracy of the hierarchy in the person of Patriarch. Nikon and thus preserved the purity of Russian Orthodoxy.
The Old Believers throughout their life strove to realize true freedom of spirit, social equality and church brotherhood, and in this respect the Old Believers' parish is an example of the Christian community.
The Old Believers have developed an excellent formula for their attitude to church rituals. They say that ceremonies are a precious vessel that preserves church feelings (...).
Old Believers have brought to our days the bright ideal of a shepherd - the father of the parish and the prayer book, and the leader of the public conscience. The Old Believers never had a saying “whatever the priest, the daddy” (...). For an Old Believer, a parish pastor is by all means an elected one; this is really a candle placed before the throne of God.
Vigorously protesting against the prideful papistic claims of the hierarchy, the Old Believers never ceased to protest against the violence against the conscience on the part of the tsarist civil authorities, and when the St. Petersburg regime began to bend the church community into a ram's horn, the Old Believers used all their strength to preserve the freedom of church-communal self-determination. and they exercised this freedom at home (...).
The role of the Old Believers in Russian history
Serpukhov. The Old Believers' Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos of the Old Pomorsk-Fedoseevsky Consent. 1912 Now - a museum.
Some of the modern researchers are sure [source not specified 624 days] that the Russian Agriculture in tsarist Russia relied primarily on regions with an Old Believer population. The village of Balakovo in the Samara province alone had such huge grain trading operations that it could dictate its prices to the City of London (a trading exchange. ships reached Svalbard In the 19th century, the Volga Shipping Company, an industrial region near Moscow, the famous Trekhgorka, the most powerful centers of industry in Ivanovo-Voznesensky, Bogorodsko-Glukhovsky, Orekhovo-Zuevsky districts belonged to the Old Believers.
According to various researchers, up to 60% of Russian capital belonged to Old Believers and people from the Old Believer environment. In addition to the fact that the Old Believers, with their active economic activities, replenished the revenue side of the state budget, they were also directly involved in charitable and patronage activities. They founded such Moscow theaters as Zimin's opera house, Nezlobin's drama theater, Savva Morozov's art theater.
Modernity
At present, there are Old Believer communities, in addition to Russia, in Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, in Moldova, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, in the USA, Canada and a number of Latin American countries, as well as in Australia.
The largest modern Orthodox Old Believer religious association in the Russian Federation and beyond its borders is the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church, numbering about a million parishioners; has two centers - in Moscow and Braila, Romania.
The Old Orthodox Pomeranian Church (DOC) has more than 200 communities on the territory of Russia, and a significant part of the communities is not registered. The centralized, advisory and coordinating body in modern Russia is the Russian Council of the WOC.
The spiritual and administrative center of the Russian Ancient Orthodox Church until 2002 was located in Novozybkov, Bryansk region; since then - in Moscow.
The total number of Old Believers in Russia, according to a rough estimate, is over 2 million people. Among them, Russians predominate, but there are also Ukrainians, Belarusians, Karelians, Finns, Komi, Udmurts, Chuvashs, etc.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lukovenko I.G.
Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church
General history of the Old Believers
The history of the Old Believers goes back three and a half centuries. Its emergence was due to a complex of socio-political, religious, ideological reasons. In the narrow sense of the word, the Old Believers are a religious movement that broke with the Orthodox Church, the formal reason for which was the disagreement of its supporters with the church-ritual reforms carried out in the middle of the 17th century by the Moscow Patriarch Nikon. However, it should be remembered that the Old Believers are not only and not so much a narrowly religious movement, it is a whole cultural complex in all the diversity of its inner essence (society, politics, economics, unique spiritual and material culture).
The first half of the 17th century (after the Troubles of the beginning of the century) is characterized as a struggle to strengthen the Russian state, centralization, the desire to strengthen, strengthen the autocratic power of the new Romanov dynasty.
Centralizing tendencies within the state (expressed, among other things, in the infringement of the privileges of the boyar nobility, trade policy, the creation of regular troops, pushing the archers into the background, etc.) could not but affect the church. At first, the reform of the church did not go beyond correcting the moral state of the clergy and trying to unify religious rites. The main role in this was played by the so-called. "A circle of devotees of piety", which included the future leader of the Old Believers, Archpriest of the Kazan Cathedral Avvakum Petrovich, famous Moscow archpriest Ivan Neronov, Stefan Vonifatiev (confessor of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich). The future patriarch Nikon was also a member of the "circle". The reform was aimed at strengthening the internal order of the church. The active advancement of the reform begins after Nikon was elected patriarch in 1652. However, this is where contradictions begin among the reformers. Nikon and his supporters took the new Greek liturgical books as a model for the unification of worship. However, since the Greek liturgical canon has undergone changes over the previous centuries, the correction of Russian liturgical books led to a change in the liturgical canon of the Russian Church. While correcting Russian liturgical books, Nikon strove, on the one hand, to unify the liturgical canon within the Russian Church and, on the other, to bring into unity with the liturgical practice of the entire Eastern Orthodoxy.
The change in the liturgical canon caused discontent on the part of Avvakum and part of the Russian clergy. They saw in this an encroachment on the traditional foundations of Russian society, sanctified by the past; such a practice was viewed as a betrayal of the faith of the fathers, especially since the Greek church of today, in their opinion, fell into heresy. Discontent was also caused by the methods by which Nikon carried out reforms - not collectively, but individually. Church reforms found support from the secular government with the only difference that Nikon saw in a strong church the possibility of subordinating it to secular power (“the church is higher than the state”, “the power of the patriarch is higher than the power of the king”), while the tsar saw in a strong church a powerful ideological control over society and wanted to subordinate the church to secular power. Therefore, when the reforms as a whole were completed, Nikon was removed from power.
Actually, the reforms boiled down to changes in the rite of worship and some rituals (three-fingered sign of the cross instead of two-fingered, writing the name "Jesus" instead of "Jesus", walking around the analogion from west to east instead of from east to west, etc.).
Opposition to the reforms united representatives of different estates, dissatisfied with the centralizing aspirations of the tsar and the patriarch.
Nevertheless, the reforms were finally consolidated at the councils of 1666 and 1667. The old rites were cursed.
In the Old Believer environment, eschatological ideas are rapidly spreading. Habakkuk taught that the world around him became the kingdom of the Antichrist, that the king and patriarch were the servants of the devil. His disciples went further and declared the tsar and the patriarch himself the antichrist. Ideas about the imminent end of the world spread. This, as well as the persecution of supporters of the old rituals that followed the official recognition of the reforms, contributed to the fact that the Old Believers fled to the uninhabited lands of the Russian state, as well as abroad. The most radical Old Believers chose self-immolation as one of the ways to leave the world conquered by the Antichrist. The first "burns" began in about 1678. According to rough estimates, up to the end of the 17th century, up to 20,000 people committed suicide. In 1685, the government began to equip special expeditions to search for Old Believer settlements.
One of the most tragic events in the history of the Old Believers was the destruction of the monks of the Solovetsky Monastery, who did not accept Nikon's reforms.
The spiritual leader of the Old Believers, Archpriest Avvakum, was burned to death in Pustozersk on April 14, 1682.
Don became one of the most revolutionary centers of the Old Believers. The uprising of Stepan Razin took place under the slogans of the Old Believers.
The Old Believers were not originally a socially homogeneous phenomenon. This included representatives of the boyar nobility (noblewoman F.P. Morozova, Princess E. Urusova), townspeople, and the peasantry. Old faith was supported by a significant part of the parish clergy. The episcopate, for one reason or another, supported the reforms. The only bishop Pavel Kolomensky, who did not accept the reforms, was destroyed. The heterogeneity of the social composition of the Old Believer society led to the fact that by the end of the seventeenth century. there is a disintegration of the Old Belief into two main streams - priesthood and unpopularity. The social base of the first trend was the townspeople, and the pridelessness, for the most part, was the peasant movement. The first form of clergy was runaway. This movement received this name because, being less radical than the non-popovtsy, representatives of this trend considered it necessary to restore normal church life, and since by the end of the seventeenth century. priests ordained before Nikon died, then the question arose of where to get new ones (the priests did not have their own bishop). Having decided that the Orthodox Church, although it is heretical, is still a church, the priests began to accept fugitive priests from it (hence the name of the movement). There were three ranks of accepting heretics: re-baptism (the priest had to be re-ordained), re-anointing, curse of heresies. Controversy has flared up over the last two ranks. The proponents of re-oiling won out in the end.
The first settlements of the priesthood were formed on Starodubye (now Chernigov region of Ukraine, Bryansk region of the Russian Federation). Here, for the first time, the Old Believers used the privileges that were provided, in particular, by the Ukrainian hetmans in order to attract the population to unpopulated lands. However, after government intervention, some of the Old Believers were forced to flee abroad to Polish lands. A new Old Believer center appeared - Vetka (now the Bryansk region of Belarus). The population of Vetka reached 40,000 people. The Vetka Old Believers controlled a significant part of trade, as well as trade routes from south to east and northeast. However, in 1735 and 1764. the government is taking measures to eradicate the Old Believers from there (the so-called 1st and 2nd "distillation" of Vetka), after which the Vetka center was destroyed. A significant part of the Old Believers returned to Starodubye.
The next important center of priesthood was Kerzhenets (Nizhny Novgorod region and further down the Volga). Here the Old Believers controlled trade routes to the south and east, founded factories, and controlled shipbuilding. Significant amount Old Believers worked at the factories of the Demidovs. Similar areas of Old Belief were also spiritual centers. From there, priests were sent to the places, sketes, chapels, and churches were founded here. The existence of such centers was the key to the existence of a normal church life.
Bespopovtsy were a more radical movement than priests. They believed that with the arrival of the Antichrist in the world, the church disappeared, that grace was taken to heaven, and therefore that church life, which was previously impossible. Bespopovtsy considered it impossible to recognize secular power. There was only one way out - to run away from the world. Population was not a homogeneous phenomenon. During the 18th – 19th centuries, in its midst, accords and interpretations appeared, differing in social composition and ideology. Pomorie became one of the first pop-free centers. Here the so-called. Vygovskaya community (now Karelia; north of Lake Onega). The social composition of the community is the peasants and monks of the Solovetsky Monastery. Two sketes were founded - male and female. Gradually, radical sentiments faded into the past. The famous "Pomeranian Answers" of 1722 testify to the recognition royal power and subjugation to her. The conciliatory policy of the Vygovites led to the fact that an independent Philippe persuasion (named after the founder) emerged from their midst. In 1743 they committed suicide by self-immolation.
At the end of the 17th century, the clerk Theodosius Vasiliev founded the Fedoseyevsk religion (named after the founder). In 1771 in Moscow Fedoseevites founded the Preobrazhenskoye cemetery, which became one of the main centers of no-priesthood.
Gradually, new ones emerged from these rumors. The most famous popovites were Aaronites, self-baptized people, Luzhkovites, Netovtsy (Spassovtsy), pilgrims (runners), etc.
Under Peter I, the Old Believers were oppressed. They had to pay a double poll tax, a tax on beards, etc. A special office of schismatic affairs was organized, which was transformed under Peter II into the office of investigative schismatic affairs (abolished under Catherine II).
Catherine II in 1762 allowed the Old Believers who fled abroad to return. The decrees of Peter I. were canceled. Some of the Old Believers who returned from abroad founded a new priest's center on the Irgiz River (Saratov Territory), which quickly became one of the main priest's centers.
In 1771, priests founded in Moscow Rogozhskoe cemetery- the main Russian center of clericalism.
Throughout the XVIII - XIX centuries. the priests did not abandon their attempts to create their own church hierarchy and cease to depend on the official church. These attempts were crowned with success when the Sarajevo Metropolitan Ambrose passed over to the Old Belief. In 1846 and 1847. in Belaya Krinitsa (now the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine, and then the territory of Austria-Hungary), he ordained several bishops, so that in 1859 the priesthood numbered more than ten dioceses.
Some of the priests did not recognize the canonicity of the new hierarchy and continued to accept priests from the official church.
In 1800, some of the priests who spoke out in favor of accepting fugitive priests according to the third rite (curse of heresies) agreed with the government and the Orthodox Church, recognized the authority of local bishops and received priests from the official church so that they would serve in the old way. rituals.
Under Alexander I, the Old Believers received relative freedom. The government in 1822 approved the rules on the inadmissibility of the search for fugitive priests and secret sketes, chapels. However, it was forbidden to build new chapels. However, already under Nicholas I, the persecution intensified. In 1832, the rules of 1822 were canceled. In the 1920s and 1930s, the Irgiz sketes were destroyed.
In 1853 the Old Believer Archdiocese was founded in Moscow. At the same time, an agreement was reached between the metropolitanate in Belaya Krinitsa and the Moscow archdiocese on the division of administrative power: all parishes on the territory of the Russian Empire were subordinate to the Moscow archdiocese, while foreign parishes fell under the authority of the Belaya Krinitsa metropolis.
An important event Old Believer history XIX century was the appearance in 1862 of the so-called. The "District Epistle", drawn up by the most loyal priests of the Belokrinitsa Consent: the emperor was declared to be a God-wedded and God-protected, the Orthodox Church was recognized as non-heretical since also believes in Jesus Christ. The cult founded by Nikon was declared correct. The only fault of the church and government was the persecution of the Old Believers. The appearance of this message caused a split in the priestly environment. The so-called. “Okrugs” and “protivokruzhniki (or“ quarrels ”)." A large and influential part of the priestly centers spoke out with the recognition of the "District Epistle". However, the split was overcome only at the beginning of the twentieth century.
In times Soviet power the Old Believers shared the fate of other religions in the USSR. By the end of the 30s of the twentieth century, the Old Believers-priests found themselves virtually devoid of the church hierarchy. All bishops were in prisons. Only in 1941 was Archbishop Irinarkh (Parfyonov) released. In the postwar years, the church was headed by: Archbishop Flavian (Slesarev; 1952-1960), Archbishop Joseph (Morzhakov; 1961-1970), Archbishop Nikodim (Latyshev; 1970-1986). At the Consecrated Cathedral in 1986, Bishop Alimpiy of Klintsov was elected Primate of the Church. In 1988, at the Consecrated Cathedral, dedicated to the millennium of the baptism of Rus, a decision was made to transform the Moscow Old Believer Archdiocese into a Metropolitanate. The primate of the church began to be called the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia. Since that time, the church has been called the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church. Metropolitan Alimpiy ruled the church until his death on December 31, 2003.
In 1971, at the Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, curses and anathemas were lifted from the Old Believers. The old rites were recognized as salutary and equitable.
Currently, in addition to the local RPSTs, there is a local Old Believer church in Romania (center - Brail). The Primate of the Church (since 1996), His Eminence Leonty, Archbishop of Belokrinitsky and Metropolitan of all foreign Old Orthodox Christians.
The current primate of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church is Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia Andrian.
Metropolitan Andrian (in the world - Alexander Gennadievich Chetvergov) was born on February 14, 1951 into an Old Believer family in the city of Kazan. His family belongs to the Chetvergovs, a well-known family of Kazan merchants. Graduated from the Kazan Aviation Institute in 1974. He also received his elementary art education. After graduation, he worked as a design engineer, first at the Central Design Bureau of the Optical and Mechanical Plant, and then at the SKB of Sports Aviation. In 1980, he was married to Natalya Alexandrovna Shtrineva, who came from a family of Nizhny Novgorod Old Believers. In 1986, he left secular work and began to work at the Kazan Old Believer Church. He took an active part in the restoration of the temple, design and manufacture of the iconostasis. He also mastered a number of working specialties: driver and welder, carpenter and roofer. He studied ecclesiastical arts and crafts: a preceptor and head manager, an icon restorer, a bookbinder. Later he was elected chairman of the church community. Since 1995 he tried himself as an icon painter. He painted the iconostasis for the Temple of the Yekaterinburg Old Believer community and made the construction of the iconostasis for the newly-built Cathedral of the Novosibirsk and All Siberia Diocese in the city of Novosibirsk, wrote some of the icons for it.
In 1998 he was widowed with a son and 2 daughters in the care. On October 17, 1999, he was ordained deacon to the Kazan Temple in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. At the same time, at the Consecrated Council, he was elected as a candidate for bishop. On May 14, 2000, he was ordained a priest. In 2001 he took monastic vows with the name Andrian.
On April 29, 2001, he was ordained Bishop of Kazan-Vyatka. He is consecrated by Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia Alimpius, in collaboration with Bishops John of Yaroslavl and Kostroma, Siluyan of Novosibirsk and all Siberia, Savvaty of Kiev and All Ukraine and Zosima of Kishinev and all Moldova. At the Consecrated Council on February 9, 2004, he was elected Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia.
Old Belief in Ukraine
In the history of the Old Believers, the territory of modern Ukraine is of the greatest importance. Here the Old Believers appear immediately after the start of the persecution against them by the government and the official church. The first Old Believer settlements appear on the territory of Starodubye (present-day Chernigov region of Ukraine, Bryansk region of Russia) already in the 70s of the 17th century. Ukrainian hetmans were interested in settling and developing these lands. Under the terms of "Eternal Peace" (1682) between Russia and the Commonwealth, this territory was part of the Russian state. The repressive measures of the Moscow government at the end XVII early The eighteenth centuries forced a significant part of the Old Believers to leave these territories and move beyond the Polish border, where the center of the Old Believers, Vetka, was founded. However, after the defeat of Vetka in the 18th century, the Old Believers returned to Starodubye. Subsequently, Starodubye becomes one of the largest centers of Old Belief. In the 20s of the nineteenth century, there were up to 40,000 Old Believers. Starodubye was one of the key centers of the Old Believers-priests. After the founding of the Belokrinitskaya hierarchy, the Chernigov diocese was founded on this territory with its center in the city of Novozybkov (now the regional center of the Bryansk region of Russia).
The desire to hide from the world, as well as government repression forced the Old Believers to flee abroad. One of such foreign centers was Podillia, which was part of the Commonwealth (now Vinnitsa, Khmelnitsky regions of Ukraine). The largest centers of Old Belief here were the city of Balta (now in Odessa region), the villages of Kurenevka and Borskiv (Vinnytsia region). In 1675 in the village. Kurenevka Old Believer Skete was founded. Later, Kurenevsky Nikolsky was located here. male monastery and two female Kurenevsky Assumption monasteries. After the founding of the Belokrinitskaya Metropolitanate, the city of Balta became the center of the Baltic diocese (at the beginning of the 20th century, the center moved to Odessa).
Since the end of the 17th century / Old Believer settlements appear in southern Bessarabia. Here, on the lands under Turkish rule, Don Cossacks come under the leadership of Ataman I. Nekrasov. Here they enjoyed considerable religious freedom, legal and economic benefits. After the annexation of Bessarabia to Russia, the Old Believers continued to enjoy these benefits. The territory of settlement of the Old Believers is here: Izmail, Kiliysky districts of the Odessa region.
A significant number of Old Believers lived in the Elisavetgrad province. Natives of Starodubye, Poland, Old Believers who returned from other foreign regions at the invitation of Catherine II settled here. Here unanimity appears for the first time (1800).
Also a large center of Old Belief on the territory of modern Ukraine was the Kherson province (there were about 30 settlements here).
Until 1917, 36 Old Believer monasteries operated on the territory of Ukraine. Among them (except for the Kurenevsky) Cherkassk Pokrovsky Convent, Krasnoborsk Monastery (Chernigov province).
On the territory of modern Ukraine, the center of the Belokrinitskaya hierarchy was located - s. Belaya Krynitsa (now Chernivtsi region). From 1774 to 1918, this territory was under the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
During the years of Soviet power, there were two dioceses of the archdiocese of Moscow and All Russia on the territory of the Ukrainian SSR: Odessa and Vinnitsa-Kiev.
Now the territory of Ukraine is covered by the diocese of Kiev and All Ukraine of the Russian Orthodox Old Believers Church. The reigning bishop (since 1993) is the Most Reverend Savvaty, Bishop of Kiev and All Ukraine. As of January 1, 2003, there are 65 RPSTs religious organizations on the territory of Ukraine.
Old Belief in Donbass
On the territory of modern Donetsk region Old Believer settlements appear at the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th centuries. They are based on the borderlands of the southern borders of the Russian state. They are founded by people from Kursk province... The largest centers of the Old Believers were the northeast (the village of Olkhovatka) and the south of the region (the village of Melekino and nearby settlements). The village of Olkhovatka was founded in 1720 (the official date of foundation, although the settlement appeared at the end of the 17th century)) by immigrants from the Kursk province. By the beginning of the twentieth century. the number of Old Believers in Olkhovatka was 2,614. The believers had a church; there was a small nunnery in the village. In the 30s, the monastery was closed. A fire in 1929 destroyed the church. The settlements of Old Believers in the south of the region appeared at the end of the 18th century. In 1910, the believers built a church, which was closed in 1930. By the mid-1920s, there were 9 communities of Old Believers-priests in the Donetsk province, uniting 3266 believers. In addition, on the territory of the province there were 2 communities of Bespop Old Believers (62 people).
During the Great Patriotic War, the religious life of Old Believers is revived. From 1944 to 1947, divine services were resumed in the Melekino community. At this time, the community united about 300-350 people, members of the local fishing collective farm.
The number of believers in Olkhovatka in 1945 was 550.
At the end of the 40s, Old Believers from Romania and Bulgaria moved to the southern districts of the region. They settle in the farmsteads of Bezymyanny, Elanchik, Sedovka, the village of Shirokino, and the village of Budenovka. They are petitioning to open a church in Melekino. In 1950, a visiting priest from the Rostov region was allowed to perform divine services 2-3 times a year.
In 1952, the believers of Olkhovatka were also allowed to invite a priest from the Luhansk region to hold services. Long time the parish of Olkhovatka was cared for by the priest Savely Kalistratovich Golubyatnikov. As of October 1, 1978, the Olkhovatka community consisted of 155 people; On October 9, 1978, the community was officially registered. At present, it is the only officially functioning community of the Russian Parvoslav Old Rite Church on the territory of the region. In 1995, believers built a new church on their own in the name of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos.
Papayani I.V.
Novozybkov hierarchy (Russian Ancient Orthodox Church)
Old Believers originated in Russia in the middle of the 17th century and developed into a separate religious denomination, after the Cathedral of the Moscow Church in 1666-1667. The latter condemned Nikon's reforms, but did not support his opponents either. Nikon's reforms went beyond the usual ritual reforms. The situation was aggravated by the fact that all the innovations were supported by the growing role of Westernism, against which the circle of "Zealots of Piety", headed by Archpriest Avvakum, very fiercely protested.
After the Council of 1666, widespread persecution and persecution of adherents of ancient piety took place in Muscovy.
On October 28, 1846, after the transition to the Old Belief of the Bosno-Sarajevo Metropolitan Ambrose, a three-ruled hierarchy was established, the so-called Belokrinitskaya (the name comes from the village of Belaya Krinitsa, Glybotsky district, Chernivtsi region). Some Old Believer parishes and monasteries did not accept the Belokrinitskaya hierarchy. Thus, one more direction in the Old Believers stands out: "runaways". On November 4, the latter accepted into their ranks Archbishop Nikolai (Pozdnev), a renovationist Nikonian, and later in 1929 his colleague Stephen (Rastorguev). This is where the three-fold hierarchy of the Ancient Orthodox Church originates. It should be noted right away that in relation to modernity, the term "runaways" in relation to the above-named religious denomination sounds religiously unethical.
The chair of the Archbishop of the Ancient Orthodox Church was located in Saratov, Moscow, Kuibyshev, and since 1963 in the city of Novozybkov (Bryansk region of the Russian Federation). In 1923, the First Hierarch of the Novozybkovskaya Church was called: the Archbishop of Moscow, Saratov and All Russia of the Old Orthodox Christians.
In the 30s of the XX century, part of the priests of the Russian Orthodox Church (hereinafter ROC), fleeing from repression, went to the Novozybkovites. These are mainly representatives of the Iosiflyan movement. Among them is the aforementioned Stefan (Rastorguev), who occupied the Ural and Boguslav departments. With his execution in 1937, the Russian Old Orthodox Church was in an illegal position. In 1938 the cathedral in the town of Novozybkov was closed, but in 1943 the divine services were resumed there.
In the USSR, the Novozybkov Old Believers 'relationship with the authorities was more successful than other Old Believers' branches.
They stood out against the general background for their "patriotism." The latter means that they do not criticize the state power and the connections of the ROC with it.
In terms of structure, the RDC is distinguished by its less rigid centralization than the ROC and the Russian Old Believer Orthodox Church (RSPTs) of the Belokrinitsa hierarchy. Hence, in the church, which is not accustomed to special strict discipline, local conflicts often arise, for example, in the 90s of the 20th century, the church was on the verge of schism several times. So, in the mid-90s, Bishop Leonty (Krechetov) tried to create the Iberian independent Ancient Orthodox Church, in addition, in Samara in 1995, Bishop Vadim (Korovin) criticized the hierarchy, which could lead to a new division of the Old Believers, if not excommunication.
In 2001, relations between Novozybkovites and the RSPTs escalated. Archbishop Alexander, head of the RDC, made a harsh statement, accusing the RSPTs of "proselytism" and of persuading the clergy of the RDC to move to the Belokrinitskaya hierarchy. He especially condemned the fact that the hierarchy of the RSPTs allows itself to communicate with the outside world on behalf of the entire Old Believers. At the Council of the RDC, the need for a clear line between the Novozybkovites and the Belokrinitskaya hierarchy was declared.
This is due to the fact that the RDC still denies the legality of the ordination of the Belokrinitskaya hierarchy. Also, from the point of view of Novozybkovites, all other Christians are in heresy and delusion, but they do not believe that all of them will not be saved.
On March 3, 2002, at the RDC Council, the head of the church, Archbishop Alexander, was elevated to the rank of Patriarch, and the residence was moved from Novozybkov to Moscow. There are two RDC communities registered in Ukraine. One of them is in the Donetsk region.
Schism-separation from the Russian Orthodox Church of some of the believers who did not recognize the church reform of Nikon in 1653-56. In the second half of the 17th-18th centuries. was the ideological banner of anti-feudal and opposition movements.
The Old Believers are a collection of religious groups and churches in Russia that did not accept the church reforms of the 17th century and became oppositional or hostile to the official Orthodox Church. Until 1906, adherents of the Old Believers were persecuted by the tsarist government. The Old Believers are divided into a number of currents (priest1, bespopovtsy2, runlopopovtsy3), interpretations and agreements.
Soviet encyclopedic dictionary.
Popovtsy are a trend in the Old Believers closest to the official Orthodox Church. Recognizes priests and church hierarchy.
Soviet encyclopedic dictionary.
Bespopovtsy are one of the trends in the Old Believers. A number of sacraments are also rejected.
Soviet encyclopedic dictionary.
Beglopopovtsy - current among the priests in the Old Believers. It arose at the end of the 17th century. included fugitive priests who had departed from the official Orthodox Church. The basis of the communities was made up of persons who were hiding from the tsarist authorities.
Soviet encyclopedic dictionary.
Interest in the schism appears now not out of archaeological curiosity; they are beginning to look at it as an event that can be repeated and therefore requires careful study.
V. Rasputin
Where did the Semeiskys come from?
Second half of the 18th century. The vast expanses of the Russian state remained undeveloped and sparsely populated. In Siberia, the issue of colonizing individual regions was so urgent that it had to be addressed immediately: the copper smelting, silver smelting, and ironworks, which had emerged by that time in the east of the country, required many workers, specialists who needed to be fed. Regular troops, the Cossacks, who produced little grain, also needed food.
The government of Catherine II saw in the Old Believers wonderful colonists who would be able to bread and other agricultural products where they were lacking. As primordial farmers, they possessed such traits as enterprise, industriousness, were excellent communes, and even on the western borders it would have been calmer without them. Therefore, it seemed simply necessary to entrust them with the affairs of Russian agricultural culture.
From Verkhoturye stretched unknown Siberia along the old Moscow highway carts, sledges, carts, carts loaded with the most necessary household belongings, old people, sick and small children. The babies were transported in birch bark cradles, the carts were escorted by soldiers and Cossacks. The path lay beyond the Baikal Sea, where the fugitive Old Believers from the Dnieper region were sent. The nature of Transbaikalia has always been admired by travelers.
But till the middle of the 18th century, arable farming in Transbaikalia developed very slowly and not everywhere successfully. Separate islets of Russian agriculture did not meet the needs of the population for bread. And the number of peasants, Cossacks, service and industrial workers increased from year to year. And it should be noted that with the advent of the Russian people in Transbaikalia, to the diversity natural environment, the diversity of ethnic cultures was added to the patchwork of local landscapes, the anthropological and ethnographic diversity in the region increased, new settlements appeared, old villages and settlements were replenished with newly settled people, and around them the land took a well-groomed appearance. Carefully cultivated vegetable gardens, strips of arable land and hayfields took up more and more space. Two civilizations began to live side by side in the region: cattle-breeding and agricultural. They started mutual influence, cultural exchange, trade intensified. All this had a positive effect on the development of the productive forces in Transbaikalia.
A special flavor, variegation and brightness in the ethnographic picture of Transbaikalia were brought by the Old Believers who settled here, brought from the Polish borders. With their establishment, a more intensive development of the virgin places of this region began. The Old Believers brought here in a significant number (about 5 thousand people), possessing great agricultural experience, strong communal cohesion and amazing diligence, in a short time, deserved recognition of the best farmers of the region.
Previously, in rural communities, chronicles were kept of significant events in the life of the Old Believers of Transbaikalia, but these records almost all disappeared somewhere. Old handwritten and printed books of the pre-Nikonian time, which were so valued by Old Believers, were mostly destroyed during the repressions of the 1920s and 1930s. or later, out of ignorance, some were buried in the graves with their owners, others fell into the unclean hands of buyers, some of them ended up in the hands of specialist archeographers who collected rare old books on special expeditions.
The discovered documents testify to some aspects of the inner life of the schismatics of the late 18th - early 19th centuries. They did not lose touch with their former places of residence. From their petitions for the opening of the church, it is clear that the Transbaikal Old Believers signed off with the Chernigov dicasteria and, with her knowledge, asked for the Old Believer priests of the “Chernigov province of the Luzhkovsky churchyard Dmitry Alekseev and Mitkovsky posad Fyodor Ivanov”, and later a certain Petrov. Seeking the opening of the church, the Old Believers acted quite unitedly and amicably. From their societies, they chose two confidants, Fyodor Chernykh and Anufriy Gorbatykh, collecting 800 rubles for their worldly needs. In 1794, permission was obtained, but the case was stalled by disputes over the site of the church. The confidants, violating the "worldly sentence" on the opening of the Church of the Intercession in the village of Kunaleiskaya, where there was a "Vetka agreement", offered their religious center, the village of Sharaldayskaya. In 1801, the Old Believers asked Fyodor Razuvaev and Boris Semyonov from the Telminsk state-owned factory of Anthrop Chernykh and the settlers of the Irkutsk district of the Manzur volost, Fyodor Razuvaev and Boris Semyonov, promising to "regularly pay state taxes" for them. They needed the blacks to "paint the icons, and the last two are chosen by the Old Believers as their clergy." In response to inquiries from the spiritual authorities, the elders explained that church service they want to lead Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich according to the books, and the Fedoseevites baptize and marry children in the church, but they do not recognize any other rituals.
Old belief is a paradoxical phenomenon. Its paradox lies in the preservation of the Russian-Byzantine Orthodox and pagan foundations through fragmentation and concentration. This was started even during the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Patriarch Nikon. Their disunity according to the territories (localities) inhabited by them, and according to the agreements and interpretations, continues to this day. But on the other hand, there is an amazing concentration of spirit and creative production successes on their life path v small communities, settlements or enclaves.
Of course, we cannot close our eyes to negative phenomena in the everyday life and culture of the Old Believers. These include the denial of scientific medicine, in particular the refusal to vaccinate (in the scar left by vaccination, they saw the sign of the Antichrist), which led to a high infant mortality rate. The denial of scientific medicine can be explained by the annoying prohibition of many to communicate with the worldly in "eating, drinking and friendship." The prohibition to eat from one cup and drink from the same vessel with a non-Old Believer is a completely understandable phenomenon. It was installed for a purely hygienic purpose - not to take over the disease from another person. Old Believers in the old days were not allowed to drink tea and coffee. The Old Believers did not recognize secular literacy - only Church Slavonic. Before the revolution, the Old Believers constituted a significant part of the Russian people. Their number exceeded 20 million. And these people were constantly in the position of being persecuted both by the official Russian Orthodox Church and by the state.
Old Believers - who are they?
Old Believers - who are they: the restless spirit of Russia or its ignorance, fanaticism, routine, pioneers of the development of new lands or eternally rushing wanderers looking for their Belovodye !?
In search of an answer to these questions, it should be noted that the Old Believers retained the strong spirit of their teachers: Archpriest Avvakum, Boyarina Morozova, Bishop Pavel Kolomensky - the spirit of proud resistance to the authorities, unabated Kerzhak stubbornness in preserving their faith, their culture.
Old Believers in the history of Russia are an amazing phenomenon. The supporters of the Old Believers impress with their dedication to the faith, the breadth of their settlement on the globe, the preservation of ancient Russian culture and their own face for one third of a millennium. The prudent conservatism of the Old Believers in many ways turned out to be necessary for a new upsurge or revival of national culture, for it extended its existence to the present day and, presumably, will still serve in various parts of the world, where the fate of a handful of stalwart Russian people, adherents of the old faith and old rituals.
The Old Believers, persecuted by the authorities, became involuntary inhabitants of the new lands. Their economic activity on these lands demanded to enter the market, which led to the establishment of ties with the aborigines of the region, to the mutual influence of different cultures. Such mutual influence was observed almost everywhere where the Old Believers settled. Persecutions against adherents of the old faith and old rituals began during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, who was called the Quiet, during the Patriarchate of Nikon (1652-1666) and continued up to the present day. Only in last years the turn towards religious tolerance began.
Tsars changed, authorities and regimes changed, and repressions against the zealots of the old faith and ancient piety did not stop: they either intensified, which happened during the reign of Sophia, Peter I, Anna Ioanovna, Paul I, Nicholas I, in Soviet times or somewhat faded, weakened under Catherine II, Alexander I, Alexandre III, Nicholas II.
As a breakaway rebellious part of the people, the Old Believers were outlawed, deprived of all rights and persecuted for their faith.
Interview with the main Old Believer of Russia: about the "Putin and the Dove" meme, contacts with the Russian Orthodox Church, Muslims, a positive Tatarstan example and the return of Old Believers to their homeland
Metropolitan Korniliy (Titov), the head of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church, is in Tatarstan these days. He arrived in Kazan to participate in the conference "Old Believers and Revolution". It was Vladyka who was honored to open the forum and take part in events related to it. During the visit, he gave an interview to the correspondent of Realnoe Vremya. In a conversation with our journalist, a high-ranking priest told about his recent meeting with Putin and explained the origin of the humorous meme with a dove that appeared after the presidential visit. Also, the head of the RPSTs spoke about his contacts with Muslims, the stopped disputes with the Nikonians (ROC), praised the Tatarstan authorities and announced a world congress of the Old Believers of all accords.
"Tatarstan distinguished itself in a good respect"
Dear Vladyka, tell us first, what is your program of stay in Tatarstan? As far as I understand, this is not your first time in Kazan.
This is not my first time in Kazan. I know that there are many of our Old Believers here who have good relations with the authorities. Several times here we met with President Minnikhanov and State Counselor Shaimiev. We have good connections here, both spiritual and material. We came here primarily to pray with our brothers. There was a great feast of the appearance of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. Therefore, our main motive was to pray. We also had a trip to Chelny, where the temple was consecrated a month ago. We visited museums in Elabuga - Shishkina, Tsvetaeva. And today - the conference "Old Believers and Revolution". These are the main milestones of our journey.
- Why was Kazan chosen as a venue for such a conference?
From all over Russia, especially here, the authorities are concerned about the revival of morality and spirituality. It is here that I see a historical assessment of events. The forum was initiated by the government of Tatarstan, for which I am very grateful. This is a very important topic - the 100th anniversary of the revolution, which is celebrated in this jubilee year. The conference, held by our Old Believers at the initiative of the republican government, is a landmark event.
Our Vladyka Gerontius, a bishop who served 10 years in Stalin's times in the 1930s, notes that there were many Tatars with him in the camps. He writes very positively about them: they quickly found mutual language, supported, were like brothers in such hard times... Muslims and Orthodox have united, surviving in difficult conditions
- It turns out that in other regions less attention is paid to this topic - Old Believers and the revolution?
Six months have passed since the beginning of 2017, and nowhere - neither in Moscow nor anywhere else - was there. Tatarstan, one might say, distinguished itself in a good respect.
Although it may seem strange to someone that an Old Believer forum is being held in Tatarstan, since in the minds of ordinary people the republic is considered conditionally Muslim ...
Here we are talking about a century of repression and persecution. Muslims also overcame all these difficulties, persecution from the Soviet regime, destruction - everyone got it. Our Vladyka Gerontius, a bishop who served 10 years in Stalin's times in the 1930s, notes that there were many Tatars with him in the camps. He writes very positively about them: they quickly found a common language with him, supported, they were like brothers in such difficult times. Muslims and Orthodox have united, surviving in difficult conditions. This friendship helped him.
Today the conference was attended by representatives of other Old Believer accords, the Russian Orthodox Church and secular people. How did you manage to gather everyone under one roof?
I am only glad that these people have gathered here, who assess historical events from a spiritual point of view. Of course, Soviet times, our past are now being evaluated in different ways: the Communist Party from one angle, historians - from theirs, believers - from a third. And now, as we see, there is the most correct assessment - from a spiritual point of view: the commandments of God are violated or not. Of course, there were many sad violations that led to such events of the 30s as repressions, gulags - this is what we remember. Of course, all confessions talk about these sad, terrible days and years.
I think our president is trying to consolidate all strata of society, all religious traditional organizations, churches and turn to Russian history, which is closely related to the Old Believers.
"For the first time in 350 years after the split, the head of state visited us"
- You said that the government of Tatarstan pays attention to the Old Believers. A month ago, President Vladimir Putin also met with you. Why government Suddenly worried about questions of perhaps one of the most traditional confessions in Russia?
You rightly said about the most traditional confession. It's hard for me to say why they paid attention to us: they themselves choose. Probably, there is some kind of policy that someone approves and thinks out. We were just told that the president wants to visit. Of course, they were very happy with such attention, because both in the tsarist era of persecution (especially in the Romanov era), and in Soviet times, the Old Believers were persecuted: they were outlawed, subjected to various repressions. Therefore, the resettlement all over the world was due to persecution.
- Is this the first ever meeting of the country's leader with Old Believers?
Yes, for the first time in 350 years after the split, the head of state visited our spiritual historical center - a very large, important and significant event for us. Why did this happen? I think our president is trying to consolidate all strata of society, all religious traditional organizations, churches and turn to Russian history, which is closely related to the Old Believers. Old Believers were patriots of their homeland at all times - and in Time of Troubles 1612, and in the Patriotic War of 1812 with the French, and in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Old Believers have always been the defenders of their Fatherland. I think the president came to us in order to express his gratitude, his respect to the Russians from the Russians, the Orthodox from the Orthodox - the Old Believers. Also, probably, his goal was to get to know us, since it was the first time.
After this meeting, a humorous video with a dove appeared on the Internet, where you walk with Vladimir Vladimirovich. Have you seen him?
I saw it, of course.
- How do you feel about such jokes?
Every joke has some truth. Indeed, a pigeon flew off the bell tower right at Putin's feet, and he made a gesture, they say, look at which pigeon went to meet him. Then they added that the bird salutes with its left wing - such is the joke. In general, an interesting event, since the dove symbolizes the grace of the Holy Spirit in Orthodoxy, it is sometimes portrayed that way. Perhaps the Lord arranged it this way, it's hard for me to say. But that was really the case.
There was an interesting event last year in Moscow, in which the state took part: for the first time, all Old Believer consents gathered at a round table - non-popovtsy, a few more ramifications, the ACC. We met, got to know each other, talked - it was also a historical event
"We have no disputes with the Russian Orthodox Church"
- How are relations with the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) being built?
We have good-neighborly relations, quite peaceful. If in the tsarist times of the Romanovs and in Soviet times our church was persecuted and persecuted, our priests were imprisoned, churches were destroyed, now the state has removed to some extent from leading us, all the more so opposing one confession to another. We are traditional, we live in a relatively peaceful time. To some extent, we also receive help from the state in the matter of reviving spirituality, since the state, and here in Tatarstan the local government (we met), understand the importance of spiritual revival. Fight against passions, vices, bad habits(smoking, alcohol, drug addiction), with abortion - a common platform with the church you call the patriarch. We are discussing these issues together at conferences and together with the state we are trying to somehow resolve them. Our main business of the Church is prayer, but such social service takes place, including caring for the poor, homeless, sick, and visiting prisons.
- Nevertheless, you have some disputes with the ROC over the return of the temples ...
These disputes lasted until 2010, when there was no special law. Now, thank God, the churches that belonged to confessions are returning.
- And the Russian Orthodox Church does not lay its hand on your churches?
No. Peaceful coexistence. They are returning their churches, and we, as you can see, are returning ours. And we do not claim anyone's property. Thank God we returned this temple ( Metropolitan pointed to the restored Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God on the street. Old Believers, 17). So we have no such disputes.
And how do you contact other Old Believer confessions - the Old Orthodox Church, with the non-popovtsy?
There was an interesting event last year in Moscow, in which the state took part: for the first time, all Old Believer consents gathered at a round table - non-popovtsy, a few more ramifications, the ACC. We met, got to know each other, talked - it was also a historic event. Moreover, the state welcomed this event and supports our cooperation. We are preparing for the 400th anniversary of the birth of Archpriest Avvakum - this is our common saint, who laid down his life for the faith. He was born in 1620. That is, we will celebrate the 400th anniversary in 2020. We, Old Believers, priests and bespopovtsy, turned to President Putin with a letter of support throughout Russia for this date. President Putin supported and signed a positive resolution. Now with the Ministry of Culture, including in Tatarstan, we are coordinating activities in preparation for the anniversary. Such cooperation began quite recently, a year ago. And here, as we see, Old Believers of all accords have gathered - both priests and bespopovtsy.
Comparing with other regions, I can say: here the leader of the republic is in the forefront, who treats all confessions on an equal footing. He knows the history of the Old Believers well. And we see this support in business
How do you build relationships with other faiths? I am primarily interested in Muslims.
Here in Kazan, a very pertinent question is the revival of shrines. The temple in which the conference is now taking place was recently in a ruined state. The government of Tatarstan drew attention to this, we had several meetings with President Minnikhanov, with Shaimiev. Rustam Nurgalievich himself came here to the opening of the monument. This is a business cooperation, we are very pleased with the support of the Old Believers. Comparing with other regions, I can say: here the leader of the republic is in the forefront, who treats all confessions on an equal footing. He knows the history of the Old Believers well. And we see this support in action: assistance in recovery cathedral, the opening of the monument, the organization of meetings, exhibitions, today's conference. As we remember, Muslim leaders, representatives of the New Rite Church, and Catholics were also invited to the unveiling of the monument. Here is such a friendly, creative atmosphere reigning here.
- At least with the muftis, of whom there are dozens in the country, have you had meetings one-on-one?
We periodically meet, including with Talgat Tadzhuddin (Supreme Mufti, Chairman of the Central Muslim Council of Russia, - approx. ed.), but not tête-à-tête, but at official events. Once a quarter, the head of the presidential administration gathers us, representatives of confessions, in the Kremlin. We are discussing issues that are of interest to both the church and the state. Yes, we have a good relationship.
"Many Old Believers want to return to Russia"
- There is information that in 2018 Russia will host the World Old Believers Council. What kind of forum will it be?
I would not say that the cathedral is, rather, a congress. This is a continuation of the last year's roundtable discussion. Now we want to expand it by inviting more Old Believers. Among the topics that we raised before President Putin a month ago was the resettlement of Old Believers who fled to the tsarist and Soviet times abroad. There are communities in Latin America, Australia, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine. Many want to return to Russia. The President also approved. And our meeting will be devoted to creating conditions for the Old Believers to return to their homeland. This is a big and difficult question: there is no experience, colossal material and human resources are needed. Thank God, the president is interested in this issue. The ministry received from him the task of developing a program for the resettlement of Old Believers. This congress will, to some extent, sum up the results of promoting the return of Old Believers to their homeland.
Among the topics that we raised before President Putin a month ago was the resettlement of Old Believers who fled abroad during tsarist and Soviet times. There are communities in Latin America, Australia, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine. Many people want to return to Russia
- Where and when will it take place?
In Moscow, in the summer. WITH exact date will be determined.
- What consents have expressed a desire to take part?
Mostly priests and bespopovtsy, we also have the Russian Old Orthodox Church (RDC) with Patriarch Alexander - they will also be. It was these three agreements that held a round table, and now preparations are underway for a joint congress.
- Will co-religionists participate?
We mean only the Old Believers. The common believers today are under the spiritual subordination of the New Rite Church (ROC, - approx. ed.).
"Prince Vladimir can be called an Old Believer in a modern way"
- There was a scandal recently in Tatarstan when a number of priests of the Russian Orthodox Church refused to pray for Patriarch Kirill, accusing him of ecumenism and recalling his meeting with the Pope. Where is the line between dialogue and ecumenism?
I will not comment on what is happening in that church. They have their own questions, and we independently solve our questions of internal content. And ecumenism for the Old Believers is an unacceptable thing, it is that spiritual melting pot in which they want to unite all religions, to do something in common and thereby destroy the essence of Orthodoxy, to carry out some kind of reforms. The Old Believers just stand on this: no reforms are allowed. This is what our ancestors handed down to us, Holy Russia preserved in the Middle Ages - we keep all this. And ecumenism is trying to level everything, to do something general, incomprehensible, to create an amorphous mass and destroy faith. We, the Old Believers, have never participated in the ecumenist movement at all times. We, like you, act as outside observers in this matter - how we watch a match. This does not directly concern us, and we ourselves, thank God, are far from this ecumenical movement.
- How many Old Believers and Old Believer churches are there in Russia now?
Statistics say that there are about 200 churches in Russia, in Ukraine - 50, in Moldova - 30. There are churches and communities scattered abroad ... I'm talking about ours, the RPSTs. More recently, communities have emerged in Uganda. The communities in Pakistan are interested, have already arrived and have joined. For us, Old Believers, this is also an unusual picture - people from all over the world are interested in the Old Believers, and someone comes to a true saving faith.
The Old Believers just stand on this: no reforms are allowed. This is what our ancestors handed down to us, Holy Russia preserved in the Middle Ages - we keep all this. And ecumenism is trying to level everything, to do something common, incomprehensible, to create an amorphous mass and destroy faith
Experts emphasize that it is the Old Believers and Islam in Russia that are the fastest growing confessions. Others have slowed down or stalled growth ...
It's hard for us to judge. We answer before God and before our Church. We have some peculiarity that is difficult for others to understand. The Church is a community of the living and the dead. Of course, there are not so many of us now as before the revolution. But the Lord himself says: “Do not be afraid of the small flock, I am with you. Let those who keep the covenants of the Lord live according to his laws. " This is the flock of Christ. This is an aggregate, including those who passed away, having lived it in Orthodoxy. And true Orthodoxy was brought to Russia by Prince Vladimir. And all the saints before the schism, including Prince Vladimir, can be called Old Believers in a modern way. And if we talk about the number of Old Believers, then they talk about 1-2 million people. Official statistics, as you know, cannot fully reflect the real state of affairs. Someone further, who is closer to God, to the truth. Only the Lord can determine. Our business is to strive to live according to the laws of God, to save our soul, to help our society, our homeland on earth, and most importantly - to the Fatherland, which will be after this life - the Kingdom of Heaven. Each of us needs to prepare to meet the Lord in this eternal true life - the Kingdom of God.
Timur Rakhmatullin, photo by Oleg Tikhonov
