RUSSIAN OLD BELIEVER CHURCH
In 1666-1667 happened under Nikon schism in the Russian Orthodox Church. Nikon, in the first years of his patriarchate, when he was still supported by the tsar, began correcting the liturgical books. The task before the church was correct - to unify religious life throughout the country. This presupposed the same text of prayers, the same forms of magical rituals, and the same order of worship.Stoglavy Cathedral previously decided to make the sign of the cross with two fingers, and not with three fingers. The direction of the procession was set in the direction of the sun (along the direction of the Sun), and not against the Sun. In addition, it was prescribed to perform a double hallelujah, not a threefold one. Nikon overturned these decisions and ordered that “two” be replaced with “three”. But the clergy refused to follow Nikon’s instructions. They began to be called Old Believers. Nikon persecuted them for disobedience. The changes themselves were not worth the persecution to which the Old Believers were subjected. Nikon himself spoke about the old and newly corrected liturgical books: “Both of them are good; it doesn’t matter which way you want, you serve according to them.” He said this in a private conversation with Ivan Neronov. But in reality he pursued the Old Believers with fire and sword. Those of them who repented were reunited with the church and allowed to perform rituals in the old way. The main thing was to show power, to demonstrate that it was impossible to disobey spiritual authorities.
The scale of persecution was enormous. Not only many representatives of the city clergy, but also the princes opposed the innovations. The most famous of them Habakkuk. Old Believers were exiled to separate monasteries, their tongues were cut and they were beaten with whips. Blood and suffering flowed throughout vast Rus'. Avvakum, along with other defenders of the old faith, was stripped of his hair and sent to the Pustozersky prison. Here, in a damp pit, in cold and hunger, he had to remain until death. Many of those exiled had their tongues torn out. In 1682, Avvakum was burned alive in Pustozersk. The Solovetsky Monastery became the support of the Old Believers, where they refused to be guided by the new liturgical books. Troops were sent to suppress the rebellion and kept the monastery under siege for eight years.
IN In 1675, acts of self-immolation of Old Believers began. At least twenty thousand people died voluntarily in the fire. These self-immolations continued throughout the eighteenth century. They stopped only under Catherine II.
Since the beginning of the 18th century, the government has included the official church in the state system. From that time on, a systematic legislative restriction of the Old Believers began, who had been persecuted quite cruelly before, from the end of the 17th century. One of the forms of this struggle was an attempt to destroy existing ones and prohibit the production of new icons that would preserve images of two-fingered baptism, inscriptions rejected by the official church, and archaic iconography in general. This struggle was masked by a call to remove “incorrect” and “unskillful” icons from use. In 1723 (under Peter) a decree was issued to completely prohibit the use and production of metal icons. In practice, this decree was not implemented.
Peter I restored the Monastic Order for the management of all church and monastic property. This control passed to the state. Then he abolished the patriarchate and introduced a new order of government for the church, similar to the Protestant one. The Church began to be governed by the Spiritual Collegium. So the patriarchate was abolished and the state began to rule the church. Subsequently, Peter I installed the “Holy Government Synod” at the head of the church. It consisted of several senior church hierarchs. Cm. .
The Russian Orthodox Church was practically ruled by a tsar. It was state-owned on the territory of the Russian Empire. Leaving the Orthodox faith was considered a criminal offense. The church had a network of parish schools and diocesan schools. Orthodox theology was taught in higher education institutions.
November 9, 2000 marked two hundred years since the official establishment of Edinoverie (Old Believer) parishes within the Russian Orthodox Church by the Sovereign Emperor Paul I and the Holy Synod. They arose on the initiative of the Old Believers, who wanted to emerge from the schism while retaining their right to the Old Orthodox liturgical traditions. Edinoverie parishes are an inextricable part of the Orthodox Church and are canonically subordinate to its bishops. They preserve ancient liturgical regulations, two-fingered singing, and medieval unison znamenny singing.
SPASOVO CONSENT (NETOVSHCHINA, SPASOVSKY TALK)
One of the priestless directions of the Old Believers. It arose at the end of the 17th century in the middle Volga region (the Kerzhenets river, Yaroslavl and Kostroma provinces) and was initially not associated with the northern Bespopovtsy (Fedoseevtsy and Pomeranians).
Kozma Andreev is considered the founder of Spasov Consent. Adherents of Spasov's consent consider the legendary Kapiton Danilovsky their first teacher. There is other information that does not contradict, but complements the previous one.
One of the first teachers in Spasovism, monk Arseny in the late 70s of the 17th century. founded several hermitages in the forests on the Kerzhenets River in the Nizhny Novgorod province. Arseny and his followers recognized as true only those priests who were ordained before Nikon corrected the books. After the death of the last of them, the Arsenyevites became Bespopovites, while maintaining all the charters and customs of the Kerzhen Beglopopovtsy. Until the middle of the 18th century, Old Believers of the Arsenyev persuasion were still mentioned in Kerzhenets. Subsequently, the name “Spasovtsy” or “Netovtsy” was extended to them.
Other first teachers of Spasov consent at the beginning of the 18th century. on Kerzhenets there were two Kozmas - Andreev and Panfilov, who preached that now all the sacraments have been destroyed by the Antichrist, the priesthood and sacrifice have ceased: “God’s grace has been taken to heaven” and all that remains is “to resort to the Savior, who himself knows how to save us, the poor” . This direction later received the name “Kozminshchina” or “Netovshchina”.
We can confidently say that in the 18th century there were three trends in spasmic agreement:
a) the Spasovites themselves (“deaf netovshchina”), widespread in the Volga region and so called because they were not obvious, recorded Old Believers. They accepted baptism and marriage in the official Orthodox Church as a registration of legal status in order to avoid persecution by the dominant church and state;
b) the Arsenievites in the Nizhny Novgorod Trans-Volga region, who had only one feature in common with “dumb non-Tovism” - rejection of rebaptism when accepting into their faith;
c) unbaptized Spasovites or “non-peasants”, in contrast to the “dumb netovshchina”, who considered it impossible to resort to the Orthodox Church for baptism or marriage, and therefore refused all sacraments in general.
The Spasovites have moved very far away from other areas of non-priesthood and stand out among them for their religious indifference. Most of the Spasovites do not have houses of worship, mentors or rituals. From its followers, spasovo consent requires everyday asceticism, strict restrictions on food and drink, and also prohibits wearing motley and colored clothes.
Pavel Prussky notes that netovshchina surpasses other non-priestly agreements also in the outward severity of life. Abstinence is required, it is forbidden to eat foods prepared with yeast and with hops, potatoes, and it is forbidden to wear colorful, bright clothes. Netov’s zealots even have a saying: “Whoever wears a motley shirt means his soul is the sister of the Antichrist,” or also: “...what is not a speck of color is a servant of an imp.”
Suicide in the form of self-immolation was widespread among adherents of Spasov Consent.
There are a number of discrepancies within the Passov Concord due to different views on baptism and marriage. Supporters of deep non-Tovism perform baptism and marriage ceremonies in Orthodox churches and consider them as simple registration. For followers of grandmother's consent, children are baptized by their parents or midwives. Novospasovites and Denialists have mentors who perform rituals and conduct services. Self-baptizers believe that only a person himself can be baptized. Strict Netovites do without baptism at all. Non-Molyaks refused to use icons in their cult.
The total number of Spasovites at the end of the 20th century was about 100 thousand people living mainly in the Saratov, Nizhny Novgorod, Vladimir regions and the middle Volga region.
BELOKRINITSKOYE CONSENT
One of the most serious problems facing the Old Believers from the very beginning of the schism of the Russian Church was the lack of bishops of the same faith (the only bishop who opposed the reforms begun by Patriarch Nikon, Pavel Kolomensky, died ca. 1656). This circumstance eventually led to heated discussions among Old Believers about the possibility of borrowing the priesthood from the Russian Orthodox Church, the piety of which, according to the defenders of the “old faith,” suffered significantly from liturgical reforms. Soon the Old Believers were divided into Bespopovtsy, who refused priestly care, and Beglopopovtsy, who accepted priests (fugitive priests) who had converted from the Orthodox Church. Churches. Due to the almost constant shortage of priests, as well as the often dubious moral qualities of fugitive priests, the Old Believers-priests had an inherent desire to acquire their own bishop and, thus, have a tripartite church hierarchy. The first attempt was made by the Starodub and Vetkovo Beglopopovites, who turned to Metropolitan Yassy in 1730. Anthony with a request to consecrate a monk chosen from among the Old Believers as bishop. Since Met. Anthony was slow to answer; the following year, the Old Believers asked the same thing to Patriarch Paisius II of Poland, who was in Iasi, but their appeal was not successful. In 1765, at a council in Moscow, priests and non-priests decided to no avail whether it was possible, on the basis of what was in ancient Russia. Church precedent - the installation in 1147 of the Kyiv Metropolitan. Clement Smolyatich with the head of Clement, Pope of Rome, to ordain an Old Believer bishop with the help of the relics of one of the Moscow saints - Metropolitan Jonah or Philip (Kolychev). Soon after this, the priests made requests to appoint a bishop to the cargo. the archbishop, the Crimean metropolitan, was invited to come to them of certain Russians. archpastors, in particular St. Tikhon (Sokolova). However, all these attempts were unsuccessful. In some cases, the Old Believers' search for their bishop led to the emergence of false bishops-adventurers - Afinogen and Anfim in the 18th century, Arkady "Belovodsky" in the 19th century.
Tough anti-Old Believer measures by the imperial government. Nicholas I, supported by relevant legislative acts, threatened the very existence of the Beglopopovshchina and forced the Old Believers to energetically search for their own bishop. OK. 1828/29 abbot of the Kurenevsky monastery in Podolsk province. Heraclius with 15 Old Believer monks, in search of an “Old Orthodox” bishop, traveled throughout Turkey and even reached Egypt. In 1832, at the Rogozhskoye cemetery in Moscow, in the presence of representatives from Vetka, Irgiz, Kerzhenets, Starodubye and other communities, it was decided to make every effort to acquire their own bishop. The many-year search for a bishop, undertaken by the Old Believer monks Pavel (Velikodvorsky) and Alimpy (Miloradov), led to joining the Old Believers on October 28 (or 29). 1846 through Confirmation and renunciation of “heresies” by the retired Greek. Metropolitan Ambrose.
Metropolitan Ambrose
This event caused a mixed reaction among foreign Old Believers, some of whom refused to submit to Ambrose. One of the reasons for the non-recognition of Ambrose was the doubt (expressed even before the metropolitan’s accession) about the existence of three-immersion Baptism in the Greek Church. In Aug. 1847 M. Ivanov, charter director of the Sarykoy community, “on behalf of the entire community of Nekrasovites living in the Turkish state,” sent a letter to Moscow, under which more than 40 people signed. The message said that “in the city of Yunus [Enos], where Mr. Metropolitan Ambrose was born, and even in all of Greece there is no true tremulous Baptism” (OR RSL. F. 247. No. 288. L. 41, 42, 50v.). The letter sowed confusion in Moscow; the Moscow tradesman I. Lvov and the St. Petersburg merchant Volkov were sent to Turkey to clarify the exact state of affairs.
Doubts about the correctness of the Greek. Baptisms were the reason for the creation by Paul (Velikodvorsky) of numerous works devoted to this problem. Justifying the search for a bishop in Greek. Church, Paul in his letters from abroad persistently pointed out that among the Greeks Baptism is performed in 3 immersions (for example, his letter from Jerusalem dated December 3, 1845 - Subbotin. Correspondence. 1. pp. 36-38). A special study “On immersive Baptism in the Greeks” was included by Paul in “A Brief Consideration on Some Faiths” (OR RSL. F. 247. No. 739. L. 27ob.-31; 1846), prepared by him for the council, in which The question of the order of reception of Ambrose was being decided. The latter, together with the monks Paul and Alimpius, at the council on October 27 (according to other sources, 28). 1846, held in Belaya Krinitsa, he personally testified that in the Greek Church Baptism is performed in 3 immersions. Comparing the rites of Baptism in the Greek and Russian Churches, Paul came to the conclusion that the first “sinned” against Orthodoxy much less than the second, in which baptism is supposedly performed through pouring. This served as the starting point for Paul to justify the need to accept Ambrose into the Old Believers “from the Greeks” as the 3rd rank, and not the 2nd (as happened in reality), an opinion to which Paul remained faithful until his death (May 5, 1854 ). There are two more known works by the monk Paul devoted to this problem: “Assurance to a doubting friend” (OR RSL. F. 247. No. 739. L. 2-13ob.; 1846-1849) and “Objection from the Ancient Orthodox Church to the arguments of those who doubt and reject Christ-devoted priesthood, due to the supposedly all-embracing pouring of the Greeks at Baptism, from where, on the basis of the patristic rules, the Greek Metropolitan Ambrosius, who joined our Orthodox faith, was received" (OR RSL. F. 247. No. 265. L. 153v.- 266v.; 1849- 1854).
Those who doubted the truth of the Greek. At baptisms, the Old Believers referred to Arseny (Sukhanov’s) Proscinitary. Pavel in op. “On three-immersion Baptism in the Greeks” (OR RSL. F. 247. No. 396; 1849-1854) showed that the “Proskinitary” does not talk about immersion baptism in the Greek Church. This is proven even more convincingly in the Old Believer Op. “A brief account of the initial establishment... of the sacred hierarchy” (author unknown, 1861; OR RSL. F. 247. No. 288). Indeed, this topic was discussed in detail by Arseny (Sukhanov) in another work - “Debate with the Greeks about Faiths”, which in some lists is called “Proscinitary”. Arseny's conversation with the Patriarch of Alexandria testified not to the fact that the Greek Church introduced pouring baptism, but to the fact that in exceptional cases the ritual side of the sacrament could be changed. However, this did not stop Arseny from concluding that “the Greeks no longer have Christianity” (OR NB MSU. No. 1519. L. 8). The long and intense controversy within the Old Believers on the issue of baptism in the Greek Church is largely explained by the fact that the Old Believers did not make a clear distinction between dogmas and rituals. Monk Pavel Belokrinitsky in the mentioned “Brief Consideration” classifies the acceptance of pouring baptism as “sins in the dogmas of church law” (OR RSL. F. 247. No. 265. L. 291ob.-292). It should be noted that when constructing their own dogma, Old Believer authors often referred specifically to deviations from the usual practice of the Church when performing one or another rite.
Paul's ideas in defense of B. and. received a completed form in the extensive work “Debate with the Bezpopovtsy about the priesthood” (“Ten Epistles to the Bezpopovtsy”; 1852-1854; OR RSL. F. 247. No. 225, 531, 857), created during a polemic with Paul of Prussia. Answering the latter’s question whether the grace of the Holy Spirit descends on “heretical” ordination (this also means ordinations performed in the post-Nikon era in the Russian and Greek Churches), Pavel Belokrinitsky developed his theory about the types of grace. In his opinion, the grace given in the sacrament of the Priesthood is of 2 types: “rewarding” (“ordained”), perceived by both “Orthodox” and “heretical” clergy through the correct performance of the rite of the sacrament (its “impersonation”), and “ affirmative" grace, which is not outside of "Orthodoxy" (Old Believers). “High-ranking” grace is insufficient; the “heretical” cleric who possesses it can fill it with “affirmative” grace by turning to the Old Believer Church: the grace of the Holy Spirit descends on him at the moment when the “Orthodox” priest (or bishop) anoints him with chrism and places hand on him. This theory had many supporters among the Belokrinitsky polemicists and dominated the ideology of consent until the beginning. 80s XIX century, when (1840-1908), developing the ideas of Paul, he proposed a new doctrine of the sacraments. Traces of this theory are found more than half a century later in the report of the 1st Congress of Russian brotherhoods, where the question of whether the grace of the Holy Spirit descends on the ordination and baptism of heretics is given a direct answer: “It descends... upon their inclusion in the church” (ORRK BAN. F. 75. No. 198. L. 4-4v.). (At the beginning of the 20th century, similar ideas, perhaps under the influence of the Old Believers, were developed by the bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Anthony (Khrapovitsky) and the martyr Hilarion (Troitsky) - in the doctrine of the unification of the heterodox.) Under the influence of the writings of Pavel Belokrinitsky (in particular, “A Brief Review of All religions”), the reader S. Semenov in 1860 wrote a voluminous work “Ancient Orthodox Church exposition on the acceptance of heresies coming from heresies and a refutation of the teachings of the non-priests on this subject” (OR RSL. F. 247. No. 114, 112; ORRK BAN. F. 75 . No. 94), which consists of a large number of extracts from various texts related to the problem of receiving rites of non-Orthodox people.
The first news of the emergence of B. and. rus. the government received in March 1847 thanks to a report to the Synod of Pavel (Podlipsky), Archbishop. Chernigovsky and Nezhinsky, about the distribution in Novozybkovsky district. rumors that the Austrian the emperor granted the Old Believers “an archbishop of their own, separate from the others, and such as the schismatics desired, and in fact with all the previous rights, and from him the ordained priesthood” (RGIA. F. 796. Op. 128. D. No. 2167. L. 1ob ., 3-4.). 28 Apr archbishop Paul reported to the Synod the name of Ambrose and the ordinations he had performed. Certain details (however, already known to the government) were received from the rector of the Belokrinitsky monastery, Archimandrite, who was arrested on May 28, 1847. Gerontius (Leonov), sent from Belaya Krinitsa to the Old Believers in Russia with a message about the accession of Metropolitan. Ambrose and fundraising. Rus. The government demanded the removal of Ambrose from the Old Believer monastery, the Synod turned to the K-Polish Patriarch Anfim VI with a request to return the metropolitan to the fold of the K-Polish Church. Austrian the government expelled Ambrose to the city of Cilli (modern Celje, Slovenia), where he, however, continued to maintain relations with the Old Believers. Measures Russian governments were also unable to stop the “malign influence of the foreign schism on Russia”: in 1847, a project circulated among Russian Old Believers that was to appeal to the Emperor. Nicholas I with a request for permission to establish an Old Believer bishop's department in Russia “in the image and likeness” of the foreign hierarchy (RGIA. F. 796. Op. 128. D. No. 2167; Op. 147. D. No. 538, etc.). It is possible that these hopes, along with the controversy about pouring baptism in the Greek Church, were the reason why the appearance of the Belokrinitsky priesthood in Russia was delayed for several years. years.
During his short stay in Belaya Krinitsa (from October 12, 1846 to December 6, 1847), Metropolitan. Ambrose elevated 10 people to various degrees of priesthood. One of his main affairs was to appoint a successor for himself, which was specifically stipulated in the “Conditions” signed by the Greek. Metropolitan and Old Believers. 6 Jan 1847 Hieromonk Kiril (Timofeev) was ordained bishop of the village by Ambrose. Mainos (settlement of Nekrasovites in Turkey), February 8. Kiril was appointed vicar of the Belokrinitsky Metropolis. Aug 24 1847 Ambrose and Kiril ordained Arkady (Dorofeev) Bishop of Slava (modern Slava-Ruse, Romania). Aug 28 1848 Kiril single-handedly ordained Onufriy (Parusov) Bishop of Brailovsky (modern Braila, Romania). 3 Jan 1849 Cyril and Onufry installed Sophrony (Zhirov) Bishop of Simbirsk. 4 Jan Onuphry and Sophrony elevated Kiril to the rank of Metropolitan of Belokrinitsky (at the same time, in accordance with the practice of the Russian Church until the mid-17th century, the rite of episcopal consecration was repeated), Onuphry became the vicar of the metropolis. In June of the same year, the Belokrinitsky spiritual authorities became concerned about finding a “worthy person” for the empty Mainos diocese, however, how these efforts ended is unknown.
Initially, Arkady Slavsky did not recognize the elevation of Kiril to the rank of metropolitan. For negotiations with Arkady in the village. Pavel (Velikodvorsky) and Onufriy Brailovsky went to Slava. As a result, in Aug.-Sept. In 1850, the Tulchin diocese was established (modern Tulcea, Romania), and the priest of the Slavsk monastery Alimpiy (Veprintsev) was appointed its bishop with the duties of vicar Arkady (Dorofeev). 28 Sep. the same year, Bishops Alimpiy Tulchinsky and Onufriy Brailovsky erected Slavsky bishop. Arkady to the rank of archbishop (with a repetition of the episcopal consecration), Arkady was given the right “to have under his jurisdiction... all the dioceses of the same faith that now exist and may still be established in the future, located along the Danube River on the right side, and has the right to supply to these dioceses bishops" (quoted from: Subbotin. History of the so-called Austrian, or Belokrinitsky, priesthood. Issue 2. P. 299). Arkady, for his part, recognized Kiril as metropolitan. After the transition Russian troops of the Danube in April. 1854 bishop Alimpy Tulchinsky, Archbishop. Arkady Slavsky, as well as priest. Fyodor Semenov were arrested, sent to Russia and imprisoned in the Suzdal Spaso-Evfimiev Monastery (Bishop Alimpiy died in the monastery on August 25, 1859, Archbishop Arkady was released in 1881). Arkady (Shaposhnikov) succeeded Arkady (Dorofeev) at the Slavic department at the end of the Crimean War, January 1. 1854, appointed by Arkady and Alimpy as “bishop of wandering Christians, exarch of Nekrasov.” The 2nd Bishop of Tulchin was Justin (installed in 1861) before he joined the Edinoverie in 1867.
In 1853, an unsuccessful attempt was made to establish a province in Chernigov. Novozybkovsky diocese. Delivered 17 Feb. Novozybkovsky Bishop Spiridon turned out to be so unworthy of his rank that less than a week later, on February 23, he was forbidden to officiate, and on August 7. That same year, a trial took place over him in Belaya Krinitsa, by which decision he was deposed. The new Bishop Konon (Durakov) was ordained in 1855, October 16. In 1858, he was arrested and imprisoned in the Spaso-Evfimiev Monastery, where Arkady (Dorofeev) and Alimpy (Veprintsev) were already imprisoned. In 1854, the Vaslui diocese was established in Moldova, at the head of which was first a bishop, then an archbishop. archim. Belokrinitsky Monastery Arkady; after he was transferred to Izmail. After the short-term management of the Vaslu diocese by Gennady (Belyaev) at the end. 80s XIX century the diocese remained without a bishop until 1922. Since the 60s. XIX century The influence of the Belokrinitsky Metropolis on the church-hierarchical affairs of the Old Believers in Russia noticeably decreased, and the Russian hierarchy began to play a leading role in the history of consent.
The first bishop ordained in Belaya Krinitsa for Russian Old Believers is the Bishop of Simbirsk. Sophrony (Zhirov) - had the right to correct the services not only in his diocese, but throughout Russia; after the arrival in a certain diocese of a bishop ordained in Belaya Krinitsa, Sophrony had to stop performing sacred rites in it (OR RSL. F. 247. No. 24 L. 87-87v.); On May 1, 1850, Sophrony was given permission to install 2 bishops in Russia at his own discretion. Since Sophrony was noticed in abuses (simony, covetousness, etc.), in February. 1853 Vladimir Archbishop was installed in Belaya Krinitsa. Anthony (Shutov), who was given even broader powers to manage church-hierarchical affairs in Russia, February 9. the same year, Sophrony was forbidden to appoint bishops in Russia and was asked to affix his signature to the “Charter established for the Vladimir Archdiocese” (OR RSL. F. 247. No. 24. L. 89ob.-90.). Nevertheless, in 1854 Sophrony, together with his protege Vitaly, bishop. Uralsky, elevated the fugitive Cossack I. Brednev to the “Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.” Sophrony himself became Metropolitan of Kazan, Vitaly - Metropolitan of Novgorod. All these orders, of course, were not recognized either by foreign or Russian Old Believer bishops. In 1856, Metropolitan. Cyril sent Sophronius a ban on performing sacred acts; in 1858, the latter brought repentance to the “consecrated assembly” of bishops Onuphrius, Paphnutius of Kazan and Archbishop. Anthony of Vladimir and asked to be sent to Kazan. On Nov. 1861 Sophrony received control of the Novozybkov diocese (vacant after the arrest of Bishop Konon in 1858), but his future. the congregation opposed this appointment, and it did not take place. On June 12, 1862, Sophrony was returned to the Simbirsk diocese; on June 20, the Spiritual Council under the Moscow Archbishop asked Sophrony to accept the Penza, Tambov and Voronezh dioceses into temporary administration. In a letter dated Oct. 1862 Sophrony refused the appointment and asked to leave him in Kazan, arguing that the Kazan bishop. Paphnutius (Shikin) allegedly renounced this diocese. On Nov. That same year, Sophrony, having arrived in Moscow, proclaimed himself “Bishop of Moscow and All Russia.” 18 Jan 1863 The Spiritual Council destroyed the letters issued to Sophrony, the Simbirsk diocese passed into the temporary control of the Saratov bishop. Athanasius (Kulibin), Penza, Tambov and Voronezh - “under the jurisdiction of the administrator of the church-hierarchical affairs of the saint” (OR RSL. F. 247. No. 25. L. 359 rev. - 363). In June 1863, Sophrony was charged with 12 points, in response to which he refused to recognize the council of bishops of B. and. operating in Moscow. legal. On July 29, 1863, by the resolution of the council, signed by 7 Russian and 2 foreign bishops, Sophrony was deposed.
In fact, the beginning of B. and. in Russia it was founded by Anthony (Shutov). Having become Archbishop of Vladimir, Anthony received the right to establish dioceses and install bishops in them not only throughout Russia, but also in Persia, notifying the Belokrinitsky Metropolis about this. Diploma of Metropolitan Kirila from 25 Nov. 1859 Anthony was declared Archbishop of Moscow and All Russia, to whom all Russian hierarchs must submit. Aug 10 1861 Archbishop. Anthony resigned from the management of church-hierarchical affairs in Russia, because many. the bishops did not accept the letter of Metropolitan. Kirila. 18 Feb 1863 Anthony, by decision of the council, again took control of the Russian Old Believers of the Belokrinitsky consent. By the end of the archbishop’s life († Nov. 8, 1881), there were 14 dioceses of B. and. in Russia: Moscow-Vladimir, Kolomna, Nizhny Novgorod-Kostroma, Novozybkov, Kazan-Vyatka, Samara-Simbirsk, Saratov-Astrakhan, Perm, Tobolsk-Siberian , Don-Caucasus, Ural-Orenburg, Baltovo-Kiev, Izmail-Bessarabian, Kaluga-Smolensk (the list did not include the short-lived Tula diocese, not recognized by the Russian Old Believer bishops, founded by Metropolitan Kirill in 1863), most of them were established by Anthony . During his bishopric, Anthony ordained over 200 Old Believer priests. Not only did he never take money for ordination, but, on the contrary, he gave the newly ordained clergy books, vestments, utensils, and sometimes even camp churches. In addition, Anthony made significant monetary donations to foreign monasteries and churches.
Aug 23 1861, after Anthony (Shutov) resigned from the leadership of the Russian Old Believers, the Council of Bishops in Moscow made a decision, which can be considered as a declaration of independence of the Russian Old Believers from the Belokrinitsky Metropolis - 7 Russian bishops and 5 priests decided to elect the saint to The Moscow throne is independent of the metropolis. Saratov Bishop Afanasy (Kulibin) was elected Moscow Archbishop, Anthony (Shutov) was supposed to go to Vladimir. The council also decided that bishops should meet once a year; in the intervals between councils, all matters are decided by the Spiritual Council under the Archbishop of Moscow. In addition, the archbishop is obliged to appoint a vicar; in the absence of the first hierarch, a locum tenens for the Moscow throne must be appointed. Ep. Afanasy Aug 25 1861 put forward 7 conditions to the Old Believers (concerning a number of ritual issues, as well as deanery), until which were fulfilled he would not occupy the Moscow see. 17 Sep. The council decided to appoint a locum tenens; a month later, the election of Athanasius was canceled.
In con. In 1861, the abbot of the Belokrinitsky Metropolis, Bishop. Onufriy (Parusov). Metropolitan Kiril instructed him to organize the affairs of the Russian Old Believers of the Belokrinitsky consent, and first of all to elevate the bishop to the Moscow throne, and also to establish a Spiritual Council in Moscow. 20 Jan. In 1862, the “Conciliar Resolution for the future leadership of the established Spiritual Council” was adopted. The new “Rules for the leadership of the Moscow Spiritual Council” were approved on February 18. 1863 On the same day, a council of Russian bishops chaired by Metropolitan. Kiril, who arrived in Moscow at the beginning. month, again presented by the archbishop. Anthony management of church-hierarchical affairs in Russia. On July 2 of the same year, Anthony was elected to the Moscow throne with the title “Archbishop of Moscow and Vladimir”, and he was entrusted with the management of the Russian Old Believer Church with the participation of the Spiritual Council under his chairmanship. On July 9, 1863, members of the Spiritual Council were also elected: bishop. Pafnuty Kazansky, priests Pyotr Fedorovich, Pavel Kozmich, Maxim Semenovich.
Old Believer saints
One of the burning topics in modern Russia is Old Believers. In the difficult times for Rus' that followed the period of Troubles, the Orthodox Church was led by Patriarch Nikon. Many boyars then looked with lust at the West, which attracted them with new ways of enrichment and free morals, but still remained the soul of the people.
Residence of the Russian
Orthodox
Old Believer Church
The Patriarch, taking advantage of the enormous power granted to him by Tsar Alexei Romanov, set about reforming church rites according to the Greek model with the goal of bringing the Russian Church closer to the Byzantine Church as opposed to Western Catholicism. At the same time, the foundations of Orthodoxy were not touched upon. In 1653 – 1660 Patriarch Nikon made some changes to Russian Orthodox traditions: he suggested putting three fingers together (with three fingers), making bows from the waist (instead of kneeling), walking in procession against the sun (before that it was the other way around - in the direction of the sun), singing “Hallelujah” three times , and not twice, and to serve the proskomedia on five prosphoras instead of seven, he also changed other rituals. All this was not very significant for spiritual life, but the people who had no education (it practically did not exist in Rus'), and part of the priesthood, perceived the reforms as an attack on ancient Russian traditions, practically the creation of a “new faith.” Naturally, among other things, many personal and political ambitions intersected here, as a result of the combination of which a schism arose in the ranks of the Orthodox Church, known to us as Old Believers.
Intercession Cathedral
in Zamoskvorechye
Russian Ancient Orthodox
Churches
The main problem of the intra-church split was the lack of flexibility on both sides. Those in power persecuted as heretics those who refused to perform the new ritual actions. The schismatics (as they came to be called), insisting on the importance of the ritual side, showed that for them everyday traditions are much more important than the Church itself, its spirit and unity.
Initially, he became a hostage to the situation when there was not a single bishop in his ranks who could ordain to the priesthood. Pavel Kolomensky, the only bishop who supported the schism, died back in 1654, completely beheading the Old Believers, who in their midst were also divided into 2 movements: priests and non-priests.
The Bespopovites considered the grace of God to have abandoned the Russian Orthodox Church; they fled from persecution into the wilderness, where they created different communities that had significant differences, called concords. In some ways it was reminiscent of a sect.
The priests, however, feeling the need for priests, agreed to accept any bishop or simple priest after his renunciation of “Nikonianism” (as they called the faith of the official Russian Orthodox Church). The priests, in turn, also began to be divided into agreements - the Beglopopovsky (Old Orthodox) and Belokrinitsky (actually Old Believer), and co-religionists.
Assumption Church
Ancient Orthodox
Churches of Russia
in Kursk
The Beglopopovites, who were not included in the Belokrinitsky hierarchy, formed their own Church back in 1923. This is how it appeared Russian Ancient Orthodox Church(RDC) led by Archbishop Nikola (Pozdnev) of Saratov. The center, accordingly, was initially located in Saratov, then in Moscow, Kuibyshev, Novozybkov. In 1990, the Intercession Cathedral in Zamoskvorechye (Novokuznetskaya St.) was transferred to the Moscow community, and in 2002, Patriarch Alexander (Kalinin) was elected in the Ancient Orthodox Church.
In 1999, the RDC also split; Old Orthodox Church of Russia And with its center in Kursk.
Rogozhsky village, or Rogozhskaya Sloboda, is a very unique and unexpected area of Moscow. This is the center of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church, the spiritual center of one of the branches of the Old Believers - the priesthood of the Belokrinitsky consent. And all around there is a metropolis: high-rise buildings, an industrial zone, an overpass of the Third Transport Ring. Old Believers have settled here since the 17th century. During the plague epidemic of 1771, all cemeteries within the city were closed, and the dead were buried in mass graves outside the outposts. So, not far from the Rogozhskaya outpost, such a cemetery was created where the Old Believers-priests were buried. After the epidemic, Catherine II, in gratitude to the Old Believers-merchants who did a lot to fight the plague, allowed the construction of two stone churches near the cemetery - a summer one and a winter one. Gradually, an entire Old Believer village formed and grew here with its own special way of life, where, according to the recollections of contemporaries, morals and customs were sharply different from the rest of Moscow.
Temples of Rogozhskaya Sloboda
Initially, after the permission of Catherine II, a temple in the name of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary or the Intercession Cathedral was erected in Rogozhskaya Sloboda. This is the main cathedral church of the Rogozhsky community. Most Old Believer churches in Rus' were consecrated in the name of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, since it was believed that it was her patronage that helped the Old Believer church overcome hardships and adversity.
The temple was built in 1790-1792 by the outstanding Russian architect Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov in the classicism style. During the construction of the temple, it turned out that it was larger in area than the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin. Therefore, at the direction of Empress Catherine II, the temple was “shortened”: instead of five domes, they left one on the church, dismantled the altar ledges, and shortened the spire. The interior decoration of the cathedral was impressive: the walls and vaults were painted in the ancient Russian style, the temple was decorated with huge candlesticks, lamps, and chandeliers. The cathedral housed a rich collection of ancient Russian icons from the 13th to 17th centuries.
For two centuries, the Intercession Cathedral was the largest Orthodox church in Moscow, accommodating up to seven thousand believers at a time. Only the construction and reconstruction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior twice moved it to second place among Christian churches in terms of area. However, we must admit that in terms of spiritual value and prayer, this is certainly one of the most significant churches in the capital and the country as a whole.
To this day, frescoes and icons have been preserved in the Intercession Cathedral in almost their original form, including in the iconostasis there is an icon attributed to the students of Andrei Rublev. The temple also houses hundreds of authentic Orthodox shrines and relics collected over many years. The Intercession Cathedral is illuminated by silver chandeliers from Catherine's times, not converted to electric lighting (!!!). Before the start of the service, the candles on the chandeliers are lit manually (!) using a special wooden ladder on wheels, triangular in shape, similar to a children's slide. And the temple also has wooden, unpainted, cleanly scrubbed floors (the last time I saw this was 20-30 years ago in the countryside)! All this creates some kind of extraordinary, fabulous, and at the same time homely cozy atmosphere.
Next to the summer Intercession Cathedral is the winter Church of the Nativity of Christ
It was built in 1804 according to the design of the architect I.D. Zhukov. In the 1920s, the temple was closed, the dome and rotunda were dismantled. At various times, there was a canteen for workers, factory workshops, a bomb shelter and even a slot machine base for Soyuzattraktsion. It is clear that the interiors have not been preserved. Nowadays services are held here infrequently.
Closer to the Rogozhskoe cemetery there is a temple in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (Nicholas of Myra at the Rogozhskoe cemetery). On this site, first in 1771, an Old Believer wooden chapel was built, which was later replaced by a temple in the classicist style, and later, in 1864, rebuilt in the pseudo-Russian style. During these same years, a three-tier bell tower was built. During Soviet times, the temple was not closed. Currently, the temple does not belong to the Old Believer community; it is a parish of the same faith, the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.
The restored temple can be viewed like a painted toy, like a bright fairy-tale fantasy from childhood. There is such a porch on each side of the bell tower...
...the windows are so intricately designed...
... this is how the domes are intricately decorated and this is what the bell tower looks like as a whole
Truly the pearl of the architectural ensemble of Rogozhskaya Sloboda is the bell tower church in the name of the Resurrection of Christ. Majestic and graceful, inexpressibly beautiful and harmonious, with its aspiration to the heavens resembling a spaceship at the start, its silhouette evoking images of ancient Russian churches, the bell tower of Rogozhskaya Sloboda is an undoubted masterpiece of religious architecture, perhaps not so replicated and clearly underestimated from a tourist point of view
In 1856, the tsarist government sealed the altars of the summer and winter churches, and converted the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, built by that time, into a co-religion church. Only in 1905, on the basis of the Tsar’s manifesto on religious tolerance, Rogozhsky churches were opened. It was in memory of the unsealing of the altars of local churches that the bell tower church in the name of the Resurrection of Christ was erected in 1906–1913 (architect F. I. Gornostaev). In 1949, the temple was re-dedicated in the name of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and at the beginning of 2015 - back to its original dedication to the Resurrection of Christ. Initially, during construction, bells weighing 1000, 360 and 200 pounds were installed on the bell tower. In the 1920s they were removed and sent for melting down, and the church was closed. After restoration in 1990, a bell weighing 262 pounds 38 pounds (4293 kg) was raised to the bell tower. This bell, cast in 1910, has been kept in the Moscow Art Theater since the 1930s.
The height of the bell tower is about 80 meters, which is only a meter lower than the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in the Kremlin, above which it was prohibited to build in Moscow for centuries. But, as the guide told us, there is a persistent opinion among Old Believers that the bell tower of the Rogozhsky village is only one brick lower than Ivan the Great, or even lower than the Kremlin bell tower only according to documents, but in fact it is equal or higher. In addition to its extremely harmonious proportions, the bell tower is memorable for its elegant carvings.
The belfry arch is decorated with relief images of a pelican. Previously, it was believed that the pelican fed its chicks with its blood, so it served as a symbol of parental love.
During the Soviet period, most of the territory of the Rogozhsky village was used for the construction of buildings for a plant of automatic lines and special machines. According to data gleaned from the Internet, in 1995 the Moscow government approved a plan for the reconstruction of the historical and architectural ensemble of Rogozhskaya Sloboda, and in 2011 canceled this plan. I can personally testify that restoration work was carried out here even before 2011, and recently, literally in 2014-15, noticeable changes took place. Compare these two photos. Note the dome of the bell tower
This is just an illustration of the transformation of the temple in recent years: the first photo was taken in 2013, and the second in 2016. The following point is especially noteworthy here. Recently, modern technologies and materials have become widely used in the construction of religious buildings. In particular, church domes are often covered with titanium alloy; an example of this is the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. But the Old Believer community is faithful to the traditions of their ancestors - the domes of the bell tower of the Rogozhsky village were covered with gold leaf. So, driving along the Third Transport Ring, between Nizhegorodskaya Street and Entuziastov Highway, on the outside, pay attention to the uniquely shaped, slender, beautiful bell tower.
Old Believer Fair
From my own experience, I will say that the most interesting time to visit Rogozhskaya Sloboda is on the feast of the Week of the Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women, when an Old Believer fair is held here. You will get a double impression: both from the architectural beauty and from being, I’m not afraid of this comparison, in a different reality. See for yourself. On the day of the fair, a market opens on the territory of the village, where bearded men in blouses trade, and women and girls walk around exclusively in sundresses and headscarves - pay attention to the appearance of the people in this photo and in the following photographs.
At the fair you can buy (or just look at) clothes like this...
... homespun (!!) canvases...
...hand embroidered towels...
… wooden Toys…
...a variety of household utensils...
... and even a cart!
Live geese brought for sale await their fate in the shade
Products from Altai are also widely represented at the fair: honey, herbal infusions and teas, balms, etc.
This holiday is celebrated annually on the second Sunday after Easter, i.e. sometime in May. Besides, again from my experience, the best time to photograph here is in the summer.
If you didn’t make it to the fair, you can take advantage of two year-round shops that are located nearby, on the road to the village from Nizhegorodskaya Street. One shop sells different types of beekeeping products, herbal teas and other products. The other - clothes, shoes, literature, handicrafts and household items like what was presented at the fair. Below I will tell you how to find them.
How to get to Rogozhsky village
Getting to the Rogozhsky village by public transport is somewhat problematic, because there are no metro stations nearby and you need to transfer to ground transport. When visiting the village on a tour several years ago, we traveled from the Marksistskaya metro station by trolleybus. This, by the way, is quite a profitable option, because here you can use several buses and trolleybuses, but it takes a long time to walk. There is much less ground transport from the Aviamotornaya or Ploshchad Ilyich metro stations. The Central Circle opens up favorable prospects for us: several buses and trolleybuses go from the Nizhegorodskaya MCC station, and the ride is much closer, literally the next stop. Both from Marksistkaya and from Nizhegorodskaya, transport goes along Nizhegorodskaya street and you approach the village from the south. This is how to go from the “Modern University” stop if you are coming from the Marksistskaya metro station
This is how to go from the stop “Platform Kalitniki - Staroobryadcheskaya Street” if you are coming from the Nizhegorodskaya MCC station
Below on the map of the Rogozhsky village the South Gate is indicated (marked with the number 18). They are usually closed, the entrance gates are located to the left, which is why the route to them is laid out on the maps above
Scheme of the historical and architectural complex “Rogozhsky village”
On the left, along Staroobryadcheskaya Street, the Holy Gates are marked with number 17 on the diagram. Near them there is a bus stop coming from the Entuziastov Highway, i.e. from the metro station Aviamotornaya or Ploshchad Ilyich. By the way, it is at these gates (inside) that the fair takes place.
There are a lot of parking lots for cars here and, what’s nice, many are free. So, there is parking along Staroobryadcheskaya Street (as it is called on the diagram), also known as Rogozhsky Village Street (on the map). But during the fair, these parking lots are usually occupied. There is a large parking lot at the corner of the Rogozhskoye Cemetery and Staroobryadcheskaya Street, where the number 1 appears on the diagram. In addition, there is parking on the northern side of the Rogozhskoye Cemetery, along Petrovsky Proezd.
On the fence of the village near the gate there are rules stating that the hours for visiting the complex are from 7.00 to 22.00. That is, we can conclude that the gates are locked at night. Also on the territory of the village it is forbidden to smoke, use foul language, be with dogs and other animals, and ride bicycles (except for preschool ones). Strollers are allowed.
IMPORTANT! The following notices hang on the doors of Old Believer churches in the Rogozhsky village:
“Visiting churches by non-Old Believers is possible provided they comply with the rules of dress and behavior adopted in Old Orthodox churches:
Women must wear skirts below the knees, long sleeves and a headscarf. Hats, scarves and makeup are not suitable.
Men must wear trousers and long sleeves. Everyone must have closed shoes on their feet, and for women - without high heels.
Some places of worship, for example, the Divine Liturgy, are required to be performed only among fellow Christians, so visitors will be asked to leave the church for a while. Also, during certain moments of the service it is forbidden to enter and move around the temple, so those unfamiliar with the Old Orthodox charter should stay close to the entrance and not perform any prayer actions.”
From my own experience I will say the following. You can simply walk around the territory of the village without the restrictions described above, i.e. women wear trousers, hats and bare heads, and I have never heard any complaints. They are very loyal to outside visitors to the fair; this is generally the most social event of the community. The only thing is that you still need to exclude very revealing and provocative clothing: bare shoulders and bellies, shorts, Bermuda shorts, etc. for both women and men.
BUT! If you plan to visit temples, then you must strictly comply with all requirements for appearance and behavior. I witnessed how a group of about 20 people were not allowed into the temple because two women were wearing trousers, and judging by the reaction of the guide, this was predictable and inevitable. I would recommend visiting churches when there is no service there - it is more likely that you will not be asked to leave. You have to understand that belonging to another faith will be determined immediately: there are a lot of nuances that are difficult for an outsider to observe, and I think it’s not necessary. If other faiths are allowed into the temple, then we must take advantage of the opportunity and show respect for the people whom we have come to visit and whose shrines we want to see.
In church you should not cross yourself, venerate icons, light candles, etc. Filming is strictly prohibited; it is generally better to put the camera away so as not to attract unnecessary attention. Personally, I stick to the tactic of restrained curiosity. Usually, I first stand at the entrance inside in order to form an image of a respectful visitor among those around me, and to determine the peculiarities of the place where I find myself (for example, it happens that men and women pray in different halves of the temple or the active part of the ritual is going on and it is better to leave). Then slowly, trying not to disturb anyone or violate personal space, I move around the temple in stages. In my experience, the best and most beneficial behavior tactics are peace and respect.
The approximate schedule of services is as follows. The morning service usually starts at 7:30, ends on weekdays around 10:30, and on weekends - around 12 noon. Evening services usually start at 15:30 and last on weekdays until 19:00, and on the eve of holidays and Sundays until 20-21h.
How to get to the shops and refectory of the Rogozhsky village
No matter which public transport stop you go from Nizhegorodskaya Street, you will definitely have to pass under two overpass bridges. As soon as you turn under them, on the opposite side of the passage under the bridges you will see this building
According to the sign on the building it is Rogozhsky village, 35, according to the Yandex map it is Rogozhsky village, 29с9, and on the maps above this building is signed “Cossack hive”. If you go around this building on the right, the first door will be to the refectory of the Rogozhsky village. There are beautiful and tasty pastries here, as well as many other dishes that I have not tried. If you go further, there will be another grocery store, we go around it and around the corner, in the courtyard, we see this tiny shop
Opening hours are approximately as follows: on weekdays from 10:00 to 19:00, on Saturdays from 10:00 to 17:00, on Sundays from 10:00 to 16:00.
Further in the courtyard behind it there is a folk crafts shop, where there are traditional Russian clothes, Cossack uniforms, all kinds of utensils, and souvenirs. Please note that trading here is not carried out in the morning during Sunday and especially revered services, as well as in the evening on the eve of church holidays. In general, opening hours are daily from 10:00 to 18:00.
If you approached or approached the village from the other side, then you need to go beyond it through the gates of the southern part of the village.
Today I begin a story about the Old Believers in the Moscow region. In the general Russian consciousness, it is generally accepted that after the schism of the Russian Orthodox Church in the second half of the 17th century, most of the Old Believers fled from state power to the far corners of Russia and neighboring states. But even then, in the very center of the state, in the Moscow province, a real Old Believer enclave gradually began to form. By the beginning of the 20th century, in a considerable area (from Bogorodsk-Noginsk and Orekhovo-Zuev, to Yegoryevsk and Kolomensky district), mainly Old Believers lived. This is clearly demonstrated by a fragment of a map of that time, which shows schismatic settlements.
It is not for nothing that this region is sometimes called Old Believer Palestine. Also, very often, this territory is called Guslitsy. But geographically the concept of “Guslitsy” is somewhat narrower. Here is a map of settlements in 1900, whose residents considered themselves gusliks, i.e. residents of Guslitsa.
Although, in general, this understanding is correct, since it was in Guslitsy that settlements were concentrated, entirely populated by Old Believers. The very concept of “Guslitsa volost” was first mentioned in 1339 in the spiritual letter of the Moscow prince Ivan Kalita. Vladimir Lizunov in his book “Old Believer Palestine” writes that after the church reform of Patriarch Nikon, which split the Russian Church and especially after the second Streltsy revolt of 1698, many zealots of the old faith fled to the deep forests of Guslitsy and by the end of the 17th century there were already 46 in Guslitsy villages “Guslitsy gained its fame and unique identity precisely thanks to the Old Believers. Taking refuge in a previously remote and unproductive area, they eventually made it one of the largest spiritual centers of the Old Believers, and also contributed to its economic development. Being very thrifty and prudent, devoid of harmful social habits and hobbies, many Old Believers quickly grew rich, rose to prominence, and became merchants. The religious unity that arose as a result of constant persecution helped to support their coreligionists and help them get into the wealthy strata. The Old Believers merchants also tried to build personnel policy in their factories along religious lines, which contributed to the further spread of the “schism” to the rest of the Guslitsky Orthodox population: “some peasants from the surrounding villages became clerks, clerks, etc. in the factories, others began to work in their homes according to the orders of manufacturers. Weaving looms appeared in almost every house and the former poor farmers and foresters turned into wealthy industrialists. The rich supported them, gave them the means to profit, get rich and become factory owners and millionaires themselves. But the manufacturers - Old Believers only gave those peasants earnings only helped and gave them the opportunity to become rich themselves, who stood with them under the same banner." The bulk of the Guslitsky Old Believers in the 19th century belonged to those who accepted the priesthood of the Belokrinitsky hierarchy. There were few representatives of other agreements. Almost every village had its own prayer house. On This is clearly visible on the modern map of Guslitsa and the surrounding area. Many of them were legally re-registered as Old Believer churches in the second half of the 1900s.
First, I will tell and show the temples that are operating, being restored and under construction at the present time. And I’ll start with the Old Believer churches of large modern cities in the Moscow region.
Orekhovo-Zuevo - Old Believer Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Built in 1884 as "Pomeranian". Without external “evidence,” however, in 1906 the restrictions were lifted, and the temple received its current appearance. In 1936 the temple was closed. For many years the building housed a flying club, then DOSAAF warehouses. In Soviet times, since 1970, the Old Believers of Belokrinitsky Consent had a prayer house, located in an ordinary wooden house near the Zuevsky cemetery. By the decision of the City Council on August 1, 1990, the former Pomeranian temple was transferred to the Belokrinitsky community; now it has been practically restored.
Yegoryevsk - Old Believer Church of St. George the Victorious
The temple was built in 1882. It was closed in 1936. The building housed various institutions and a house of pioneers. In the mid-1990s, the temple was returned to the Old Believer community in Yegoryevsk. The appearance has been restored. The destroyed bell tower is being built.
Photo from 2013. Site for the construction of a bell tower
Photo 2015 Construction of the bell tower
Pavlovsky Posad - Old Believer Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kornevo
The temple was built and consecrated in 1997 on the site of a wooden church that burned down in 1993. The wooden church was built in the 10s of the 20th century in the village of Kornevo (now part of Pavlovsky Posad) with the money of Arseny Ivanovich Morozov.
Photo 2010
Photo 2010
Photo 2013
Photo 2014
Photo 2014
Kolomna - Old Believer Church of the Resurrection of the Word, on Posad
The church was built in 1716 as a “New Believers” church. The temple on the basement, crowned with a hill of kokoshniks and a five-domed structure, was built in the forms of Moscow architecture of the 17th century. Closed in the 1930s, the hipped bell tower was broken. Restored in the 1970s. Opened in the early 1990s and given to the Old Believer community of the Belokrinitsky consent of Kolomna.
Photo from 1999
Photo 2011
All of these temples are located in cities geographically located in the east of the Moscow region, and the emergence and construction was in one way or another connected with immigrants from Guslitsa.
In other parts of the Moscow region there are Old Believer communities that have their own churches:
In the former village of Turaevo, and now parts Lytkarino - Old Believer Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Turaevo
The temple was built in 1905-1907 according to the design of I.G. Kondratenko. Belongs to the Old Believer community of Belokrinitsky consent.
It is sometimes difficult for a person with little church knowledge or little knowledge of the history of Orthodoxy to distinguish it from the New Believers (Nikonian). Sometimes a passer-by accidentally enters a church and tries to perform prayer and ritual actions “in the new style” (for example, he rushes to kiss all the icons), but it turns out that this church is an Old Believer church and similar customs exist here are not approved. An uncomfortable, embarrassing situation may arise. Of course, you can ask the gatekeeper or candle maker about the ownership of the temple, however, in addition to this, you need to know some of the signs that distinguish an Old Believer temple.
External architecture of the Old Believer temple. Bezpopovsky churches
External architecture Old Believer Church in the overwhelming majority of cases it does not differ in any way from the architecture of New Believer, Uniate and other churches. This could be a building built in the Novgorod or New Russian styles using elements of classicism, or maybe even a small house or even an impromptu temple in a wooden trailer.
The exceptions are Old Believers priestless churches. Some of them (mainly in the Baltic states, Belarus and Ukraine) do not have an altar apse, since there is no altar itself.
The eastern part of such Old Believer churches does not have an altar ledge and ends with an ordinary wall. However, this is not always visible. Whether there is an altar or not - you can definitely tell only once you are inside the temple. In Russia and some other places, Bezpopovites continue to build churches with apses, maintaining the tradition of antiquity.
As for the internal appearance, in non-priest churches, without exception, there is no altar. The iconostasis covers the wall, but not the altar; the altar is placed on the solea. In some non-priest churches, a large altar cross is installed in the center of the solea, opposite the royal doors.
The doors to the altar have a decorative function and do not open. However, in most non-priest churches there are no royal or deacon doors at all. There are several non-priest churches, the buildings of which were built in ancient times; such altars are present, but are used as additional premises: baptisms, small prayer houses, storage rooms for icons and books.
Eight-pointed cross
All Old Believer churches have eight-pointed crosses without all kinds of decorations. If there is a cross of some other shape on the temple, incl. and with the “crescent”, “anchor”, then this temple not Old Believer. And the point here is not that the Old Believers do not recognize four-pointed or other forms of crosses, but that due to the persecution of the eight-pointed cross, it was he who received a preferential position in the Old Believers.
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Inside the Old Believer Church. Candles and chandeliers
Once inside the Old Believer church, you need to look around. In Old Believer churches, practically no electric light is used during services (with the exception of the choir). Lamps in candlesticks and chandeliers burn using natural vegetable oil.
Candles for use in Old Believer churches are made from pure wax of a natural color. The use of colored candles - red, white, green, etc. - is not allowed.
Inside the Old Believer Church. Icons
An important feature of an Old Believer church is its special icons: copper-cast or handwritten, written in the so-called. "canonical style".
If the temple contains icons of famous New Believer saints - Tsar Nicholas II, Matrona, Seraphim of Sarov, then the temple is definitely not Old Believer. If there are no such icons, then you should take a closer look at the headdresses of the saints and saints depicted on the icons. If they are crowned with black or white hoods in the shape of “buckets”, then this temple is clearly not an Old Believer one. Such hoods came into fashion after the reforms of Patriarch Nikon; in the ancient Russian church, monks and saints wore completely different headdresses.
Inside the Old Believer Church. Helpers
In Old Believer churches you can also find hand tools- special mats for prostrations. Handicrafts, as a rule, are folded into neat piles on the benches of an Old Believer church.
Contrary to popular belief, supposedly in Old Believer churches there are never chairs or seats (like Catholics or Uniates), in fact, such seats are available in many (but not all) Old Believer non-priest churches in the Baltic countries.
Unison singing and clothing of believers
If a divine service takes place in a church, then an Old Believer church can be easily distinguished by its characteristic unison singing of singers. Chords, triads and generally any harmonic modes are prohibited at Old Believer Divine services. Also, certain information about the identity of the temple can be given by the clothes of believers, which are distinguished by their severity.
