Chronological list of patriarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church. Head of the Orthodox Church - structure of the Russian Orthodox Church

Russian Orthodox Church (ROC, Moscow Patriarchate) is the largest religious organization in Russia, the largest autocephalous local Orthodox Church in the world.

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His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' - (since February 2009).

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History of the Russian Orthodox Church

Historians associate the emergence of the Russian Orthodox Church with the Baptism of Rus' in 988, when Metropolitan Michael was installed by Patriarch Nicholas II of Constantinople Chrysoverg to the metropolitanate of the Patriarchate of Constantinople created in Kyiv, the creation of which was recognized and supported by the Kiev prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich.

After the decline of the Kyiv land, after the invasion of the Tatar-Mongols in 1299, the metropolis moved to Moscow.

Since 1488, the Russian Orthodox Church received the status of autocephaly, when the Russian Metropolis was headed by Bishop Jonah without the consent of Constantinople.

In the middle of the 17th century, under Patriarch Nikon, corrections of liturgical books and other measures were taken to unify Moscow liturgical practice with Greek ones. Some previously accepted rituals in the Moscow Church, starting with double-fingering, were declared heretical; those who would use them were anathematized at the council of 1656 and at the Great Moscow Council. As a result, a split occurred in the Russian Church, those who continued to use the old rituals began to be officially called “heretics”, later - “schismatics”, and later received the name “Old Believers”.

In 1686, the resubordination of the autonomous Kyiv Metropolis to Moscow, agreed with Constantinople, was carried out.

In 1700, Tsar Peter I prohibited the election of a new patriarch (after the death of the previous one), and 20 years later he established the Holy Governing Synod, which, being one of the state bodies, performed the functions of church-wide administration from 1721 to January 1918 - with the emperor (up to 2 March 1917) as “the last Judge of this Board.”

The patriarchate in the Russian Orthodox Church was restored only after the overthrow of the autocracy by the decision of the All-Russian Local Council on October 28 (November 10), 1917; The first patriarch in the Soviet period was St. Tikhon (Bellavin), Metropolitan of Moscow.

After October Revolution In 1917, the Russian Orthodox Church was alienated from the state and subjected to persecution and decay. Funding for the clergy and church education from the treasury stopped. Then the Church experienced a series of government-inspired schisms and a period of persecution.

After the death of the Patriarch in 1925, the authorities themselves appointed a priest, who was soon expelled and tortured.

According to some reports, in the first five years after the Bolshevik Revolution, 28 bishops and 1,200 priests were executed.

The main target of the anti-religious party-state campaign of the 1920s and 1930s was the Patriarchal Church, which had the largest number of followers. Almost its entire episcopate, a significant part of the priests and active laity were shot or exiled to concentration camps, theological schools and other forms of religious instruction, except private, were prohibited.

During the difficult years for the country, there was a noticeable change in the policy of the Soviet state towards the Patriarchal Church; the Moscow Patriarchate was recognized as the only legitimate Orthodox Church in the USSR, excluding Georgia.

In 1943, the Council of Bishops elected Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky) to the Patriarchal throne.

During the reign of Khrushchev, there was again a harsh attitude towards the Church, which continued into the 1980s. Then the Patriarchate was controlled by the secret services, at the same time the Church made compromises with the Soviet government.

By the end of the 80s, the number of churches in the USSR was no more than 7,000, and no more than 15 monasteries.

In the early 1990s, as part of M. Gorbachev's policy of glasnost and perestroika, a change in the state's attitude towards the Church began. The number of churches began to grow, the number of dioceses and parishes increased. This process continues in the 21st century.

In 2008, according to official statistics, the Moscow Patriarchate unites 156 dioceses, in which 196 bishops serve (of which 148 are diocesan and 48 are vicar). The number of parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate reached 29,141, the total number of clergy - 30,544; there are 769 monasteries (372 male and 392 female). As of December 2009, there were already 159 dioceses, 30,142 parishes, and 32,266 clergy.

The structure of the Moscow Patriarchate itself is also developing.

Management structure of the Russian Orthodox Church

According to the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church, the highest bodies of church power and administration are the Local Council, the Council of Bishops and the Holy Synod headed by the Patriarch, possessing legislative, executive and judicial powers - each within its own competence.

Local cathedral decides all issues relating to the internal and external activities of the Church, and elects the Patriarch. Convened at a time determined by the Council of Bishops or, in exceptional cases, Patriarch and Holy Synod, composed of bishops, clergy, monastics and laity. The last council was convened in January 2009.

Bishops' Council- a local council in which only bishops participate. It is the highest body of hierarchical governance of the Russian Orthodox Church. It includes all the ruling bishops of the Church, as well as suffragan bishops who head synodal institutions and theological academies; According to the Charter, it is convened at least once every four years.

Holy Synod, according to the current charter of the Russian Orthodox Church, is the highest “governing body of the Russian Orthodox Church in the period between the Councils of Bishops.” It consists of a chairman - the Patriarch, nine permanent and five temporary members - diocesan bishops. Meetings of the Holy Synod are held at least four times a year.

Patriarch- Primate of the Church, has the title “His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.” He holds the “primacy of honor” among the episcopate of the Russian Orthodox Church. The name of the Patriarch is exalted during services in all churches of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Supreme Church Council- a new permanent executive body operating since March 2011 under the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is headed by the Patriarch and consists of the leaders of the synodal institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The executive bodies of the Patriarch and the Holy Synod are the Synodal institutions. The Synodal institutions include the Department for External Church Relations, the Publishing Council, the Educational Committee, the Department of Catechesis and Religious Education, the Department of Charity and Social Service, the Missionary Department, the Department for Interaction with the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement Institutions, and the Department for Youth Affairs. The Moscow Patriarchate, as a Synodal institution, includes the Administration of Affairs. Each of the Synodal institutions is in charge of a range of church-wide affairs within the scope of its competence.

Educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church

• Church-wide postgraduate and doctoral studies named after. St. Cyril and Methodius
• Moscow Theological Academy
• St. Petersburg Theological Academy
• Kyiv Theological Academy
• St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Academy
• Orthodox St. Tikhon's Humanitarian University
• Russian Orthodox University
• Russian Orthodox Institute of St. John the Theologian
• Ryazan Theological Seminary
• St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute
• Volga Orthodox Institute
• St. Petersburg Orthodox Institute of Religious Studies and Church Arts
• Tsaritsyn Orthodox University St. Sergius Radonezh

The Russian Orthodox Church is the largest autocephalous church in the world. Its history dates back to apostolic times. The Russian Church survived the schism, the fall of the monarchy, years of atheism, war and persecution, the fall of the USSR and the formation of a new canonical territory. We have collected theses that will help you better understand the history of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Russian Orthodox Church: history

• The history of the Russian Orthodox Church begins in apostolic times. When Christ's disciples left to bring the Word of God to people, the territory of future Rus' turned out to be the path of the Apostle Andrew. There is a legend that the Apostle Andrew came to the Crimean land. The people who lived there were pagans and worshiped idols. The Apostle Andrew preached Christ to them.
• Nevertheless, from the time when the apostle walked through the territory of future Rus' until the Baptism of Rus', nine centuries passed. Many believe that the history of the Russian Church began in apostolic times, for others the “reference point” is the Baptism of Rus' in 988, and still others believe that the Russian Orthodox Church was born in the 4th century. In 1448, the first Autocephalous church organization appeared, its center was located in Moscow. Then the Russian bishops for the first time elected Metropolitan Jonah as the Primate of the Church without the participation of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
• In 1589-1593, Autocephaly was formally recognized and the Church gained independence. Initially, under the Patriarch there was no functioning Council of Bishops - the Holy Synod, which distinguished the Russian Orthodox Church from other Churches.
• The Russian Orthodox Church has also survived difficult pages of its own history. Namely, church reform, when the term “Old Believers” appeared.

• During the time of Peter I, the state body performing the function of church-wide administration became Holy Synod. Due to the Tsar's innovations, the clergy became a rather closed society, and the Church lost its financial independence.
• But the most difficult times for the Russian Orthodox Church came during the years of atheism after the fall of the monarchy. By 1939 the Church was practically destroyed. Many clergy were convicted or killed. Persecution did not allow believers to openly pray and visit temples, and the temples themselves were desecrated or destroyed.
• After the collapse of the USSR, when repression of the Church and the clergy ceased, the “canonical territory” of the Russian Orthodox Church became a problem, as many former republics separated. Thanks to the act of canonical communion, local Churches remained “an integral self-governing part of the Local Russian Orthodox Church.”
• In October 2011, the Holy Synod approved the reform of the diocesan structure with a three-level management system - Patriarchate - Metropolis - Diocese.

Russian Orthodox Church: structure and management

The order of the Church hierarchy in the modern Russian Orthodox Church looks like this:

1. Patriarch
2. Metropolitan
3. Bishop
4. Priest
5. Deacon

Patriarch

The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church since 2009 is Patriarch Kirill.

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' was elected to the Primate's ministry at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church on January 27-28, 2009.

Structure of the Russian Orthodox Church (metropolises, dioceses)

There are more than three hundred dioceses in the Russian Orthodox Church, which are united into metropolitanates. Initially, in the Russian Orthodox Church, the title of metropolitan was awarded only to the Primate. Metropolitans still decide the most important issues in the Russian Orthodox Church, but its head is still the Patriarch.

List of metropolises of the Russian Orthodox Church:

Altai Metropolis
Archangel Metropolis
Astrakhan Metropolitanate
Bashkortostan Metropolis
Belgorod Metropolitanate
Bryansk Metropolis
Buryat Metropolis
Vladimir Metropolis
Volgograd Metropolis
Vologda Metropolis
Voronezh Metropolitanate
Vyatka Metropolis
Don Metropolis
Ekaterinburg Metropolis
Transbaikal Metropolis
Ivanovo Metropolis
Irkutsk Metropolis
Kaliningrad Metropolitanate
Kaluga Metropolis
Karelian Metropolis
Kostroma Metropolis
Krasnoyarsk Metropolis
Kuban Metropolis
Kuzbass Metropolis
Kurgan Metropolis
Kursk Metropolis
Lipetsk Metropolis
Mari Metropolis
Metropolis of Minsk (Belarusian Exarchate)
Mordovian Metropolis
Murmansk Metropolitanate
Metropolis of Nizhny Novgorod
Novgorod Metropolis
Novosibirsk Metropolitanate
Omsk Metropolis
Orenburg Metropolis
Oryol Metropolis
Penza Metropolis
Perm Metropolis
Amur Metropolis
Primorsky Metropolis
Metropolis of Pskov
Ryazan Metropolitanate
Samara Metropolis
St. Petersburg Metropolitanate
Saratov Metropolis
Simbirsk Metropolis
Smolensk Metropolis
Stavropol Metropolis
Tambov Metropolis
Tatarstan Metropolis
Tver Metropolis
Tobolsk Metropolis
Tomsk Metropolis
Tula Metropolis
Udmurt Metropolis
Khanty-Mansi Metropolis
Chelyabinsk Metropolis
Chuvash Metropolis
Yaroslavl Metropolis

TASS DOSSIER. On February 12, 2016, the first ever meeting of the heads of the Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches - Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis - will take place in Havana. The editors of TASS-DOSSIER have prepared a certificate containing basic information about the history and structure of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (ROC MP) is the largest of the currently existing autocephalous (independent) local Orthodox churches. In the official list of historical precedence local churches(diptych) takes fifth place out of 15.

Story

In 988, the baptism of Rus' took place. Initially, the head of the Russian church was appointed from the Greek clergy of Byzantium; in 1051, Hilarion became the first Russian Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus'. In 1448, the Local Council of the Russian Church decided on its autocephaly (self-government) and independently elected Metropolitan Jonah of Moscow and All Rus'. In 1589, the first patriarch was elected, who became Job, after which the independence of the Russian church was recognized by the Patriarchate of Constantinople. In 1666, the Russian Church experienced a schism as a result of the reforms of Patriarch Nikon.

Under Emperor Peter I, the Orthodox Church in Russia was subordinated to the state, and the patriarchate was eliminated. From 1721 to 1917 the church was headed by the Holy Governing Synod. Its members were appointed by the emperor, and the Synod was governed by government officials - chief prosecutors.

During the Local Council of the Orthodox Church, held in 1917-1918, the patriarchate was restored. The first patriarch in the twentieth century. there was Tikhon (Belavin; 1865-1925).

After the October Revolution of 1917, the Bolsheviks who came to power began to fight against religion. On February 2 (January 20, old style), 1918, the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR "On the separation of the church from the state and the school from the church" came into force, according to which the Russian church was deprived of its rights legal entity, lands and property. In the period from 1917 to 1939, most churches and monasteries were forcibly closed, most of the clergy were repressed. After the death of Patriarch Tikhon, the election of a new head of the church was prohibited by the authorities.

In 1914, the Russian Orthodox Church had more than 55 thousand churches; as of 1915, 168 bishops and more than 66 thousand clergy served in them. By 1939, there were four bishops, about 300 priests and the same number of churches left.

In the 1920s The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCOR) was created, uniting Russian Orthodox emigrants who found themselves in exile as a result of the 1917 revolution and the Civil War (1917-1922). During the Great Patriotic War, the state softened its anti-religious policy. In 1943, with the permission of the Soviet government, a Council of Bishops was held, at which a new Patriarch Sergius (Stragorodsky) was elected. At the same time, the modern name was officially established - the Russian Orthodox Church.

The liberalization of policy towards the Orthodox Church in the USSR began during preparations for the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' in 1988. On May 30, 1991, on the basis of the law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations,” the church received the official status of a religious organization and the rights of a legal entity . In May 2007, the Russian Orthodox Church reunited with the ROCOR.

Device

The Russian Orthodox Church is registered as a legal entity in the Russian Federation as a centralized religious organization.

Carries out its activities on the basis of the Holy Scriptures and Sacred Tradition, canons and rules of the holy apostles, holy Ecumenical Councils and Holy Fathers, decrees of their Local and Bishops' Councils, the Holy Synod and decrees of the Patriarch, as well as the charter of the Russian Orthodox Church (the last amendments were made in 2016).

The highest bodies of church power and administration are the Local and Bishops' Councils, the Holy Synod, headed by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Since 2009, Kirill (Gundyaev) has been the patriarch. Since 2011, the Supreme Church Council has also operated under his chairmanship.

The church has 22 synodal institutions in the main areas of activity, including the Department for External Church Relations, the Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints, the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism, etc. Also under the Russian Orthodox Church there is a church-wide court (there are also courts of local jurisdictions), which are intended to maintain order in church life and are designed to promote compliance with the sacred canons and other church institutions. In particular, courts can decide on defrocking and excommunication.

The Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate includes seven autonomous or self-governing churches: the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (established in 1920), the Chinese (1956), the Japanese (1970), the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (1990; Moscow Patriarchate), the Latvian Orthodox Church (1992), Orthodox Church of Moldova (1992), Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (became part of the Russian Orthodox Church as a result of the unification of churches in 2007).

In addition, the Russian Orthodox Church includes the Belarusian Exarchate (an ecclesiastical region lying outside the country in which the patriarchate is located) and two metropolitan districts (in the Republic of Kazakhstan and Central Asia), 57 metropolises, 296 dioceses.

Under the Russian Orthodox Church there are 21 scientific and educational institution, including the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary, the Orthodox St. Tikhon's Humanitarian University, the Church Scientific Center " Orthodox Encyclopedia"etc.

Statistics, monasteries and temples

"1.4 thousand divine services and 57 new metropolises: seven years of service of Patriarch Kirill"

In the Russian Orthodox Church there are 34 thousand 764 churches or other premises for worship; the clergy includes 354 bishops, 35 thousand 171 priests, 4 thousand 816 deacons, 455 men and 471 convents, including 56 in non-CIS countries. The Russian Orthodox Church does not provide data on the number of parishioners and believers, official statistics There is no information about the religious composition of the population in Russia.

The spiritual and administrative center of the Russian Orthodox Church is the Moscow Danilov Monastery. It houses the residence of the patriarch and holds meetings of the Holy Synod.

Liturgical language and calendar

The main language of worship is Church Slavonic, in Moldova - Moldavian (Romanian), in Japan - Japanese, in China - Chinese, in a number of parishes other languages ​​of nations former USSR; in the diaspora abroad also English, Spanish, French, etc.

The Russian Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar.

Media

The information agency "Orthodox Education", the Orthodox TV channel "Spas" and the television company "Soyuz", a number of printed publications ("Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate", the newspaper "Church Bulletin", etc.) are directly subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate.

Awards

The system of awards of the Russian Orthodox Church includes hierarchical (promotion in rank, liturgical) and church-wide. The latter include various orders and medals, patriarchal signs and certificates. The highest order is the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called with a diamond star, the second highest order is the Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir.

I read that the Patriarch of Constantinople is the main one among the Orthodox. How so? He has almost no flock, because mostly Muslims live in Istanbul. And in general, how does everything work in our church? Who is more important than whom?

S. Petrov, Kazan

In total there are 15 autocephalous (independent - Ed.) Orthodox churches.

Constantinople

Its status as Orthodox Church No. 1 was determined in 1054, when the Patriarch of Constantinople trampled the bread prepared according to Western custom. This became the reason for the split of the Christian Church into Orthodox and Catholic. The throne of Constantinople was the first Orthodox, and its special significance is not disputed. Although the flock of the current Patriarch of Constantinople, who bears the proud title of Patriarch of New Rome and Ecumenical, is small.

Alexandria

According to church tradition, Alexandria Church was founded by the holy Apostle Mark. The second of the four oldest Orthodox patriarchates. Canonical territory - Africa. In the 3rd century. It was there that monasticism first appeared.

Antioch

The third in seniority, founded, according to legend, by Peter and Paul around 37. Jurisdiction: Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Oman, also Arab parishes in Europe, Northern and South America, Australia.

Jerusalem

The oldest church, occupying 4th place in the autocephalous churches. It has the name of the mother of all churches, because it was on its territory that all the most important events described in the New Testament took place. Its first bishop was the Apostle James, the brother of the Lord.

Russian

Not being the oldest, upon its establishment it immediately received an honorable fifth place among churches. The largest and most influential autocephalous Orthodox Church.

Georgian

One of ancient churches in the world. According to legend, Georgia is the apostolic lot of the Mother of God.

Serbian

The first mass baptism of Serbs occurred under the Byzantine emperor Heraclius (610-641).

Romanian

Has jurisdiction on the territory of Romania. It has state status: salaries to the clergy are paid from the state treasury.

Bulgarian

In Bulgaria, Christianity began to spread already in the 1st century. In 865, under St. Prince Boris, the general baptism of the Bulgarian people takes place.

Cyprus

10th place among autocephalous local churches.
One of the oldest local churches in the East. Founded by the Apostle Barnabas in 47.
In the 7th century fell under the Arab yoke, from which it was completely freed only in 965.

Helladic (Greek)

Historically, the Orthodox population of what is now Greece was within the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople. Autocephaly was proclaimed in 1833. The king was named the head of the church. Has state status.

Albanian

The bulk of the congregation lives in the southern regions of Albania (Islam predominates in the center and north). Founded in the 10th century. as part of Constantinople, but then gained independence in 1937.

Polish

IN modern form was established in 1948. Before that, for a long time, 80% of the church’s believers were Ukrainians, Belarusians and Rusyns.

Czech lands and Slovakia

Founded on the territory of the Great Moravian Principality in 863 through the labors of saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius. 14th place among churches.

American

It is not recognized by Constantinople, as well as a number of other churches. The origin goes back to the creation in 1794 by the monks of the Valaam Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Savior of the first Orthodox mission in America. American Orthodox believe that St. Herman of Alaska is their apostle.

Contents of the article

RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH. Tradition connects the spread of the Orthodox faith within Russian borders with the preaching of the Apostle Andrew, who, as early church writers testify, was assigned by lot to Scythia for the gospel (Byzantine writers use the term “Scythians” or “Tavro-Scythians” to designate the Russian people). Subsequently, the veneration of St. Andrew was the basis of the church unity of Rus' and Byzantium, which was also under his holy patronage. The legend of the visit to Rus' by the Apostle Andrew is recorded in the oldest Russian historical chronicle The Tale of Bygone Years. According to this legend, St. Andrei, following the waterway known as the path “from the Varangians to the Greeks,” visited Kyiv and reached Novgorod.

CHRISTIANIZATION OF Rus' (9th–11th centuries)

The Slavs repeatedly carried out raids, invading the Byzantine Empire. In 860, the Russian fleet appeared right under the walls of Constantinople. The response to the military action of the Slavs was the intensification of the missionary activities of the Byzantine Church among the neighbors of the empire. In 963, the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers Cyril and Methodius were sent to the Slavic lands and began their apostolic mission in Great Moravia. Indirect evidence suggests that Rus' also entered the sphere of activity of Cyril and Methodius. The district letter of Patriarch Photius of Constantinople (9th century), addressed to the heads of the Eastern Churches, testifies that “the people, surpassing all others in ferocity and bloodthirstiness, called Ros, received the bishop and shepherds, and also accepted Christian worship with great zeal and joy.” It was the so-called the first baptism of Rus'. However, it had no practical consequences, except that the contacts of the Slavs with the Christian empire intensified. Sources are replete with information about baptized merchants “from the Russians” who visited Constantinople, about the Varangians who entered the military service to the emperor and returned to Rus' as Christians, contributing to the spread of Christianity in the Russian state. The chronicle reports about the first holy Russian martyrs, Saint Fyodor and his son John: “But that Varangian came from the Greeks and held the Christian faith.”

A new stage in the Christianization of Rus' began after the death of Prince Igor, when his wife Princess Olga (c. 945 - c. 969), who was baptized in Constantinople, took the reins of government. Her plans certainly included the introduction of church organization into Russian society. In 959, Olga turned to the German king Otto I with a request to send a bishop and priests to Rus'. Bishop Adalbert was sent to Rus'. However, for reasons unknown to us, he was unable to cope with the task of establishing a new diocese. After Olga's death and in connection with the rise to power of Olga's warlike son, the pagan Svyatoslav Igorevich, a pagan reaction began. Further prehistory of the baptism of Rus' is reconstructed from Byzantine, Russian and Syrian sources as follows. In 987, a rebellion began in Byzantium under the commander Vardas Phokas. Emperor Vasily II (reigned 976–1025), in view of the danger looming over the Macedonian dynasty, sent an embassy to Kyiv and asked Prince Vladimir for military assistance. In return, he offered him the hand of his sister, Princess Anna, which, of course, implied the baptism of the Russian prince. The Russian army sent to Byzantium decided the confrontation between Bardas Phocas and Vasily II in favor of the emperor, but he was in no hurry to send the bride promised to the prince to Kyiv. Then Vladimir besieged Korsun (Chersonese), the main fortress of the Byzantines in Crimea, and took it, after which Anna arrived in Korsun and their marriage took place here (989–990). Upon Vladimir’s return to Kyiv, mass baptism of the population began in Kyiv and Novgorod, and no later than 997 the Russian Metropolis was established, subordinate to the Patriarchate of Constantinople. It is believed that simultaneously with the metropolis, episcopal sees were founded in Belgorod, Novgorod, Chernigov, Polotsk and Pereyaslavl. Cm. METROPOLITANS IN THE HISTORY OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH. For the maintenance of the church, Prince Vladimir put the so-called. tithe.

Under the son of Prince Vladimir, Yaroslav the Wise, the role of the church in the state system was strengthened. This is evidenced, first of all, by monumental church construction: it was during this period that the majestic St. Sophia Cathedrals were erected in Kyiv, Novgorod, and Polotsk. By patronizing the church, Yaroslav contributed to the emergence of the first Russian monasteries, libraries and schools. During his reign the first Russian original literary works were created ( A Word on Law and Grace Metropolitan Hilarion). At the same time, the church church was reworked Charter, written under Vladimir. Charter Yaroslav was compiled taking into account local customs. The most important events in the church life of the era of Yaroslav the Wise were the glorification of the first Russian saints - princes Boris and Gleb (under Yaroslav their relics were found and transferred to a church specially built for them), as well as the election of the first Russian bishop - Hilarion - to the metropolis. Cm. BORIS AND GLEB; HILARION. Under the sons of Yaroslav, the decisive role of princely power in the Christianization of Rus' remained. According to the chronicles, we know about the pagan disturbances that arose during this period, during which the prince and his squad acted as support and protection for the bishop, while “all the people supported the sorcerer.” In the second half of the 11th century. marks the heyday of the ancient Russian Kiev-Pechersk monastery, which during this period turned into the leading religious and cultural center of Rus'. Cm. KIEV-PECHERSK LAVRA. The all-Russian national chronicle was born here ( The Tale of Bygone Years), the traditions of Russian hagiography are laid (Nestorovo Reading about Boris and Gleb). The communal charter of the Pechersk Lavra, borrowed from the Studite Monastery in Constantinople, was the basis on which other Russian monasteries were subsequently created. People from the Pechersk brethren occupied in the 11th–12th centuries. episcopal sees, and cathedrals erected in dioceses were dedicated, like the cathedral church of the Pechersk Monastery, to the Dormition of the Mother of God. Being one of the ecclesiastical provinces of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Rus' did not avoid participating in the controversy with the “Latins” that arose in 1054 after the division of the Western and Eastern churches. Russian metropolitans and bishops responded to him with writings defending the dogmas of the Eastern Church.

Rus' BEFORE THE MONGOL-TATAR INVASION (12th–13th centuries)

By the middle of the 12th century. V Ancient Rus' A polycentric state system was established, caused by feudal fragmentation. In the new conditions, the metropolis turned out to be the only force capable of resisting centrifugal tendencies. However, before the metropolitans realized their historical mission, they were drawn into long-term turmoil between the princes fighting for the Kiev throne. This struggle led to the fact that Metropolitan Michael II left Kyiv, closing the Metropolitan St. Sophia Cathedral with a special handwriting. In response, the new Kiev prince Izyaslav (1114–1154) independently installed the Russian bishop Clement Smolyatich as metropolis. ( Cm. CLIMENT SMOLYATICH.) Many Russian hierarchs refused to recognize him as the head of the church. Many princes and opponents of Izyaslav did not accept the metropolitan. The Metropolis found itself divided into two warring camps. Under these conditions, Kliment Smolyatich behaved like a protege of the Grand Duke, providing him with all possible support. When Izyaslav died, he immediately retired to Volyn. Yuri Dolgoruky, who took possession of Kiev, sent to Constantinople for a new metropolitan. Soon Constantine II (1155–1159) arrived in Kyiv. The excessively drastic measures he took (anathematizing Izyaslav and Clement) aggravated the unrest. In 1158 Kyiv passed into the hands of Mstislav Izyaslavich, who expelled Constantine and insisted on the return of Clement Smolyatich, while Rostislav Mstislavich stood for Constantine. As a result of disputes, the princes came to the decision to ask Constantinople for a new hierarch. Theodore, who was sent, died a year later, and John IV appeared in Kyiv only two years after his death, since the Kiev prince did not want to accept him. Only the admonitions of Emperor Manuel II himself forced the prince to come to terms with this candidacy.

In the 1160s, Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky first tried to divide the Russian metropolitanate, with the goal of establishing an independent department in the capital of his principality, Vladimir on Klyazma. With this request, he turned to Constantinople to Patriarch Luke Chrysovergus. Despite the saint’s decisive refusal, Andrei Yuryevich “installed” a certain unordained Theodore as the metropolitan of the Vladimir land. In 1169, Theodore went to Kyiv, where, by order of Metropolitan Constantine II, he was captured and executed: he was beheaded right hand and “they took out their eyes.” The unusual cruelty of the execution confirms the reality of the existing threat of division of the metropolis. The unity of the metropolis was preserved, and the metropolitans subsequently concluded for themselves that it was necessary to direct efforts to reconcile the princely groups and preserve the unity of the church.

At the beginning of the 13th century. Constantinople was captured by the crusaders, and for almost half a century it became the capital of the Latin Kingdom. The Patriarch of Constantinople left the city and moved to Nicaea. The victories of the knights contributed to the fact that the idea of ​​subordinating the Russian Church to the power of Rome revived in the West. There are several known appeals to Russian princes written by the popes of Rome, in which they called on them to “submit to the easy yoke of the Roman Church.” In large Russian cities lying on trade routes with the West, the missionary activity of Catholics exceeded acceptable limits. In 1233, Prince Vladimir was forced to expel the Dominicans from Kyiv, who until then had their own monastery here.

Rus' UNDER THE RULE OF THE MONGOL-TATARS (13th–14th centuries)

In 1237–1240, Rus' survived the Mongol-Tatar invasion. Russian cities were destroyed and burned. The princes lost their independence and had to ask the Mongol Khan for the right to a great reign. The Russian Church was experiencing a deep crisis. Under these conditions, the burden of metropolitan power was assumed by Cyril II, the protege of the Galician-Volyn prince. Kirill II entered into close cooperation with the Grand Duke of Vladimir Alexander Nevsky. The prince and the metropolitan agreed that at this stage, bloodless Rus' needed a respite, which could only be given by recognition of the power of the Mongol khan. This political move allowed Alexander Nevsky to gather forces in order to defend the northwestern borders of Rus' from the encroachments of the Teutonic Order. In turn, Metropolitan Kirill II directed efforts to restore intra-church life. The council he convened in 1273 laid the foundation for the creation of a code of laws, the so-called Russian helmsman. The Mongol policy towards the church, which exempted the church from paying tribute, contributed to rapid recovery her strength. Metropolitan Kirill II never tired of traveling around the dioceses, but at the same time he remained for a long time in Vladimir and appeared less and less in Kyiv, which lay in ruins after the sack of 1240.

Maxim, who replaced Cyril II, finally chose Vladimir as his place of residence. The transfer of the metropolitan see from Kyiv to Vladimir was due not only to purely practical circumstances. Both contemporaries and historians view it as a political act, as a result of which the authority of the princes of Vladimir increased, and the princes themselves acquired the opportunity to directly influence the policies of the metropolitan. The current situation caused strong discontent among the Galician princes. Threatening to come under the jurisdiction of Rome, they obtained from the patriarch the establishment of an independent Galician metropolis. However, it did not last long. In 1305, when two applicants for the metropolitan rank arrived in Constantinople, one from the Galician prince and the other from the Vladimir prince, the patriarch elected Peter, who had come from Volhynia, as the primate of the Russian Church, consecrating him as Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus'. The attempt to divide the metropolitanate was repeated ten years later: on the initiative of the Lithuanian prince Gediminas, the Lithuanian metropolitanate was created, which was abolished only with the installation of Metropolitan Theognost (1327/28–1353). Political development Eastern Europe The historical destinies of southwestern and northwestern Rus' were increasingly separated, so that the final division of the metropolis became inevitable and was only a matter of time.

THE RISE OF THE KINGDOM OF MOSCOW (14th–15th centuries)

Metropolitan Peter chose northwestern Rus' as his place of residence. He linked the future of the Russian Church with the rising Moscow, choosing the Moscow prince as his associate. Peter's choice received symbolic formalization in the act of his will, according to which Peter was buried in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, which from that moment became the resting place of the primates of the Russian Church. The Greek Theognostus, who replaced Peter, arrived directly in Moscow and, occupying the metropolitan see, followed the line of Peter, supporting the Moscow prince and contributing to the growth of his authority among the Russian princes. During his lifetime, Theognost appointed Alexy, who came from an ancient boyar family, as his successor. Constantinople sanctioned this election due to the exceptional qualities of an extraordinary political figure inherent in Alexy. Alexy's priesthood is marked by the fact that it was during this period that the metropolitan court was formed, similar in structure to the princely court, and the church turned into a large land owner and its possessions were legally registered. The successes of the unification policy of Moscow Prince Dmitry Ivanovich were also to a large extent due to the authority that Metropolitan Alexy enjoyed in the Russian lands. More than once he managed to subdue the opponents of the Moscow prince and stop princely conflicts, and he often resorted to very drastic measures. So, in order to stop the enmity of the Nizhny Novgorod princes in 1362, Alexy ordered all Nizhny Novgorod churches to be closed.

The strengthening of Moscow could not please its main rival, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, whose ally was Mikhail Tverskoy. The Lithuanian prince Olgerd “besieged” Constantinople with demands to install an independent metropolitan in Kyiv so that his power would extend to the lands that were part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. After unsuccessful attempts to reconcile Olgerd and Mikhail Tverskoy with Alexy, Patriarch Philotheus resorted to a compromise measure, appointing his former cell attendant Cyprian to the metropolitan of Kyiv with the condition that after the death of Alexy he would lead the entire Russian Church. This measure had no effect, but only intensified the church unrest. When, after the death of Alexy, Cyprian declared his rights to the metropolis, the Moscow prince Dmitry Ivanovich did not accept him, considering him a Lithuanian protege. Dmitry Ivanovich made several attempts to elevate one of his chosen ones to the rank of metropolitan, but none of them were successful. The death of Prince Dmitry in 1389 put an end to the Troubles.

The new Moscow ruler, Prince Vasily Dmitrievich, called Cyprian to Moscow. Taking into account the experience of the turmoil of 1375–1389, Cyprian paid special attention to the Lithuanian dioceses, visiting them several times and maintaining friendly relations with the Lithuanian prince. The metropolitan's actions were aimed at preserving the unity of the metropolis and the world within it. Metropolitan Cyprian put a lot of effort into developing liturgical practice. He is the author of a number of significant works of a liturgical nature. On his initiative, the Russian Church began the process of transition to a new liturgical charter, from Studite to Jerusalem. Cyprian and his successor Photius did a lot to resolve issues of church courts and church land ownership. However, in the agreement concluded by Vasily Dmitrievich and Cyprian, a tendency towards a reduction in the property and administrative privileges of the church is clearly visible. Thus, the church was obliged to participate in the payment of tribute, and was also prohibited from ordaining the grand ducal servants as priests and deacons.

During the priesthood of Photius, the heretical Strigolniki movement broke out in Pskov. Apparently, the teaching messages of Photius and other measures he took had an effect, since soon information about the heresy disappears from the sources.

AUTOcephalous RUSSIAN CHURCH (15th–16th centuries)

The main content of the next historical period, starting from the mid-15th century, is the establishment of autocephaly of the Russian Church and the determination of its legal status among the churches of the Christian world. In 1453, the Byzantine Empire, which traditionally acted as a guarantor of the preservation of Orthodoxy, fell under the blows of the Turks. Under these conditions, the positions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople were so weakened that it was unable to resist the final division of the Russian Metropolis into Moscow and Kyiv, and an unprecedented installation of a metropolitan to the Kyiv Metropolis took place in Rome. Even before the fall of Constantinople in 1439, in search of allies to confront the Turks, Byzantine emperor and the Patriarch of Constantinople agreed to conclude a union with the Catholics. The Uniate Council took place in Florence. However, his decision was not accepted by the majority of the hierarchs of the Eastern Church. The Russian Church also reacted negatively to them. The conclusion of the union put the Russian bishops in a difficult position. Following the tradition of “receiving” a metropolitan from Constantinople in the new conditions lost its relevance primarily because it did not meet the main requirement - to have Orthodox Metropolitan. Cm. UNIA.

After the death of Photius, Ryazan Bishop Jonah was named to the Russian metropolitan throne (1433). Difficult historical circumstances made his trip to Constantinople impossible. When Jonah's embassy was ready to leave in 1435, Moscow learned that Constantinople had installed a supporter of the union, Isidore, as Russian metropolitan. After long negotiations, not daring to break tradition, Prince Vasily II accepted Isidore. Soon the new metropolitan left Moscow for Florence to participate in the Uniate Council. He returned in 1441 and entered the city as papal legate and cardinal. The Russian authorities, both secular and ecclesiastical, showed unanimity in their rejection of the newly made cardinal. Isidore was immediately captured and taken into custody. Vasily II convened a church council, at which a message addressed to the patriarch was drawn up. It very clearly stated the position of the Russian Church’s rejection of Isidore as a hierarch who publicly preaches heresy, and also contained a request to allow the council of Russian bishops to independently appoint metropolitans with their subsequent blessing in Constantinople. An embassy with a message was sent, but for unknown reasons returned without reaching Constantinople. By that time, Isidore was given the opportunity to escape, and in 1448 Prince Vasily again convened a council, which this time ordained Jonah as metropolitan. It is from this moment that we can talk about the actual autocephaly of the Russian Church. The metropolitans following Jonah were elevated to the rank without any appeal to Constantinople. From now on, when electing and installing a metropolitan, they first of all attached importance to the consonant expression of the will of the metropolitan predecessor, the grand duke and the consecrated council, which corresponded to canonical church norms and corresponded to the principle of the symphony of the kingdom and the priesthood, on which the administration of the Orthodox state was based.

The growth of the authority of the church during this period was uniquely reflected in changes in the face of Russian holiness. Now it was replenished not with holy princes, but with saints and monks. Metropolitan Jonah already in 1448 established a church-wide celebration of St. Alexis, and in 1472 Metropolitan Philip established the day of memory of St. Ions. The main problem that the Russian Church faced in conditions of independence were issues of internal structure, opposition to Latinism and the fight against heresies. The Grand Duke of Lithuania and King Casimir IV of Poland did not give up attempts to extend their power to the northern Russian lands. They even managed to get Patriarch Dionysius to transfer all the fullness of metropolitan power to Metropolitan Gregory of Kyiv. A strong opposition was organized in Novgorod, agreeing to ecclesiastical subordination to Lithuania. Metropolitan Philip and Grand Duke Ivan III repeatedly appealed to the Novgorodians with exhortations to remain faithful to Orthodoxy, but the “great rebellion” continued. Under these conditions, the mutual decision of the prince and the metropolitan was to organize a campaign against Novgorod, which was given the meaning of protecting Orthodoxy from Latinism. However, the situation of the “symphony of the kingdom and the priesthood” did not last long. Already the priesthood of Metropolitan Gerontius (1473–1489) was marked by conflicts with the princely authorities. So, in 1479, a dispute broke out between the prince and the metropolitan about how to perform religious procession– “salt” or against the sun. Defending the traditional Russian tradition of walking against the sun almost cost Gerontius his metropolitan rank, although this time the prince reconciled himself and admitted that he was wrong. During this period, the relationship between the church and the Grand Duke was very difficult due to the heresy of the Judaizers. The prince did not support the “searches” against heretics undertaken by the church. During his stay in Novgorod, Ivan III met priests involved in the heretical movement and invited them to Moscow, making them archpriests of the Kremlin cathedrals. Disagreements between the church and the prince continued until 1504, when nine heretics were excommunicated and sentenced to death. death penalty. The Council of 1503 discussed issues of church land ownership. Ivan III proposed a program for the alienation of land holdings of the church in favor of state power. In fact, this was the first attack by secular authorities on church property, but church hierarchs managed to defend their rights.

An important event church life of the 16th century. was the restoration of ties with the Patriarchate of Constantinople: in 1518, the embassy of Patriarch Theoliptus arrived in Moscow with a request for cash assistance. The title of the letters testified to the patriarch's recognition of the Metropolitan of Moscow.

A significant stage in the history of the Russian Church was the priesthood of Metropolitan Macarius (1542–1563). This shepherd, on the one hand, managed to resist the chaos of boyar rule, and on the other, restrained the angry impulses of the first Russian Tsar Ivan IV. During his primacy, a number of councils took place, which had extremely important for the life of church and state. The councils of 1547–1549 established official church celebrations for a large number of Russian saints, the spontaneous veneration of which already had its own history. At the Council of 1551 (Stoglavy Council) the norm of a symphony of royal and saintly power was legally established - a change made in connection with the crowning of Ivan IV in 1547. Here the question of the church's land holdings was again raised. Now the tsar managed to limit the growth of church land ownership by a number of measures, and the possibility of confiscation of church lands was also envisaged.

After the death of Metropolitan Macarius, the harmony of interaction between church and secular authorities was disrupted. The king established a regime of terror in the country, which extended to the saints. Now he raised and overthrew metropolitans, guided only by his own will. In 1568, Ivan IV publicly humiliated Metropolitan Philip II, tearing off his holy robe during a service in the Assumption Cathedral. Metropolitan Philip II became the last high priest who was not afraid to openly oppose the unjust power of the tyrant. Cyril, who replaced him, and the later metropolitans could no longer offer any resistance to the authorities.

INTRODUCTION OF THE PATRIARCHATE IN RUSSIA (16th century)

During the reign of Fyodor Ioannovich in 1586, Patriarch Joachim of Antioch came to Moscow for alms. This was the first ecumenical patriarch to visit Russia. The Moscow government took advantage of his visit to raise the issue of establishing a patriarchate in Russia. Joachim promised to intercede for the Russian Church before other patriarchs upon his return to the East. Two years later, Moscow solemnly welcomed Patriarch Jeremiah of Constantinople. However, contrary to the expectations of the sovereign, it turned out that he was not vested with the authority to install a Russian patriarch. Negotiations on the establishment of the patriarchate were resumed. Unexpectedly for the Russians, Jeremiah expressed a desire to stay in Rus' and become the first Russian patriarch. Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich agreed, but on the condition that the department should be located not in Moscow, but in Vladimir. Jeremiah, which was what Moscow wanted, did not accept such a humiliating condition, according to which he would be away from the court, having no chance to influence public policy. In 1589, a council of Russian bishops elected Metropolitan Job to the established patriarchal throne. He was elevated to the rank of Patriarch of Constantinople Jeremiah. In 1590 and 1593, at the Councils of Constantinople, the high priests confirmed the legitimacy of the act and assigned the Patriarch of Moscow the fifth place among the ecumenical primates.

In 1591, with the death of Tsarevich Dmitry, the Rurik dynasty came to an end (Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich had no children). Boris Godunov was elected to the royal throne. Patriarch Job contributed in every possible way to his elevation to the throne, and subsequently, after the death of the latter, he opposed the impostor False Dmitry I, who instilled Catholicism and Western customs. The new self-proclaimed ruler managed to force the council of bishops to remove Job from the throne and send him into exile. The former Archbishop of Ryazan Ignatius, who was loyal to the Westernizing innovations of False Dmitry, became the patriarch. After the overthrow of the impostor, his protege Ignatius was also removed from the patriarchal throne. Metropolitan Hermogenes of Kazan was elected as the new patriarch. In 1611–1612, it was he, in conditions of Polish-Swedish intervention and virtual anarchy, who led the national liberation movement, appealing to the people to protect the Orthodox faith from infidels. The Poles imprisoned Hermogenes in the Chudov Monastery, where he suffered martyrdom from hunger. Thanks to his appeals, the liberation movement took on a nationwide character and led to the expulsion of the Poles from Moscow.

In 1613, the Zemsky Sobor elected Mikhail Romanov to the throne. The father of the young tsar, Metropolitan Philaret of Rostov, who was in Polish captivity, was given the title of “nominated patriarch.” Filaret returned from captivity in 1619 and was installed as patriarch by Patriarch Theophan IV of Jerusalem, who was in Moscow at that time.

One of the first acts of the new patriarch was the restoration of the Printing House, where work began on correcting liturgical books, since during the years of unrest, liturgical use had become large number books of the southern Russian press, which demanded that they be brought into conformity with the Greek canon.

An important event in the church life of this time was the council, convened on the initiative of Filaret and devoted to the issue of rebaptism of Catholics, whom many priests accepted into Orthodoxy through confirmation. The Council decisively decided on the need to rebaptize Catholics. Special “ranks of accession”, drawn up by Patriarch Hermogenes, were even approved.

The further policy of Patriarch Filaret, based on his personal experience in Poland, was aimed at completely protecting the Russian Church from Latin influences. The official doctrine declared Russia to be the only custodian of ancient piety whose religious experience was not subject to Western influences. In accordance with this point of view, with the blessing of Philaret, public readings of new theological works created in Ukraine or Poland were organized in Moscow, during which they were subject to detailed analysis and criticism by Moscow “reference experts.” Several such works were condemned for their Latin influences and burned.

In addition to establishing strict control over book publishing and liturgical activities, Filaret, as the de facto co-ruler of Mikhail Romanov, most actively participated in resolving the most important state issues. Under him, the authority and power of the patriarch were raised to previously unprecedented heights.

His successors, Joasaph (1634–1640) and Joseph (1640–1652), did not possess such power. During the period of their priesthood in religious life, issues of streamlining parish and monastic life came to the fore, the imperfection of which began to cause acute concern for both the laity and representatives of the clergy. A significant number of teachings and messages written by Joseph denounce witchcraft, buffoonery, drunkenness among white and black clergy, and all kinds of violations of liturgical regulations by priests. In addition to pointing out dark sides Russian religious life, the patriarch's writings indicate that during this period the laity became much more actively interested in issues of faith and church life.

At the end of the 1640s, a circle of zealots of piety formed around the confessor of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Stefan Vonifatiev. He set himself the goal of streamlining church life by restoring ancient traditions. The increased activity of religious life in all segments of the population could not but contribute to the emergence of new heretical movements. Among them, the heresy of the monk Capito stood out, who saw the only means of achieving salvation in strict asceticism, and also denied the sacraments and hierarchy.

In the 1630s–1640s, the world community established the idea of ​​Russia as the defender of the peoples conquered by the Turks. This circumstance contributed to the development of the process of rapprochement with Orthodox peoples East and, as a result, a weakening of the policy of isolationism. The experience of the religious life of other peoples began to intensively penetrate Russian church life. In 1649 the king issued Cathedral Code, which had the meaning of a legislative code that consolidated the dominant position of the Orthodox Church in the Russian state system. By this act, the authorities took under the protection and patronage of both the church and the Orthodox doctrine itself, while it established civil status for persons of clergy and limited the power of the church by creating a Monastic Order, which transferred judgment over the clergy, from metropolitans to clergymen. Code caused sharp rejection among the clergy. The response to the publication of this document was the publication Helmsman's books, Where civil law was brought into line with the church according to the ancient Byzantine tradition. Edition Helmsman And Code demonstrated a tendency towards the division of law into secular and ecclesiastical.

REFORM OF PATRIARCH NIKON

In 1652, Metropolitan Nikon of Novgorod ascended the patriarchal throne. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich himself indicated his candidacy, contrary to the opinion of many zealots of piety. In the young, energetic and ambitious bishop, the tsar saw a close-minded person with whom, as it seemed to him, he had much in common in his views on the future of Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1653, the energetic Nikon, with the support of Alexei Mikhailovich, began carrying out church reform, the main content of which at first was to organize the correction of liturgical books according to Greek models. In fact, the reformers used books from the Belarusian and Ukrainian press, which in turn relied on Venetian publications. The church council convened by Nikon supported the course chosen by the tsar and the patriarch.

In addition to the problem of correcting liturgical books, the reform also affected the ritual side of church life, which caused resistance to Nikon’s innovations not only among the clergy, but also among the people and ultimately led to a split in the church and the emergence of the Old Believers.

The first successes towards the transformation of the Russian Church and the patronage of the sovereign contributed to the fact that Nikon began to act just as decisively in other matters, and at times even despotic, clearly exceeding his authority. The rise of patriarchal power, unprecedented since the time of Filaret, and its active interference in the affairs of government ultimately aroused the tsar’s dissatisfaction. Feeling the “thunderstorm,” Nikon decided to leave the department without permission, hoping that the tsar would return him. Nikon's wrong step was immediately taken advantage of to file charges against the patriarch. The Council of 1666 decided to deprive Nikon of his rank and elect a new primate of the Russian Church. The decisive position of Nikon, who through his intermediaries proved the non-canonical nature of the conciliar decision, delayed its execution. Nikon insisted that the priesthood is above the kingdom and only the ecumenical patriarchs can judge the patriarch. In 1666, the Patriarchs of Antioch and Alexandria arrived in Moscow. The council deposed Nikon from the throne and sent him into exile. The successor to patriarchal power was Joasaph II, who resolutely continued Nikon's liturgical reforms, realizing that Nikon's condemnation had caused serious damage to the authority of the church.

Those who replaced him, first Pitirim and then Joachim, had difficulty restraining the decisive attack of secular power on the rights of the church. Patriarch Joachim achieved the abolition of the Monastic Order and the return of financial, judicial and administrative power in resolving issues related to the church to the hands of the clergy. The patriarch also contributed a lot to limiting the spread of the Old Believers. He authored a number of anti-schism works. With his blessing, schismatic monasteries and monasteries were destroyed; Instead of old printed books, priests were given free liturgical books of a new printing. In 1682, a church council decided to consider remaining in schism a civil crime. In the same year, under pressure from the Streltsy and their leader, Prince Khovansky, Patriarch Joachim agreed to an open dispute with the leader of the Old Believers, Nikita Pustosvyat. The debate was so heated that the regent, Princess Sophia, threatened to leave the capital for the debaters. The dispute was stopped. Nikita Pustosvyat was soon captured and executed by order of Sophia. During the patriarchate of Joachim, the problem of the increasingly widespread Catholic influence remained acute. Its powerful source was the writings of Simeon of Polotsk, a writer who was under the personal patronage of the tsar. An important event of this time was the return of the Kyiv Metropolis to the jurisdiction of Moscow. See also SPLIT.

RUSSIAN CHURCH UNDER PETER THE GREAT

In conditions of weakness of state power at the end of the 17th century. Joachim managed to consolidate the forces of the clergy and defend the property rights of the church. Joachim's successor Adrian followed the policies of his predecessor in everything, but he managed to achieve little along this path - he was faced with the strengthened will of the young Tsar Peter I. The tsar's interference in church affairs became systematic; he completely ignored and sometimes publicly insulted the patriarch. The king reintroduced strict control for church property from the state. Joachim's successes were reduced to nothing by the end of the century.

After the death of Adrian in 1700, Peter I took decisive steps towards achieving complete submission to the church. The election of a new patriarch was constantly postponed. To fulfill the role of locum tenens of the patriarchal throne, Peter appointed Metropolitan of Ryazan and Murom Stefan (Yavorsky). Metropolitan Stephen was raised in Catholic schools in Lviv and Poznan. Peter's choice fell on him as a pro-Western bishop. However, in reality, Stefan Yavorsky turned out to be a champion of the patriarchate and the high authority of the church. He did not always agree with Peter's policies. Apparently, Metropolitan Stefan was involved in the case of Tsarevich Alexei, although the tsar was unable to find any evidence against him.

In 1718, Metropolitan Stefan submitted a request to be released to Moscow under the pretext that, while in Moscow, it would be more convenient to manage the Moscow and Ryazan dioceses. In connection with the departure of the saint, Peter instructed the Bishop of Pskov, Theophan Prokopovich, to draw up a project for the establishment of a Spiritual College, which would replace the sole power of the patriarch and, thus, would not be dangerous for the autocracy. Formally, the Collegium was endowed with judicial, administrative and legislative powers, but it could exercise the power given to it only with the consent of the sovereign himself. Under pressure from the monarch, the bishops signed a document creating a new state college - Holy Synod. Its opening took place in 1721. From that moment on, the church completely lost its former independence from secular power. Stefan Yavorsky became the President of the Holy Synod. In 1722, the emperor established the position of chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod, to which an officer was appointed who performed the function of “the eye of the sovereign” in the Synod. As a result, Stefan Yavorsky found himself practically removed from the management of the church. After the death of Metropolitan Stephen, the position of president was abolished.

From now on, the state controlled all aspects of church life. In accordance with Peter's educational reform, the compulsory education of children of clergy was proclaimed (under pain of exclusion from the class). IN different cities Russia - Nizhny Novgorod, Vologda, Kazan, etc. - seminary-type theological schools were created; in Moscow, the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy was transformed into the Theological Academy according to the Kyiv model. New rules were also introduced regarding monastic life. Military personnel and officials were prohibited from entering the monastery. An age limit was introduced: men could enter the monastery starting at 30, women at 50 years old. The establishment of monasteries was strictly prohibited. The founding of new monasteries was possible only with the permission of the Synod. Many monasteries were closed under the pretext of lack of funds for their maintenance. These government measures quickly led to the desolation of monastic life and the extinction of the tradition of ascetic monastic practice, the life of which was “fed” by only a very few of its representatives.

AFTER PETER

After the death of Peter during the reign of Catherine I, the Holy Synod was subordinated to a new state body - the Privy Council, which in fact meant the subordination of the church not to the anointed sovereign, but to a government body devoid of any sacredness.

During the short reign of Peter II, the son of Tsarevich Alexei, there was a movement towards the restoration of the patriarchate, but the sudden death of the fifteen-year-old emperor did not allow these hopes to come true.

Anna Ivanovna, who ascended the Russian throne, proclaimed a “return” to the precepts of Peter. Her policy was primarily manifested in a wave of so-called episcopal processes. A significant role in their organization belonged to Feofan Prokopovich, who sent the saints into exile and imprisonment, thus dealing with his “enemies.” The monasteries were subjected to new severe tests. Now only widowed priests and retired soldiers could be tonsured into the monastery. The abbots of the monasteries were obliged to report to the Synod about the slightest offenses of the monks, who were subjected to cruel punishments: they were either exiled to the mines or given up as soldiers. By the end of Anna Ivanovna’s reign, some monasteries stood completely empty, while in others only the very old elders remained.

The situation changed somewhat with the accession of Elizabeth Petrovna. Being very pious, the empress returned innocently convicted shepherds from imprisonment and exile, allowed young monks from any class to be tonsured, made generous donations to many monasteries and restored the monastic system of managing the lands belonging to the monasteries. However, Elizabeth, who sacredly revered her father’s reform activities, responded to the proposal to restore the patriarchate with a decisive refusal. During the reign of Elizabeth the first occurred in the 18th century. canonization: Dmitry of Rostov was canonized.

In the Peter and post-Petrine eras, the intensive expansion of the borders of the empire continued. In this regard, the missionary activities of the Russian Church received serious support from the state. Newly baptized foreigners were provided with serious benefits, to the point that taxation and conscription duties were transferred to unbaptized fellow tribesmen. Missionary activities were carried out by a specially established Office of New Epiphany Affairs.

CHURCH DURING THE REIGN OF CATHERINE II

The church policy of Catherine II, who replaced the short-reigning Peter III, is clearly characterized by her statement: “Respect faith, but not allow it to influence state affairs.” It was during her reign that the centuries-old dispute about monastic estates was summed up. The manifesto issued by the empress announced the secularization of church real estate. Funds for the maintenance of monasteries were now provided by the College of Economy. Staffs were introduced for monasteries. Monasteries that were not included in the states were abolished or had to exist on the offerings of believers. As a result of this reform, the number of monastics decreased from 12 to 5 thousand, and many ancient monasteries were closed. Closed monasteries turned into barracks and insane asylums. Despite the new wave of persecution, the surviving monasteries were able to derive considerable benefit from the current situation, seeing in it an opportunity to revive the ancient ascetic monastic spirit. Metropolitan Gabriel of Novgorod and St. Petersburg contributed to ensuring that from now on the monasteries were headed not just by “learned monks,” but by people experienced in spiritual life. The institution of eldership was revived, the roots of which are associated with the name of Paisius Velichkovsky, who labored in the monasteries of Athos and Moldavia.

RUSSIAN CHURCH IN THE 19th–21st centuries.

Catherine's son Paul, during his short reign, contradicted his mother's initiatives in everything. He somewhat improved the position of clergy, freeing them from corporal punishment and increasing the staffing levels of the clergy. Alexander I Pavlovich at first took very little interest in the affairs of the church. The question of the state of church affairs was raised before the sovereign by M.M. Speransky. Speransky began to intensively study the problem of spiritual education. Together with Archbishop Theophylact, he developed new statutes for academies, seminaries and schools, according to which the emphasis was not on mechanical memorization of educational material, but on its creative assimilation. In 1809, classes under new programs began at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, and in 1814 - at the Moscow. Both academies soon became real centers of theology.

At the beginning of the 19th century. in Russian society, what was happening during the 18th century became really tangible. division of national culture into folk culture, which remained faithful to ancient religious and moral customs, and noble culture, nourished by Western sources. After the War of 1812, mystical sentiments intensified in high society, which was the reason for the emergence of religious sects.

A significant event in church life in the 19th century. The Georgian Exarchate was founded in 1811. The Catholicos of Georgia was henceforth a permanent member of the Holy Synod. The inclusion of the Georgian Church in the Russian Orthodox Church created favorable conditions for missionary activities to restore the Orthodox faith in the Caucasus. In 1814 the Ossetian mission opened. Metropolitan Theophylact translated into Ossetian language liturgical texts and Catechism.

With the coming to power of Nicholas I (1825) public policy in relation to the church acquired a strict “protective” character. The tsar tried to protect the official church from the influence of a large number of Masonic lodges and various kinds of sects. Spiritual censorship intensified, some especially zealous representatives of which put the works of Macarius the Great and Isaac the Syrian on a par with the works of sectarians. Chief Prosecutor of the Synod N.A. Protasov (1798–1855, Chief Prosecutor 1836–1855) tried to carry out a new educational reform designed to lower the cultural level of theological schools under the pretext of adapting training courses to the conditions of rural life. Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow strongly opposed the reform. He managed to prevent the implementation of a plan for extreme simplification of secondary theological education. In 1842, Protasov achieved the removal of Metropolitan Philaret from the Synod, but he remained the spiritual leader of the Russian bishops even after his removal from the Synod. A new phenomenon was the creation in 1841, on the initiative of the chief prosecutor, of spiritual consistories - advisory and executive bodies under the diocesan bishops. The consistories consisted of bishops and secular officials, headed by a secretary appointed by the chief prosecutor himself. Any decision of the diocesan bishop could be protested by the secretary. Thus, the diocesan administration, which received its own chief prosecutor in the person of the secretary, was also brought under strict state control. In the 1820s and 1830s in western Russia, the number of Uniates converting to the Orthodox faith increased. In 1839, a council of Uniate clergy was held in Polotsk, which drew up an act of accession to the Russian Orthodox Church. During the same period, a movement to join Orthodoxy emerged among Estonians and Latvians, who perceived Lutheranism as the religion of the German barons. Russian bishops (Filaret Gumilevsky, Platon Gorodetsky) managed to strengthen the position of Orthodoxy in the Baltic states. In 1836, the opening of the Riga Vicariate of the Pskov Diocese took place in Riga. In 1847, the Russian spiritual mission opened in Jerusalem.

The system of church administration that developed under Nicholas I and Chief Prosecutor N.A. Protasov caused sharp criticism in different strata of society during the change of sovereign. A. Muravyov, who served under the Chief Prosecutor of the Synod, criticized formalism and bureaucracy in church administration. He submitted a memo to the new Chief Prosecutor A.P. Tolstoy On the state of the Orthodox Church in Russia. The period of chief prosecutor of A.P. Tolstoy (1856–1862) was marked by a softening of strict control over the church. A.P. Tolstoy himself was a man of sincere faith, who respected the church, and quite often made pilgrimage trips to Optina Pustyn. In the second half of the 1860s, the post of chief prosecutor was taken by D.A. Tolstoy (1865–1880), who tried to revive the times of Protasov. He contributed to the removal of the clergy from organizing the primary education of peasant children.

At the end of the 1860s, great changes were made in the position of the parish clergy. Hereditary rights to church positions were abolished. The sons of clergymen received rights similar to those of the children of personal nobles or hereditary honorary citizens. They were given the opportunity to enter military or civil service and join merchant guilds. Thus, the class of the clergy was legally eliminated. An important direction The activity of the church at this time remained missionary. In 1865, the Orthodox Missionary Society was formed in St. Petersburg. It trained missionaries and provided material assistance to existing missions. Special attention continued to focus on the Christianization of the peoples of the Volga region. In Kazan, Professor N.I. Ilminsky (1822–1891) opened the first school for baptized Tatar children with teaching in the Tatar language. In 1869, a divine service was held in the Tatar language for the first time in Kazan.

In the church press of the 1860s, the issue of reforming secondary and higher theological education was widely discussed. By 1867–1869, a special committee developed the statutes of seminaries, religious schools and academies. Now the management of theological schools belonged to the Educational Committee under the Synod instead of the previous management, subordinate to the chief prosecutor. The internal administration was built on the principles of collegiality and self-government. Significant changes curricula were subjected. The range of sciences has shrunk. Physics and mathematics disciplines were excluded from the curriculum of the Academies. Only the best students were retained to work on their candidate's and master's theses. Master's theses were subject to public defense. After the reform in the 1870s, the number of religious educational institutions began to grow rapidly. Through the efforts of Metropolitan Philaret, work on the translation of the Bible was resumed in the 1860s, and in 1876 the first edition of the Bible was published in Russian. See also BIBLE.

The era of Alexander III went down in history as the era of reaction to the liberal reforms of the 1860s. Church policy was now carried out by K.P. Pobedonostsev (1827–1907, Chief Prosecutor 1880–1905). New chapter The Synod stated that the government was committed to the practical application of ancient canonical church law and discussed the most important issues in a conciliar manner, but in reality, strict state control over the church was maintained. The Russian episcopate received only the right to convene district councils of bishops. At the end of the 19th century. The class isolation of the spiritual rank has finally become a thing of the past. The rise of the clergy on the class ladder brought him closer to the noble intelligentsia and representatives of academic science. Canonized John of Kronstadt, a shepherd who belonged to the white clergy, became famous not only for his sermons, but also for his deep theological writings. However, this phenomenon also had its downside: an excessively large number of graduates of seminaries and academies began to go to universities and secular science. Pobedonostsev did not fail to strengthen church protective measures in the system of religious education: they abolished the elective beginning of management, and abolished specialization by department. On the other hand, Pobedonostsev sought to expand the influence of the clergy on public education and contributed to a significant increase in the number of parochial schools.

When Nicholas II ascended the throne, the number of canonizations increased. During the short reign of the last emperor, Theodosius of Chernigov, Joasaph of Belgorod, Hermogenes of Moscow, Pitirim of Moscow were canonized, and the veneration of Anna Kashinskaya was restored. The glorification of Seraphim of Sarov was a great celebration. At the beginning of the 20th century. The Russian Church continued to carry out extensive missionary activities. The Japanese spiritual mission, headed by the subsequently canonized Metropolitan Nicholas (Kasatkin), and the Korean spiritual mission, whose work took place in the difficult conditions of the Russo-Japanese War, became especially famous at this time. In 1898–1912, the head of the Russian episcopate was Metropolitan Anthony (Vadkovsky) of St. Petersburg and Ladoga (1846–1912). In 1905, he led a church movement aimed at reviving the conciliar principle in church governance. For his part, Pobedonostsev opposed this movement in every possible way, declaring that the chief prosecutor's supervision is a reliable guarantee of collegiality and conciliarity. Under pressure from Pobedonostsev, the tsar postponed the convening of the council, citing anxious time, but gave permission to open the Pre-Conciliar meeting. The meeting was convened in 1912, but its work was interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War. The tragic moment of the collapse of the Russian Empire was approaching.

March 2, 1917 Nicholas II abdicated the throne. Governance of the country passed to the Provisional Government. A new chief prosecutor, V.N. Lvov, was appointed to the Synod. First of all, he dismissed from the Synod all the bishops who were suspected of sympathizing with the previous regime. In its new composition, the Synod, chaired by Metropolitan Platon, tried to improve relations between the church and the Provisional Government. The result was the convening of the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, which began its work in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin on August 15, 1917. Cm. LOCAL CATHEDRAL 1917–1918.

The main decision of the council was the restoration of the patriarchate. Metropolitan Tikhon (Belavin) was elected Patriarch. The council took place in the days when the Provisional Government could no longer govern the country. The desertion of soldiers from the front became widespread. The country was in chaos. After the October Revolution, the cathedral issued an appeal in which it described the events as “raging atheism.” The second session of the cathedral opened on January 21, 1918, and on August 7 its activities were terminated due to the confiscation of the premises where its work took place. Having come to power, the Bolshevik government immediately began preparing a law on the separation of church and state. The adoption of this law was regarded by the church as the beginning of persecution of clergy. Indeed, at this time the persecution of priests, monks and nuns had already begun in the country. Patriarch Tikhon tried to stop this process by appealing to the Council people's commissars with a message. However, the patriarch's calls remained unanswered. During the Civil War, the new government won one victory after another. First, the Red Army defeated the troops of A.V. Kolchak, then the army of A.I. Denikin. With the retreat of the White Army, many priests and bishops left Russia. Patriarch Tikhon was faced with the task of protecting the remaining shepherds, and he called on the clergy to abandon all political speeches.

In the first post-revolutionary years, the picture of church life in Ukraine was complex. The idea of ​​secession arose again Ukrainian Church from the Russian Church and the introduction of union. The government of S.V. Petliura proclaimed autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church and arrested Metropolitan of Kyiv Anthony (Khrapovitsky) and Archbishop of Volyn Evlogiy. However, soon, due to the arrival of the Red Army in Kyiv, the Ukrainian Church was left without a bishop. Trying to end the church unrest in Ukraine, Patriarch Tikhon in 1921 temporarily abolished the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church, giving it the status of an exarchate. Despite this, Ukrainian separatists in October of the same year proclaimed the autocephaly of the church, and Kyiv priests consecrated the married Archpriest Vasily Lipkovsky to the rank of Metropolitan. Then, within a week, a whole false hierarchy appeared, called “Lipkovism”.

The Civil War and the defeat of the White Army led to the fact that a large number of Russian people were forced to emigrate. By 1920 only in European countries it turned out to be more than two million Russians. Among them were clergymen. On November 21, 1921, in Sremski Karlovci, with the consent of the Patriarch of Serbia, a meeting of the all-church foreign meeting was held, which was later renamed the Russian All-Foreign Church Council. It included bishops who were in Karlovtsi and members of the Local Council of 1917–1918. The Karlovac Council formed the Higher Church Administration Abroad, headed by Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky), which headed the church life of the Russian diaspora.

The Bolshevik campaign of 1920 to open and destroy the relics of saints was a strong shock for believers of the Russian Church. In the summer of 1921, a drought began in the Volga region, leading to a terrible famine. In February 1922, a decree was issued on the confiscation of church valuables to find funds to combat hunger. In a number of cases, during the confiscation, bloody clashes between believers and police occurred. The arrests began, and then trial over a group of clerics who were sentenced to death. Patriarch Tikhon was subjected to house arrest in connection with these events. In the atmosphere of the outbreak of terror, several Petrograd priests, led by A.I. Vvedensky, entered into an agreement with the GPU and seized church administration. In April 1923 they announced the defrocking of Tikhon. While the patriarch was in custody, a show trial was being prepared against him. However, it did not take place due to international protests and fears of possible popular unrest. Patriarch Tikhon was released, having previously demanded that he publicly admit his guilt before the Soviet authorities. The saint considered it necessary to compromise with the authorities and fulfilled the condition. Upon his release, the patriarch began to put in order the church administration, which had been upset by the turmoil of the “renovationists.” Quite soon he managed to restore the hierarchical apparatus and give the church organization, in the words of the Bolsheviks themselves, “the appearance of an ideological and organic whole.” Patriarch Tikhon died in 1925. Cm. TIKHON, ST.

By the will of the deceased patriarch, Metropolitan Peter (Polyansky) became the locum tenens of the patriarchal throne. There could be no talk of convening a council and new elections of the patriarch, since the Church was actually in a semi-legal position, and the Soviet government recognized the renovationist group as the Orthodox Church. In 1925, the renovationists held another council, at which they accused Patriarch Tikhon and Metropolitan Peter of having connections with monarchist emigrants. The political accusation they brought forward was immediately picked up by the Soviet press. Metropolitan Peter, foreseeing the further course of events, drew up a will and appointed successors in the event of his death. Soon Metropolitan Peter was arrested. Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky) took over the temporary duties of patriarchal locum tenens. Cm. SERGY.

Meanwhile, another schismatic group arose in the Russian Church: ten bishops spoke out against Metropolitan Peter as the head of the church and formed the Supreme Church Council. This body was legalized by the authorities.

In the 1920s–1930s, the former Solovetsky Monastery became the main place of detention for clergy. In 1926 there were 24 bishops there. They compiled and addressed to the government the so-called. Aide-memoire. In it they recognized the legitimacy of the separation of church and state and expressed their loyalty to the authorities. At the same time, the document emphasized the incompatibility of the Christian worldview with atheism, which is integral part communist doctrine, and it was hoped that the church would be allowed to elect a patriarch and organize diocesan government. Metropolitan Sergius also addressed the government with a request to legalize the church. The authorities' response was a new arrest of Sergius. In April 1927, Metropolitan Sergius was released. Returning to Moscow, he convened a meeting of bishops who elected the Provisional Patriarchal Holy Synod. This body was officially registered for the first time.

The Synod issued a decree on the resumption of commemoration of state power during divine services, which was introduced by Patriarch Tikhon. The decree confused many bishops. Some of them even declared their separation from the “graceless St. Sergius Church.” It is now obvious that Sergius’s policy was dictated by the desire to preserve the church and its ministers, without putting the people before a tough choice between “renovationism” and a catacomb existence. In 1929, after a short lull, persecution of the church began again. L.M. Kaganovich declared religious organizations to be a legally operating counter-revolutionary force. A number of new decrees were issued prohibiting religious associations from charitable activities and private religious education. Mass closures of churches and monasteries began. Many of them were simply destroyed, others were turned into warehouses, prisons and colonies. In 1934, arrests and exiles of clergy resumed. In 1935, the deputy locum tenens, Metropolitan Sergius, was forced to dissolve the Synod. Only the secretary and the typist remained in the Metropolitan's office.

In 1936, false news came about the death of the locum tenens, Metropolitan Peter (shot in 1937). Metropolitan Sergius officially assumed the position of Patriarchal Locum Tenens.

The Great Patriotic War forced the government to change its attitude towards the church. In 1943, Metropolitans Sergius, Alexy and Nikolai met with Stalin, who agreed to hold a church council and elect a patriarch. The council, held in September 1943, elected Sergius as patriarch. As high priest, he began active efforts to restore the greatly weakened church hierarchy. In the new conditions, NKVD employees, using their own methods, contributed to the abolition of the Renovationist Church, which was once under their patronage.

Patriarch Sergius died in 1944. Alexy I became the new patriarch ( cm. ALEXI I). IN post-war years The Russian Orthodox Church restored communion with the universal churches and acquired international authority. The urgent task remained to replace the bishop's sees. By 1949, the Russian episcopate already numbered 73 bishops. However, significant changes in the life of the church occurred only after Stalin's death. Many priests were granted amnesty; in 1956 the relics of St. Nikita of Novgorod were transferred to the church; For the first time after the restoration of the patriarchate, the Bible was republished.

Once again the threat of persecution loomed over the church in 1958. By order of N.S. Khrushchev, the church was required to reform parish administration. According to the requirements, the rector, together with the clergy, became legally hired personnel, with whom the parish council entered into an agreement. Thus, the goal of eliminating the priest from participation in the economic affairs of the parish was achieved. The number of parishes has almost halved. Many churches were closed under the pretext of restoration, others were simply destroyed. In 1963 the Kiev Pechersk Lavra was closed.

After the change of government and the coming to power of L.I. Brezhnev (1964), the position of the church remained almost unchanged. The project submitted to the government to introduce parish rectors to the parish council was not successful. By the beginning of the 1970s, a situation had developed when more than half of the country's population had been raised outside the influence of church and religion. The situation began to change towards the end of the decade, when the number of converts who consciously came to church life increased. A wide circle of parishioners formed around the parish priests, consisting mainly of the intelligentsia. One of the most popular churches in Moscow was the Church of St. Nicholas in Kuznetsy, where Father Vsevolod Shpiller (d. 1984) served as rector. Archpriest Alexander Men (killed in 1990), priest Dmitry Dudko and others showed special care for the neophytes. Despite the small number of active monasteries, the tradition of eldership did not fade away in them. The flow of pilgrims to Schema-Hegumen Savva and Archimandrite John Krestyankin from the Pskov-Pechersk Monastery and Archimandrite Kirill from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra did not stop.

The 1980s were marked by preparations for the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the baptism of Rus'. In connection with the upcoming holiday, Patriarch Pimen appealed to the government with a request to transfer the St. Daniel Monastery to the church. This event took place in 1983. On the eve of the anniversary celebration, three conferences were held - church history in Kyiv, theological in Moscow and a conference on problems of liturgics and church art in Leningrad. They clearly demonstrated that the church has preserved ancient traditions. At the anniversary Local Council of 1988, for the first time in many years, the canonization of a number of Russian saints took place. During the anniversary celebrations, a radical shift occurred in society in relation to the church. Churches began to return churches and monasteries, and the canonization of Patriarch Tikhon became the first step towards glorifying the clergy who suffered during the years of Soviet power. Since 1991, services began to be held regularly in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Diocesan administration was completely restored. By 1994, the number of dioceses reached 114. A notable event was the adoption of the new law of the Russian Federation On Freedom of Conscience and on Religious Associations, the text of which was compiled taking into account the wishes of the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church (1997).

Under Patriarch Alexy II, more than 20 thousand churches and monasteries were opened (sometimes rebuilt) and consecrated, monastic life was resumed in many monasteries, many new saints were included in the calendar, including new martyrs and confessors of the 20th century, who became victims of revolutionary terror and persecution. One after another followed such significant events as: the discovery of the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov, the solemn transfer of them to Diveevo, the discovery of the relics of St. Joasaph of Belgorod and their return to Belgorod, the discovery of the relics His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon and their solemn transfer to the Great Cathedral of the Donskoy Monastery, the discovery in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra of the relics of St. Philaret of Moscow and St. Maxim the Greek, the discovery of the incorruptible relics of St. Alexander of Svir. With the blessing of His Holiness, more than 100 religious educational institutions were opened: seminaries, colleges and parochial schools. The Patriarch supported the idea of ​​reviving charity towards the poor and mercy, in particular serving in hospitals, nursing homes and prisons. Alexy II saw the role of the Orthodox Church in establishing and maintaining peace and harmony.

In May 2007, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II and First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, Metropolitan Laurus, signed Act of Canonical Communion, establishing norms for the relationship between the two Orthodox churches and aimed at restoring the unity of the Russian Orthodox Church. Thus, the almost century-long division of the Russian Orthodox Church was put to an end. In conditions of social stratification, the church under Alexy II tried to spread its influence and unite various segments of the population, contributing to the formation of a common system of values. The merits of Alexy II include the return of the Church to broad public service, the revival and spread of the Orthodox religion and culture.

APPLICATION. DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS AND DIGNITY OF HUMANITY OF THE X WORLD RUSSIAN PEOPLE'S COUNCIL

Realizing that the world is experiencing a turning point in history, facing the threat of a conflict of civilizations that have different understandings of man and his purpose, the World Russian People's Council, on behalf of the original Russian civilization, adopts this declaration.

Man, as the image of God, has a special value that cannot be taken away. It must be respected by each of us, society and the state. By doing good, a person gains dignity. Thus, we distinguish between the value and dignity of the individual. Value is what is given, dignity is what is acquired.

The eternal moral law has a solid foundation in the human soul, independent of culture, nationality, life circumstances. This foundation is laid by the Creator in human nature and manifests itself in conscience. However, the voice of conscience can be drowned out by sin. That is why the religious tradition, which has God as its Primary Source, is called upon to promote the distinction between good and evil.

We distinguish two freedoms: internal freedom from evil and freedom moral choice. Freedom from evil is valuable in itself. Freedom of choice acquires value, and personality acquires dignity, when a person chooses good. On the contrary, freedom of choice leads to self-destruction and damages the dignity of a person when he chooses evil.

Human rights are based on the value of the individual and should be aimed at realizing his dignity. That is why the content of human rights cannot but be connected with morality. The separation of these rights from morality means their profanation, for there is no such thing as immoral dignity.

We are for the right to life and against the “right” to die, for the right to creation and against the “right” to destruction. We recognize human rights and freedoms to the extent that they help the individual rise to goodness, protect him from internal and external evil, and allow him to be positively realized in society. In this light, we respect not only civilians, political rights and freedoms, but also social, economic and cultural rights.

Rights and freedoms are inextricably linked with human duties and responsibilities. A person, realizing his interests, is called upon to correlate them with the interests of his neighbor, family, local community, people, and all humanity.

There are values ​​that are no lower than human rights. These are values ​​such as faith, morality, shrines, and the Fatherland. When these values ​​and the implementation of human rights come into conflict, society, the state and the law must harmoniously combine both. We must not allow situations in which the exercise of human rights would suppress faith and moral tradition, lead to insult to religious and national feelings, revered shrines, or threaten the existence of the Fatherland. The “invention” of such “rights” that legitimize behavior condemned by traditional morality and all historical religions is also seen as dangerous.

We reject the policy of double standards in the field of human rights, as well as attempts to use these rights to promote political, ideological, military and economic interests, to impose a certain state and social system.

We are ready to cooperate with the state and with all well-intentioned forces in ensuring human rights. Special areas of such cooperation should be the preservation of the rights of nations and ethnic groups to their religion, language and culture, upholding freedom of religion and the right of believers to their way of life, countering crimes on national and religious grounds, protecting individuals from the arbitrariness of authorities and employers, caring for the rights military personnel, protection of children's rights, care for people in places of detention and social institutions, protection of victims of destructive sects, preventing total control over a person’s private life and beliefs, countering the involvement of people in crime, corruption, slave trade, prostitution, drug addiction, gambling.

We strive for dialogue with people of different faiths and views on issues of human rights and their place in the hierarchy of values. Today, such a dialogue, like nothing else, will help avoid a conflict of civilizations and achieve a peaceful combination of different worldviews, cultures, legal and political systems on the planet. Their future depends on how well people succeed in solving this problem.

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