Who was one of the leaders of the Old Believers of the 17th century. Church schism of the 17th century in Russia and the Old Believers

The split of the Russian Orthodox Church

church schism- in the 1650s - 1660s. a split in the Russian Orthodox Church, due to the reform of Patriarch Nikon, which consisted in liturgical and ritual innovations, which were aimed at making changes to liturgical books and rites in order to unify them with modern Greek ones.

background

One of the most profound socio-cultural upheavals in the state was the church schism. In the early 50s of the 17th century, a circle of “zealots of piety” formed among the higher clergy in Moscow, whose members wanted to eliminate various church disorders and unify worship throughout the vast territory of the state. The first step had already been taken: the Church Council of 1651, under pressure from the sovereign, introduced unanimous church singing. Now it was necessary to make a choice what to follow in church transformations: one's own Russian tradition or someone else's.

This choice was made in the context of the internal church conflict already emerging in the late 1640s, caused by the struggle of Patriarch Joseph with the growing Ukrainian and Greek borrowings initiated by the sovereign's entourage.

Church schism - causes, consequences

The Church, having strengthened its positions after the Time of Troubles, tried to take a dominant position in the political system of the state. The desire of Patriarch Nikon to strengthen his power positions, to concentrate in his hands not only church, but also secular power. But in the conditions of strengthening autocracy, this caused a conflict between church and secular authorities. The defeat of the church in this clash paved the way for its transformation into an appendage of state power.

The innovations in church rituals begun in 1652 by Patriarch Nikon, the correction of Orthodox books according to the model and likeness of the Greek, led to a split in the Russian Orthodox Church.

Main dates

The main reason for the split was the reforms of Patriarch Nikon (1633–1656).
Nikon (worldly name - Nikita Minov) enjoyed unlimited influence on Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.
1649 - Appointment of Nikon as Metropolitan of Novgorod
1652 - Election of Nikon as patriarch
1653 - Church reform
As a result of the reform:
– Correction of church books in accordance with the "Greek" canons;
– Changing the rites of the Russian Orthodox Church;
- The introduction of triplets during the sign of the cross.
1654 - The reform of the patriarch was approved at the church council
1656 - Excommunication of opponents of the reform
1658 - Nikon's renunciation of the patriarchate
1666 - The deposition of Nikon at the church council
1667–1676 - The uprising of the monks of the Solovetsky Monastery.
The rejection of reforms led to a division into supporters of reforms (Nikonians) and opponents (schismatics or Old Believers), as a result, the emergence of many movements and churches.

Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Patriarch Nikon

Election of Metropolitan Nikon as Patriarch

1652 - after the death of Joseph, the Kremlin clergy and the tsar wanted the Metropolitan Nikon of Novgorod to take his place: the character and views of Nikon seemed to belong to a man who was able to lead the church-ceremonial reform conceived by the sovereign and his confessor. But Nikon gave his consent to become patriarch only after Alexei Mikhailovich's long persuasion and on the condition that there were no restrictions on his patriarchal power. And such restrictions were created by the Monastic order.

Nikon had a great influence on the young sovereign, who considered the patriarch his closest friend and assistant. Departing from the capital, the tsar transferred control not to the boyar commission, as was customary before, but to the care of Nikon. He was allowed to be called not only the patriarch, but also the "sovereign of all Russia." Having taken such an extraordinary position in power, Nikon began to abuse it, seize foreign lands for his monasteries, humiliate the boyars, and severely crack down on the clergy. He was occupied not so much by reform as by the establishment of a strong patriarchal authority, the model for which was the authority of the Pope.

Nikon reform

1653 - Nikon began to implement the reform, which he intended to carry out, focusing on Greek samples as more ancient. In fact, he reproduced contemporary Greek models and copied the Ukrainian reform of Petro Mohyla. The transformations of the Church had a foreign policy connotation: the new role of Russia and the Russian Church on the world stage. Counting on the accession of the Kyiv Metropolis, the Russian authorities thought about creating a single Church. This required the similarity of church practice between Kyiv and Moscow, while they had to be guided by the Greek tradition. Of course, Patriarch Nikon did not need differences, but uniformity with the Kyiv Metropolis, which should become part of the Moscow Patriarchate. He tried in every possible way to develop the ideas of Orthodox universalism.

Church Cathedral. 1654. The beginning of the split. A.Kivshenko

Innovations

But many of Nikon's supporters, being not opposed to the reform as such, preferred its other development - based on ancient Russian, and not on Greek and Ukrainian church traditions. As a result of the reform, the traditional Russian two-fingered consecration of oneself with a cross was replaced by a three-fingered one, the spelling "Isus" was changed to "Jesus", the exclamation "Hallelujah!" proclaimed three times, not twice. Other words and turns of speech were introduced in prayers, psalms and Creeds, some changes were made in the order of worship. The correction of liturgical books was carried out by reference workers at the Printing Yard on Greek and Ukrainian books. The church council of 1656 decided to publish the corrected Trebnik and the Service Book, the most important liturgical books for every priest.

Among the various segments of the population were those who refused to recognize the reform: it could mean that the Russian Orthodox custom, which their ancestors adhered to from ancient times, was vicious. With the great adherence of the Orthodox to the ritual side of the faith, it was precisely its change that was perceived very painfully. After all, as contemporaries believed, only the exact performance of the rite made it possible to create contact with sacred forces. “I will die for a single “az”!” (i.e., for changing at least one letter in the sacred texts), exclaimed the ideological leader of the adherents of the old order, the Old Believers, and a former member of the "zealots of piety" circle.

Old Believers

The Old Believers initially fiercely resisted the reform. In defense old faith the boyar wives and E. Urusova spoke. The Solovetsky Monastery, which did not recognize the reform, for more than 8 years (1668 - 1676) resisted the tsarist troops besieging it and was taken only as a result of betrayal. Because of the innovations, a split appeared not only in the Church, but also in society, it was accompanied by strife, executions and suicides, and a sharp polemical struggle. The Old Believers formed a special type religious culture with a sacred attitude to the written word, with fidelity to antiquity and an unfriendly attitude towards everything worldly, with faith in the near end of the world and with a hostile attitude towards power - both secular and ecclesiastical.

At the end of the 17th century, the Old Believers were divided into two main currents - bespopovtsy and priests. Bespopovtsy, not finding as a result the possibility of establishing their own bishopric, could not supply priests. As a result, based on the ancient canonical rules on the permissibility of sacraments in extreme situations by the laity, they began to reject the need for priests and the entire church hierarchy and began to choose spiritual mentors from their midst. Over time, many Old Believer rumors (trends) were formed. Some of which, in anticipation of the imminent end of the world, subjected themselves to "fiery baptism", i.e., self-immolation. They realized that if their community was captured by the sovereign's troops, they would be burned at the stake as heretics. In the event of the approach of troops, they preferred to burn out in advance, without deviating from the faith in anything, and thereby save their souls.

The gap between Patriarch Nikon and Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich

Deprivation of Nikon's patriarchal rank

1658 - Patriarch Nikon, as a result of a quarrel with the sovereign, announced that he would no longer act as head of the church, took off his patriarchal vestments and retired to his beloved New Jerusalem Monastery. He believed that requests from the palace for his speedy return would not be long in coming. However, this did not happen: even if the conscientious tsar regretted what had happened, his entourage no longer wanted to put up with such a comprehensive and aggressive patriarchal power, which, according to Nikon, was higher than the royal one, “like the sky is higher than the earth.” Whose power in reality turned out to be more significant, further events demonstrated.

Alexei Mikhailovich, who accepted the ideas of Orthodox universalism, could no longer defrock the patriarch (as was done all the time in the Russian Local Church). Orientation to the Greek rules put him in front of the need to convene an ecumenical Church Council. Based on the steady confession of falling away from the true faith of the Roman See, ecumenical council was supposed to consist of Orthodox patriarchs. All of them took part in the meeting in one way or another. 1666 - such a council condemned Nikon and deprived him of his patriarchal rank. Nikon was exiled to the Ferapontov Monastery, and later transferred to more severe conditions on Solovki.

At the same time, the council approved the church reform and ordered the persecution of the Old Believers. Archpriest Avvakum was deprived of the priesthood, cursed and sent to Siberia, where his tongue was cut off. There he wrote many works, from here he sent messages throughout the state. 1682 - he was executed.

But Nikon's aspirations to make the clergy beyond the jurisdiction of secular authorities found sympathy with many hierarchs. At the Church Council of 1667, they managed to achieve the destruction of the Monastic order.

Old Believers- Group religious movements, united Russian Orthodox tradition, not accepting church reform 17th century Patriarch Nikon.

This reform is one of the most dramatic pages not only in history Russian Orthodox Church but also in history Russia. The aim of the transformation was unification of worship Russian Church with the Greek Church. As a result imposing new rules a church schism arose (until 1905, all those who disagreed with the reform were called schismatics) - refused to perform new rites severely persecuted and were persecuted, in fact, society was on the verge of religious war. At this time it happened many mass suicides people who do not want to forcefully accept a new faith. The most common form of protest is self-immolation, only until 1690 claimed the lives of about 20 thousand people.

Changes, carried out through the Nikonian reform, concerned external ritual parties. For example, replacing duodenal sign of the cross on three-toed, change directions of the procession(against the sun, not salting), etc. There were also many corrections regarding editing texts of the Holy Scriptures and liturgical books relating to spelling variations, small adjustments that do not change the general meaning. For outsider all these changes may look like perfect not fundamental and not affecting the essence of Orthodoxy, but in the 17th century this led to a tragic split in the church and society, which finally still not outlived.

And now, in spite of numerous steps towards reconciliation, relations between the Old Believers and the Russian Orthodox Church are different complexity. For example, the Old Believers consider themselves true Orthodox, and the ROC is called heterodox church. That's why for the transition of new believers to the Old Believers is required either simply chrismation(perhaps even with the preservation of the spiritual dignity), or even baptism. For today

Old Believers have a lot of varieties and sub-species. But the main division is popovtsy and bezpopovtsy.

Popovtsy- It is the most numerous flow. Their distinguishing feature is the recognition of the need for priests in conducting divine services and ceremonies. At the same time, some priests accept acceptance of priests from the New Believer church. They are also characterized participation in the church life of the laity along with priests. Priesthood was most widespread in Nizhny Novgorod region, Don region, Chernihiv region, Starodubye. From the point of view of dogmatics, priests are practically they do not differ from the New Rite church, except that they adhere to pre-Conian rites and liturgical books. Today, the number of priests is estimated at 1.5 million people, while their main centers in Russia are Moscow and Rostov regions.

Bezpopovstvo(another name is Old Orthodoxy) has more radical differences from the new faith. Died in 1654 leaving no receiver, the only one Old Believer bishop. According to church dogma, only a bishop has the right to devote to the clergy. Thus, formally following canon rules, after the death of all the pre-Conian priests, the Old Believers were forced to form non-priest sense. Bespopovtsy, fleeing persecution, settled in wild and uninhabited places- one of which was the coast of the White Sea (from this this community was called Pomors). Number of bespopovtsy estimated at half a million people.

The Old Believers played an important role in the preservation Orthodox cultural heritage. This applies to how church hymns(unique features of the singing manner - the absence of pauses, continuity and uniformity of sound), and the famous Old Believer icon painting based on tradition Russian and Byzantine schools. Once by the 19th century in the official ROC icon painting ended up in complete oblivion, Old Believer icon painters remained the only keepers of the tradition, which allowed reopen icon at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Contrary to popular belief, despite government repression, old believers It was very common almost in the 19th century one third of the population adhered to the traditions of the Old Believers. played an important role in the economy Old Believer merchants, which has become the basis for the development entrepreneurship. This was justified by those cultivated in the Old Believer environment traditions- a ban on smoking and alcohol, fidelity to this word, diligence.

20th century was the same for the old believers tragic, as well as for the ROC. If after the revolution 1905 the Old Believers received some concessions- the right to arrange religious processions, to have bell ringing and others - then when Soviet power them severely repressed along with the newcomers.

The Old Believers are rightfully just as an important and important direction Orthodoxy, as well as the New Rite, having played an invaluable role in preservation and development of Russian cultural and religious tradition , as well as in socio-economic life of Russia.

In recent years, our country has been growing interest in the old. Many both secular and church authors publish materials on the spiritual and cultural heritage, history and modern day of the Old Believers. However, the phenomenon of the Old Believers, his philosophy, worldview and peculiarities of terminology are still poorly studied. On the semantic meaning of the term " old believers"read in the article" What is Old Believers?».

Schismatics or Old Believers?

By itself, the term old believers” arose out of necessity. The fact is that the Synodal Church, its missionaries and theologians called the supporters of pre-schism, pre-Nikonian Orthodoxy nothing more than schismatics and heretics. This was done because the Old Russian Old Believer church traditions, which existed in Russia for almost 700 years, were recognized as non-Orthodox, schismatic and heretical at the New Believer councils of 1656, 1666-1667.

In fact, such a great Russian ascetic as Sergius of Radonezh was recognized as non-Orthodox, which caused a clear deep believers protest..

The Synodal Church took this position as the main one and used it, explaining that the supporters of all Old Believer accords without exception fell away from the “true” Church because of their firm unwillingness to accept the church reform, which he began to put into practice. Patriarch Nikon and continued to varying degrees by his followers, including the emperor Peter I.

On this basis, all those who do not accept the reforms were called schismatics, shifting on them the responsibility for the split of the Russian Church, for the alleged separation from Orthodoxy. Until the beginning of the 20th century, in all the polemical literature published by the dominant church, Christians professing pre-schism church traditions were called "schismatics", and the spiritual movement The Russian people, in defense of their fatherly church customs, were called "schism".

This and other even more offensive terms were used not only to denounce or humiliate the Old Believers, but also to justify persecution, mass repressions against supporters of ancient Russian church piety. In the book " Spiritual sling”, published with the blessing of the New Believer Synod, it was said:

“The schismatics are not the sons of the Church, but the real prostitutes. They are worthy of the tradition of life to the punishment of the city court ... worthy of any punishment and wounds.
And for not healing, and mortal murder ".

In Old Believer literatureXVII - the first half of the 19th century, the term "Old Believer" was not used

And most of the Russian people, unwittingly, began to be called insulting, turning upside down the essence of the Old Believers, term. At the same time, internally disagreeing with this, believers - supporters of pre-schism Orthodoxy - sincerely sought to achieve that they were officially called differently. For self-identification, they took the term " Old Orthodox Christians”- hence the naming of each Old Believer consent of their Church: Old Orthodox. The terms "orthodoxy" and "true Orthodoxy" were also used. In the writings of the Old Believers of the 19th century, the term " true Orthodox Church ».

It is important that among believers "in the old way" the term "Old Believers" for a long time was not used because the believers themselves did not call themselves that. In church documents, correspondence, everyday communication, they preferred to call themselves "Christians", sometimes "". The term " old believers”, legalized by secular liberal and Slavophile authors in the second half of the 19th century, was considered not quite correct. The meaning of the term "Old Believers" as such indicated the purely primacy of rituals, while in reality the Old Believers believed that the Old Faith was not only old rites, but also a set of church dogmas, worldview truths, special traditions of spirituality, culture and life.

Changing attitudes towards the term "Old Believers" in society

However, by the end of the 19th century, the situation in society and the Russian Empire began to change. The government began to pay more attention to the needs and demands of ancient Orthodox Christians, and a certain general term was needed for a civilized dialogue, regulations and legislation. For this reason, the terms old believers”, “Old Believers” is becoming more widespread. At the same time, the Old Believers of various accords mutually denied each other's Orthodoxy and, strictly speaking, for them the term "Old Believers" united religious communities, devoid of church and religious unity, on a secondary ritual basis. For the Old Believers, the internal inconsistency of this term consisted in the fact that, using it, they united in one concept the truly Orthodox Church (i.e., their own Old Believer agreement) with heretics (i.e., Old Believers of other agreements).

Nevertheless, at the beginning of the 20th century, the Old Believers positively perceived that in the official press the terms “schismatics” and “schismatic” began to be gradually replaced by “Old Believers” and “Old Believers”. The new terminology did not have a negative connotation, and therefore Old Believer consents began to actively use it in the public and public sphere. Word " old believers is accepted not only by believers. Secular and Old Believer publicists and writers, public and statesmen it is increasingly used in literature and official documents. At the same time, conservative representatives of the Synodal Church in pre-revolutionary times continue to insist that the term "Old Believers" is incorrect.

"Recognizing Existence" old believers", - they said, - we will have to admit the presence of" New Believers", that is, to admit that the official church uses not ancient, but newly invented rites and rites."

According to the New Believer missionaries, such self-disclosure could not be allowed in any way. And yet, the words “Old Believers”, “Old Believers” over time took root more and more firmly in literature and in everyday speech, displacing the term “schismatics” from the colloquial circulation of the overwhelming majority of supporters of “official” Orthodoxy.

Old Believers, Synodal Theologians and Secular Scholars on the Term "Old Believers"

Reflecting on the concept of "Old Believers", writers, theologians and publicists gave different assessments. Until now, the authors cannot come to a single opinion.

It is no coincidence that even in the popular book, the dictionary “Old Believers. Persons, Objects, Events and Symbols” (M., 1996), published by the publishing house of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church, there is no separate article “Old Believers” that would explain the essence of this phenomenon in Russian history. The only thing that is only noted here is that this is “a complex phenomenon that unites under one name both the true Church of Christ and the darkness of delusions.”

The perception of the term “Old Believers” is significantly complicated by the presence among the Old Believers of divisions into “consent” ( Old Believer churches), which are divided into supporters of a hierarchical structure with Old Believer priests and bishops (hence the naming: priests - Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church, Russian Old Orthodox Church) and on those who do not accept priests and bishops - priestless ( Ancient Orthodox Pomeranian Church, chapel consent, runners (wanderer's consent), Fedoseev's consent).

Old Believers-bearers of the old faith

Some Old Believer authors believe that not only the difference in rituals separates the Old Believers from the New Believers and other faiths. There are, for example, some dogmatic differences in relation to church sacraments, deep cultural differences in relation to church singing, icon painting, church canonical differences in church administration, holding councils, in relation to church rules. Such authors argue that the Old Believers contain not only old rites, but also Old Faith.

Therefore, such authors argue, it is more convenient and correct from the point of view of common sense, use the term " old belief”, which implicitly implies everything that is the only true one for those who accepted pre-schism Orthodoxy. It is noteworthy that initially the term "Old Belief" was actively used by supporters of the non-priest Old Believers' concords. Over time, he took root in other accords.

Today, representatives of the New Believer churches very rarely call the Old Believers schismatics, the term "Old Believer" has taken root both in official documents and church journalism. However, the New Believer authors insist that the meaning of the Old Believers lies in the exclusive adherence to the old rites. Unlike pre-revolutionary synodal authors, theologians of the Russian Orthodox Church and other New Believer churches do not see any danger in using the terms "Old Believers" and "New Believers". In their opinion, the age or the truth of the origin of this or that rite does not matter.

The Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1971 recognized old and new rites absolutely equal, equal and equal. Thus, in the ROC, the form of the rite is now given secondary importance. At the same time, the New Believer authors continue to instruct that the Old Believers, the Old Believers, are part of the believers, seceded from the Russian Orthodox Church, and therefore from all Orthodoxy, after the reforms of Patriarch Nikon.

What is Russian Old Believers?

So what is the meaning of the term old believers» is most acceptable today both for the Old Believers themselves and for secular society, including scientists who study the history and culture of the Old Believers and the life of modern Old Believer churches?

So, firstly, since at the time of the church schism of the 17th century, the Old Believers did not introduce any innovations, but remained faithful to the ancient Orthodox church tradition, they cannot be called “separated” from Orthodoxy. They didn't go anywhere. On the contrary, they advocated Orthodox traditions in their unchanged form and abandoned reforms and innovations.

Secondly, the Old Believers were a significant group of believers of the Old Russian Church, consisting of both laity and clergy.

And, thirdly, despite the divisions within the Old Believers, which occurred due to severe persecution and the impossibility for centuries to organize a full-fledged church life, the Old Believers retained common tribal church and social characteristics.

With this in mind, the following definition can be proposed:

OLD RITE (or OLD BELIEF)- this is the general name of the Russian Orthodox clergy and laity, striving to preserve the church institutions and traditions of the ancient Russian Orthodox Church andrefusedaccept the reform undertaken inXVIIcentury by Patriarch Nikon and continued by his followers, up to PeterI inclusive.

The religious and political movement of the 17th century, as a result of which a part of the believers who did not accept the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, separated from the Russian Orthodox Church, was called a schism.

Also at the divine service, instead of singing "Alleluia" twice, it was ordered to sing three times. Instead of circumambulating the temple during baptism and weddings in the sun, circumambulation against the sun was introduced. Instead of seven prosphora, five prosphora were served at the liturgy. Instead of an eight-pointed cross, they began to use four-pointed and six-pointed. By analogy with the Greek texts, instead of the name of Christ, Jesus, the patriarch ordered Jesus to be written in newly printed books. In the eighth member of the Creed ("In the Holy Spirit of the true Lord") removed the word "true".

Innovations were approved by church councils of 1654-1655. During 1653-1656, corrected or newly translated liturgical books were published at the Printing Yard.

The dissatisfaction of the population was caused by violent measures, with the help of which Patriarch Nikon introduced new books and rituals into use. Some members of the Circle of Zealots of Piety were the first to speak out for the "old faith", against the reforms and actions of the patriarch. Archpriests Avvakum and Daniil submitted a note to the tsar in defense of double-fingering and about prostrations during divine services and prayers. Then they began to argue that the introduction of corrections according to Greek models defiles true faith, since the Greek Church has departed from the "ancient piety", and its books are printed in the printing houses of Catholics. Ivan Neronov spoke out against the strengthening of the power of the patriarch and for the democratization of church administration. The clash between Nikon and the defenders of the "old faith" took sharp forms. Avvakum, Ivan Neronov and other opponents of the reforms were severely persecuted. The speeches of the defenders of the "old faith" received support in various strata of Russian society, ranging from individual representatives of the highest secular nobility to the peasants. Among the masses of the people there was a lively response to the sermons of the schismatics about the onset of the "end time", about the accession of the Antichrist, to whom the tsar, the patriarch and all the authorities allegedly already bowed down and carry out his will.

The Great Moscow Cathedral of 1667 anathematized (excommunicated) those who, after repeated exhortations, refused to accept new rites and newly printed books, and also continued to scold the church, accusing it of heresy. The cathedral also deprived Nikon of his patriarchal rank. The deposed patriarch was sent to prison - first to Ferapontov, and then to Kirillo Belozersky Monastery.

Fascinated by the preaching of schismatic teachers, many townspeople, especially peasants, fled to the dense forests of the Volga region and the North, to the southern outskirts of the Russian state and abroad, founded their communities there.

From 1667 to 1676, the country was engulfed in riots in the capital and on the outskirts. Then, in 1682, the Streltsy riots began, in which the schismatics played an important role. The schismatics attacked monasteries, robbed monks, and seized churches.

A terrible consequence of the split was burning - mass self-immolation. The earliest report of them dates back to 1672, when 2,700 people set themselves on fire in the Paleostrovsky Monastery. From 1676 to 1685, according to documented information, about 20,000 people died. Self-immolations continued into the 18th century, and in some cases at the end of the 19th century.

The main result of the split was a church division with the formation of a special branch of Orthodoxy - the Old Believers. By the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th centuries, there were various currents of the Old Believers, which received the names of "talks" and "consent". The Old Believers were divided into clergy and non-priests. The priests recognized the need for the clergy and all church sacraments, they were settled in the Kerzhensky forests (now the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod region), the regions of Starodubye (now the Chernigov region, Ukraine), the Kuban (Krasnodar Territory), the Don River.

Bespopovtsy lived in the north of the state. After the death of the priests of the pre-schism ordination, they rejected the priests of the new appointment, therefore they began to be called priestless. The sacraments of baptism and repentance and all church services, except for the liturgy, were performed by elected laity.

Patriarch Nikon had nothing to do with the persecution of the Old Believers - from 1658 until his death in 1681, he was first in voluntary, and then in forced exile.

At the end of the 18th century, the schismatics themselves began to make attempts to get closer to the church. On October 27, 1800, Edinoverie was established in Russia by decree of Emperor Paul as a form of reunification of the Old Believers with the Orthodox Church.

The Old Believers were allowed to serve according to the old books and observe the old rites, among which highest value it was given to two-fingered, but the service and the service were performed by Orthodox clergy.

In July 1856, by decree of Emperor Alexander II, the police sealed the altars of the Pokrovsky and Nativity Cathedrals of the Old Believer Rogozhsky cemetery in Moscow. The reason was denunciations that liturgies were solemnly celebrated in churches, "tempting" the faithful of the synodal church. Divine services were held in private prayer houses, in the houses of the capital's merchants and manufacturers.

On April 16, 1905, on the eve of Easter, a telegram from Nicholas II arrived in Moscow, allowing "to print the altars of the Old Believer chapels of the Rogozhsky cemetery." The next day, April 17, the imperial "Decree on Religious Tolerance" was promulgated, which guaranteed freedom of religion to the Old Believers.

In 1929, the Patriarchal Holy Synod formulated three resolutions:

- "On the recognition of the old Russian rites as saving, like the new rites, and equal to them";

- "On the rejection and imputation, as if not the former, of reprehensible expressions relating to the old rites, and especially to the two-finger";

- "On the abolition of the oaths of the Moscow Cathedral of 1656 and the Great Moscow Council of 1667, imposed by them on the old Russian rites and on Orthodox Christians who adhere to them, and to consider these oaths as if they had not been."

The Local Council of 1971 approved three resolutions of the Synod of 1929.

On January 12, 2013, in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, the first liturgy after the schism according to the ancient rite was celebrated.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources in

First I want to explain why I was interested in the Old Believers or, as they are also called, the Old Believers or schismatics. Cases, as they say, of bygone days, which are loosely connected with the turbulent modernity. There are few Old Believers left in Russia. Wikipedia says about 2 million out of more than 143 million Russians. Most of them live in remote Siberian corners. A certain number - outside of Russia: in Romania, Bulgaria, America, Canada, Latin America and even Australia. They live in closed communities outside world communicate at a minimum. For an ordinary Russian, the Old Believers are of the same interest as the Amish for the average American: read an article, be surprised, groan and forget. The Old Believers themselves do not want to participate in violent political and public discussions, and seem to prefer to be left alone.

But the more I read about the schismatics, the more I understood that the Old Believers are not at all like the Amish. The interest in them is not only zoological - to stare as at a strange animal in a cage and continue to live as usual. They write about the Old Believers with a sense of nostalgia and regret. For many, the Old Believers are a miraculously preserved type of Russian peasant, economic, sober, reasonable, strong and family. Starover is the embodiment present man, as it is described by authors nostalgic for Tsarist Russia, the owner of the land and their own destiny. This is the bearer of the very traditional values ​​that the media are shouting about and that the authorities are striving to plant and protect with all their might.
In modern Russia, this type has died out like a mammoth, was knocked out by the authorities due to ideological differences. In general, the Old Believers were too independent and stubborn for any, as we will see later, authorities. I noticed another curious thing that makes the history of the Old Believers relevant. The Old Believers to the last resisted the imposition of Western ideas and the Western way of life. They seemed to be mothballed and brought to us the cultural code of the Russians of the 17th century in an almost unchanged form. In these times, when there is a McDonald's on every corner, TV shows about the intrigues of the State Department mixed with American blockbusters, passing the law on foreign agents and showing off new iPhones, the story of the Old Believers can be instructive.

Wrong Orthodox and fiery oppositionists

It all started in the 17th century. On the Russian throne sat Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, nicknamed the Quietest. Together with the seventh Moscow Patriarch Nikon, the tsar carried out the church reform of 1650-1660. The goal of the reform was, in general, good: to bring the ritual tradition of the Russian Church into line with the Greek one, which was considered more advanced. Some historians believe that Nikon thus wanted to make the "Third Rome" out of Russia, to elevate Alexei Mikhailovich to the throne of the Byzantine emperors, and to become Ecumenical Patriarch. Outwardly, the reform looked like this: it was necessary to be baptized with three fingers, not two, to write the name of Christ with two “And” at the beginning, to make a procession against the sun and during the service three times, and not to proclaim “halelujah” twice (required hallelujah instead of special). Minor changes were made to the sacred texts and the ritual of prostrations. In the opinion of a modern person, far from church quarrels, a harmless reform was, in fact, an attempt to plant a Western model in Russia. As the priests themselves say, an attempt to forcibly westernize Russia. The people perceived this as an encroachment on traditional, naturally formed values ​​and refused to accept the new liturgical tradition. There was a split. So in Russia appeared right and wrong Orthodox. Since dissent, especially mass dissent, undermines the foundations of the state, a struggle began with the splitting opposition.

(Patriarch Nikon)
The laws at that time were harsh, unlike modern liberal ones. In general, there were problems with tolerance in Russia then. First, any deviation from correct Nikonian Orthodoxy was punishable by death with confiscation of property, in some cases, eternal imprisonment in an earthen prison, and then a prison term, hard labor or exile. As a sign of protest, the schismatics, unlike the modern oppositionists, did not rally and did not write long articles on the Internet. They protested on a grand scale, radically: despite the severest condemnation of suicide by the church, the schismatics voluntarily went to martyrdom and burned themselves. Whole families, with children and old people, mind you. The Old Believers especially got it in the time of Peter the Great, when Westernization was carried out super-actively. The oppositionists were forbidden to wear traditional clothes, grow beards and were ordered to smoke tobacco and drink coffee. Until now, the Old Believers commemorate the great sovereign-transformer with an unkind word. In the 17-18 century, more than 20 thousand Old Believers voluntarily set themselves on fire. Many more were burned voluntarily.

Despite severe repressions, the Old Believers continued to persevere. In the 19th century, according to some sources, up to a third of Russians were Old Believers. At the same time, there were significant indulgences in relation to the authorities and the official church towards the Old Believers. A modern liberal law was adopted: direct persecution was canceled, but any propaganda was prohibited. It was forbidden to build churches, publish books and hold leadership positions. Also, the state did not recognize the marriage of the Old Believers, and until 1874 all the children of the Old Believers were considered illegitimate. In 1905, the government went even further in its tolerance and issued the Supreme Decree "On strengthening the principles of religious tolerance." The decree allowed organizing communities and organizing religious processions.

During the respite, the Old Believers became something like Russian Protestants. With the latter, the Old Believers are related by the cult of labor and modesty in everyday life. These were, as I said above, strong and sober business executives. In the 19th century, the Old Believers formed the backbone of the wealthy merchants and peasantry. 60% of all bank accounts in the country belonged to Old Believer merchants.

The Bolsheviks did not delve into the subtleties of faith. Old Believers were persecuted in the same way as ordinary Orthodox. Many Old Believers suffered during dispossession and collectivization, because the Old Believers were prosperous and did not want to join collective farms. In Stalin's time, thousands of Old Believers received terms for anti-Soviet agitation. The accusation is at least strange, because the Old Believers have always strived to live in closed communities, on their own.

Some of the Old Believers instead of martyrdom, the royal fire and the Soviet camp chose voluntary exile and emigration. They fled to Siberia, where the long tentacles of the tsarist secret police and the NKVD could hardly reach. She fled to China, and from there to Latin America. Thus, Old Believer communities were formed outside of Russia.

Downshifters

The Old Believer communities are tin cans that have preserved the traditions, way of life and thinking of the Russian peasantry of the 16th century almost unchanged. These people deliberately reject modern civilization. The Old Believers live according to the house-building, relations in the community are built along the traditional vertical: children, women, then men, and above all - God. The man is the undisputed head and breadwinner of the family. A woman is a mother and a keeper of the hearth, or, as feminists would say, the business of women is kinder, kuhe, kirche (children, kitchen, church). You can get married from the age of 13. Abortion and contraception are prohibited. In Old Believer families, as a rule, there are 6-10 children. Unconditional respect and obedience to elders. Old Believers of the old school do not shave their beards, women do not wear trousers and always cover their heads with a scarf, even at night. Alcohol and tobacco are either completely prohibited, or homemade brew is allowed. The controversial achievements of civilization, such as television and the Internet, are not welcome among the Old Believers. However, there is no strict ban: many people have cars, they work fields on tractors, girls download embroidery patterns and recipes from the Internet. They feed mainly on their own farm, many Old Believers in the United States have become prosperous farmers. The Old Believers prefer to encounter official medicine as rarely as possible, except in serious cases; are treated with herbs, prayers and gelstat. It is believed that most diseases come from bad thoughts and informational garbage in the head.
In a word, the Old Believers lead a healthy lifestyle: instead of working in a stuffy office and relaxing with a bottle of beer in front of the TV, they do physical labor in the fresh air; murders and political quarrels - soul-saving prayers. Therefore, the Old Believers are mostly very healthy people, old people over 90 look at a maximum of 60. But women fade early from frequent childbirth. It can be said that Old Believers are a kind of downshifters for religious reasons. In this sense, the Old Believers are in trend: fleeing from the dubious benefits of civilization, top managers settle in abandoned villages, and hipsters massively nest in Goa. Both those and others would have something to learn from the Old Believers.

Alternative Russians

For centuries, the Old Believers have unwittingly found themselves inconvenient for any government, both tsarist and Soviet. The modern government and the modern church have finally decided to make peace with the Old Believers. In 1971, the Russian Orthodox Church abolished the harsh laws against the Old Believers and ruled the oaths of 1667 to be considered "as if they had not been." In 2000, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia offered repentance to the Old Believers. Now in Russia, along with the well-known ROC, there is the ROC (Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church) and the DOC (Old Orthodox Pomeranian Church). In general, the Old Believers are divided into several branches, but I will not delve into these subtleties. Relations with the official church are still tense, mainly due to the reluctance of the Old Believers join the team.

(the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Kornily, gives Patriarch Kirill an Old Believer rosary - a ladder)

In 2006, a state program began to operate to assist voluntary resettlement in the Russian Federation of compatriots living abroad. In 2012, Putin made it indefinite. Magadan, Sakhalin, Kamchatka, Buryatia were declared priority areas for settlement. And the Old Believers stretched from warm Latin America and Australia to the harsh and poorly mastered Siberia and the Far East - bearded men in jeans and loose-fitting shirts and women in sundresses and headscarves, speaking Russian with a foreign accent. The Russian government promised to pay for the move, provide housing, give a lift (up to 120 thousand rubles for each family member) and pay unemployment benefits for the first 6 months. True, with the condition: you can’t leave until the money allocated for resettlement is used up. Such is serfdom in a modern way.

The blissful return of the former opposition did not happen.

Firstly, the Old Believers faced a clumsy bureaucratic machine. Good intentions good intentions, and the paperwork must be drawn up in accordance with all the rules. Bearers of Russian traditions were equated with migrants. Of course, the Old Believers, unlike ordinary guest workers, received concessions, but still the procedure for naturalizing descendants primordially Russian turned out to be difficult and lengthy. Some unwittingly turned into illegal immigrants and again, as centuries ago, fled deeper into the taiga, into the forests, hiding from the authorities. Again, the Old Believers, against their will, found themselves in opposition, again in confrontation with the state. History repeats itself.

Secondly, Russia turned out to be not at all the quiet country of birches and churches that grandparents told modern Old Believers about. The Russian village is on the verge of destruction: only old people and alcoholics remain in the villages, collective farms have collapsed, hired workers work in the fields. The customs of modern Russians are strikingly different from those adopted by the Old Believers. In order to avoid "messing" with the laity and save themselves, the Old Believers again seek to hide, to get away from people and civilization. The hopes of the authorities that the Old Believers would help the spiritual revival of Russia did not come true.Many Russians themselves do not want to be spiritually reborn , and the Old Believers were not ready to take on this most difficult task. Modern Russia old people don't need it.

The phenomenon of the Old Believers is that they represent, as it were, an alternative version of the Russians. Russians who were not changed by the revolution of 1717, the years of Soviet indoctrination, the apocalypse of the 90s and the capitalism of the 2000s. Which our disputes about the fate of Russia and the national Russian idea do not concern. They found their idea back in the 16th century and carried it almost untouched to our time. One side, an example of enviable spiritual fortitude, the famous Russian character. The "pernicious" influence of the West on the Old Believers had almost no effect. Traditional values, as the example of Old Believer families shows, work. Who knows whether there would be a demographic crisis in Russia now, if the family according to the Old Believer model has survived to this day. From the government's point of view, our politicians, who zealously propagate traditional values, may be right.

On the other hand, such stubborn conservatism and rejection of civilization hinder development. Old Believers are undeniably fanatics. Progress is always going beyond the established system, breaking traditions. And I'm having a hard time imagining how to squeeze in modern man within the confines of the patriarchal family.

From a third party while we are discussing the fate of Russia here, the Old Believers are silently working. Do not waste time on doubts and reflections. They already have the answers.

Video: The whole truth about the life of the Old Believers:

Video: Old Believers - Leaving is easy, returning is difficult: