All Orthodox Christians who did not agree with the innovations and continued to pray according to old books faced a situation that in many ways resembles the lot of the martyrs of the Roman Empire in the first centuries of Christianity. The persecution was large-scale, total and cruel. In order to preserve life and faith, Russian Christians were forced to flee far from large cities and roads, settle in secluded remote places, and there already establish church life and life. As a result, whole centers of Old Believer culture are gradually emerging in Russia. Today they are the historical and national heritage of our Fatherland. Here is some of them.
The Kerzhenets River, the left tributary of the Volga, flows in the Nizhny Novgorod Region. Already from the 17th century, Old Believer settlements and monastic hermitages existed in the vast and dense forests of this area. The most famous of them is the Komarovsky skete. Here they copied books, received priests who were converting to the Old Believers. Kerzhenets- the birthplace of a wonderful work defending the old rite, known as the Deacon's Answers, which was written by Hierodeacon Alexander (1674 - March 21, 1720), who was cruelly martyred from persecutors.
The Kerzhensky sketes began to be systematically destroyed by Peter I at the instigation of the new believer Archbishop Pitirim, the then ruling bishop of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese. Inhabitants of sketes - who was killed, who was sent to hard labor. The rest dispersed to other places.
The devastation of the Kerzhensky sketes once again proves that it was the new faith clergy who were the true initiators of the persecution of the ancient Orthodox Christians. The secular power subsequently gradually begins to understand the economic benefits of the state from the economic activities of the Old Believers. But the constant incitement of such figures as the Patriarch of Moscow Joachim, Archbishop Pitirim of Nizhny Novgorod, Metropolitan Dmitry of Rostov, Metropolitan Filaret Drozdov and others like them, made the persecution of Old Believers almost never stopped throughout the so-called "synodal era of new believers."
Starodubye- the geographical area of modern Chernigov and Bryansk regions. The swampy area covered with dense forests, as well as the abundance of rivers, made Starodubye one of the places where the Old Believers were able to hide from persecution. Another favorable condition - the proximity to Poland and Lithuania, led to the tolerance of the local authorities and the weakening of persecution. Relatively quiet life here continued until the end of the 17th century, after which the Christians living here left for the Branch, which then belonged to the Kingdom of Poland. The descendants of the ancient Orthodox Christians of Starodubye today compactly live in the cities of Klintsy, Gomel, Novozybkov and the lands adjacent to these cities.
Branch- Old Believer spiritual center, located on the territory of the Gomel region of modern Belarus. While at that time on the territory of another state (Poland), the Vetka Old Believers did not fear persecution from Moscow. When the Polish state weakened, in the middle of the 18th century, the so-called "first distillation" of the Old Believers took place. This was followed by the "second" and "third" distillation, but the Vetka was settled again and again by the Old Believers.
It is noteworthy that in 1734 the Vetka priests, with the second rite, through chrismation, received Bishop Epiphanius from the New Believers, who managed to appoint fourteen priests. Unfortunately, episcopal ordinations did not take place.
Irgiz- a fairly large and full-flowing tributary of the Volga River, which carries its waters across the expanses of the Saratov and Samara provinces. The philanthropic policy of the enlightened Empress Catherine II contributed to the creation of another Old Believer center. The empress's manifesto on the occasion of the coronation of 1762 provided for a more humane attitude towards the ancient Orthodox Christians. Catherine II's call to the Old Believers to return from abroad to their homeland found a worthy response in the hearts of Christians yearning for Russia, forced to flee the state, fleeing persecution.
Irgiz as an Old Believer center is interesting in that it was designated by the authorities as a place for the settlement of Old Believers who returned from abroad. Over time, numerous Old Believer villages, churches, monasteries and monasteries appeared on Irgiz. The relative freedom of the Irgiz Old Believers made it possible to turn it into a canonical church center, from where spiritual leadership over the Old Believer parishes of the Russian Empire was carried out. The cruel and cynical treacherous devastation of the Irgiz monasteries and parishes took place during the godless and police policy towards the Old Believers of Emperor Nicholas I, who was popularly nicknamed Nikolai Palkin.
Old Believer Rogozhskoe cemetery in Moscow also traces its history back to the reign of Empress Catherine II. Among the Old Believers, a special place in the religious culture is occupied by the Old Believers' cemeteries as unofficial places where believers could gather for joint prayer without any special obstacles.
In 1771, in Moscow, the plague epidemic reached its climax to the point that there was no one to bury people who died from this disease. For the burial of their fellow believers, the Old Believers were given a place outside Moscow, near the Rogozhskaya outpost. Gradually, monks and individual prayer books began to settle near the Old Believer cemetery. A chapel was built in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Mir-Lycia. A shelter for the homeless and an almshouse were also erected on Rogozhskoye.
Today Rogozhskaya Sloboda is the spiritual and administrative center of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church. The real flourishing of Old Believer church building and a more detailed amazing history of the corner of Russian Old Believers - Rogozhskaya Sloboda will be discussed in subsequent articles.
Harp- the geographical area of the Old Believers, distinguished by cultural specificity, which found its embodiment in icon painting and the style of decoration of religious manuscript books. Guslitsy are located on the territory of modern Orekhovo-Zuevsky and Yegoryevsky districts of the Moscow region - places of compact residence of Old Believers who accept the priesthood. Consequently, the very emergence of the original Guslitsk culture became possible only thanks to the Old Believers who lived here since the end of the 17th century. The most famous guslitsky settlements are Orekhovo-Zuevo, Yegoryevsk, Kurovskoe, Shuvoe, Ustyanovo, Selivanikha, Belivo, etc.
Before the revolution, especially in the golden age of the Old Believers, Guslitsy was a large industrial center, the production facilities of which were under the jurisdiction of the famous Old Believer entrepreneurs and patrons of the Morozovs, Soldatyonkovs, Kuznetsovs, etc.
There were also large Old Believer centers with liturgical life and Christian enlightenment in other districts of the Moscow region, such as Vereya, Lytkarino, Glazovo. Not far from the picturesque town of Vereya is the historical town of Borovsk, famous for its rich history, spiritual and cultural traditions. The ancient God-protected Old Believer cities of Borovsk and Vereya have their own separate history.
Vygovskaya Pustyn owes its appearance to the activities of Andrei Denisov (1674-1730) and his brother Simeon Denisov (1682-1740), descended from the famous princes of Myshetsky. On the territory of the Olonets province (between Petrozavodsk and Arkhangelsk) on the Vyg river, which flows into the Vygozero, the Denisov brothers, following the example of the monastery hostel (kinovia), founded the Vygovskaya hermitage. Life in this desert was distinguished, on the one hand, by zeal for the statutory divine services and the scale of the monastery's economy, which reminded of the activities of the Monk Joseph of Volotsk. On the other hand, the deepening into culture, the development of bookishness and icon-making, which had a source of lofty prayer vigil, make Vygovskaya hermitage a co-heir to the tradition of the Monk Nil of Sorsk.
One of the most popular dogmatic works of the Old Believers "Pomor Answers" belongs to the Peru of Andrei Denisov, on which it is necessary to dwell in more detail.
In 1722, Emperor Peter I issued a special decree, which provided for the application of the policy of “forced missionary work” of the department of the dominant religion in relation to the inhabitants of the Vygov Old Believer hostel in order to convert them into the fold of “official Orthodoxy”. In the same year, to fulfill the imperial decree, a missionary group headed by the Synodal Hieromonk Neophyte was sent to Pomorie, who compiled 106 questions of a doctrinal and polemical nature, intended for writing answers to them by the Old Believers living there. The result of the painstaking work of the Vygov Old Believers was the publication in 1723 of the Pomor Answers.
Andrey Denisov was the first in the history of Russian science to use the paleographic method for his research. Possessing a deep mind and extensive knowledge in history, philosophy, religious studies and linguistics, Denisov compiled a fundamental systematic theological work that defines the doctrinal foundations of Russian Old Believers - ancient Orthodox dogma.
"Pomorian Answers" is a kind of Old Believer experience of systematizing and researching the foundations of the Orthodox Faith, which has no equal throughout the entire history of Russian religious thought. The style of writing this essay is characterized by a complete absence of publicistic subjectivism, from which the main leaders of the early Old Believers were sometimes not free - the archpopes Avvakum and Nero, as well as the famous Old Believer historian and theologian of the 20th century Fyodor Efimovich Melnikov. On the pages of "Answers" we will not find sharp attacks towards the opposing religious group. Denisov managed to maintain a moderate and delicate polemical tone throughout the book, step by step examining controversial church issues. If Andrei Denisov brought his intellectual creation to life today, it would be one of the best doctoral dissertations in religious studies.
"Pomorian Answers" is one of the most theologically developed and to the end completed primary sources of defense of the Old Faith. The significance of the "Pomor Answers" remains relevant in the Old Believers' environment to this day. This monument of religious thought, born in the ideological world of the Russian Old Believers, is a valuable source for studying the history of Old Belief and Russian religious thought in general.
Old Believers Abroad. The inhuman conditions of survival and the policy of eradication on religious grounds led to the massive emigration of ancient Orthodox Christians-Old Believers from the Russian Empire abroad. Thus, numerous Old Believer diasporas appeared outside the borders of the Russian Empire.
One of the striking examples of the preservation of the Old Faith outside the Fatherland is the Lipovan Old Believer culture, which is distinguished by numerous unique distinctive traditions.
The exact origin of the name "Lipovane" has not been established. There is an assumption that these Old Believers take their name from the village of Lipoven. Another version tells us that these Old Believers lived in a huge linden forest, from which the name originated. The historical roots of the Lipovan Old Believers go back to the resettlement of Orthodox Christians who did not agree with the "reform" to Turkey and Austria-Hungary. Today the Lipovans are the descendants of foreign Russian Old Believers who returned to their homeland after the revolution. They live in the territory of modern Romania (Dobrudzha, Iasi, Braila, Tulcha, Zhurilovka, Lipoven, Slava Cherkesskaya, Slava-Russkaya), Ukraine.
Lipovan communities are also found in some cities of Moldova (Chisinau, Cahul, Orhei, Balti) and the Kuban of the Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Federation (Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Sochi, Novopokrovsky, Nekrasovskaya, Brinkovskaya, etc.).
In Romania, during the reign of Nicola Ceausescu, the state policy of "Romanization" of Lipovans was carried out. Romanian surnames were attributed to Old Believers in Romania, and the Romanian language was purposefully and methodically instilled from school.
The formation of large spiritual centers of the Old Believers, the broad and versatile activity of the communities - all this testified to the optimism of Orthodox Christians who rejected the church "reform" of the 17th century. Despite the persecution and all kinds of oppression from the synodal and secular authorities, the existence of the Old Believer Old Orthodox Church of Christ continues, despite any obstacles allowed by God and invented by the enemy of the human race.
The Church of Christ continues to live.
Photo: Press Service of the Mayor and the Moscow Government. Evgeny Samarin
The Mayor of Moscow visited the Rogozhskaya Sloboda, the facilities of which were restored and restored at the expense of the city budget in 2006-2016.
On June 1, he visited the Rogozhskaya Sloboda and congratulated Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia Korniliy, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church, on his birthday.
“I congratulate you on the day of the angel, on the anniversary. I would like to thank you for the great work that you and the city are doing to restore the historical heritage. Churches have been restored in Rogozhskaya Sloboda. And today it is a really big spiritual center. But apart from that, this is, of course, a historical place, which, I am sure, is known and loved by all Muscovites. Thank you for your work, ”said the Moscow Mayor.
Metropolitan Korniliy thanked him in response: "We are very grateful for those great labors to you, your assistants, in the revival of our spiritual historical center - Rogozhsky." Together with Sergei Sobyanin, he opened in the Rogozhskaya Sloboda an exhibition about the history of the Old Believers "Strength of Spirit and Loyalty to Tradition."
Historical and architectural ensemble "Rogozhskaya Sloboda"
Rogozhskaya Sloboda appeared on the left bank of the Yauza at the end of the 16th century. Then, in the Rogozhka area, coachmen settled, who transported goods from Moscow to the village of Stary Rogozhsky Yam (later - Rogozh, then - the city of Bogorodsk, and in Soviet times the city was renamed Noginsk).
As an architectural ensemble, Rogozhskaya Sloboda was finally formed in the 1860s-1880s. Its planning axis is three temples located on one straight line. And the boulevard, which runs from the southern gate to the necropolis, separates the area of residential buildings from the churches.
A stone bell tower opposite the Holy Gates on the territory of the cemetery was erected at the beginning of the 20th century. At the same time, the hospital named after S.I. Morozov.
In 1928-1929, the Rogozhskaya Sloboda was actually liquidated: some of the Old Believer objects were demolished, the land was built up with the buildings of the Moscow Plant of Automatic Lines and Special Machines.
In 1995 the ensemble "Rogozhskaya Sloboda" was handed over to the Metropolitanate of Moscow and All Russia, the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church, for free and indefinite use. This decision was made by the Moscow Government.
In 2005, the historical name of Old Believer Street was returned. Since 1965, it has been called Voytovich Street. This is a continuation of Rogozhsky Poselok Street.
Now the territory of the Rogozhskaya Sloboda (Rogozhsky Poselok Street, Building 29) is a monument of history and culture. Its area is almost nine hectares.
In 2006-2016, at the expense of the Moscow budget, the following were restored and restored:
- Intercession Cathedral, 1790-1792, architect - Matvey Kazakov;
- Church of the Nativity at the Rogozhskoye cemetery, 1804;
- the bell tower of the Rogozhskaya Old Believer community, early XX century, architect - Fedor Gornostaev;
- St. Nicholas Church of the same faith, 1863;
- clergy house (New almshouse), second half of the 19th century.
We also carried out a set of works on the improvement of the territory of the Rogozhskaya Sloboda, built new engineering communications and a road network.
Exhibition "Strength of Spirit and Fidelity to Tradition"
From June 1 to July 1, an exhibition dedicated to the history of the Old Believers is being held on the territory of the Rogozhskaya Sloboda. Visitors will see more than 200 unique exhibits of both a religious nature (church vestments, utensils and books), and monuments - household items of merchants-Old Believers. Many of them will be presented for the first time.
The exhibition will be based on genuine monuments of the 16th-20th centuries. They are kept in the metropolitanate of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church and the Intercession Cathedral. This is, for example, a copy of the old printed altar Gospel of the 1633 edition, additionally decorated by Old Believer masters in 1830. It was made by order of the Moscow merchant of the 1st guild, Ivan Tsarsky.
The organizer of the exhibition is the Moscow Metropolitanate of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church. The total area of the exposition will be 800 square meters. It is expected to be visited by 500 people a day, which is about 15 thousand guests for the entire period of operation.
About the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church
The Russian Orthodox Old Believers Church was born in 1846 - after the unification of the Russian Old Believers with the hierarchy of the Bosnian Metropolitan Ambrose. It included fugitive priests of the Russian and Greek churches. The act of connection was signed in the village of Belaya Krinitsa (now it is the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine).
Today the Church has 150 registered parishes in Russia, 60 in Ukraine, 20 in Moldova, as well as in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Germany and Australia.
The total number of Old Believers in Russia is about two million people (Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church and other consents). Among the Old Believers there were many outstanding entrepreneurs and at the same time patrons of art (Savva Morozov, Kozma Soldatenkov, Sidor Shibaev and others), heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812 (for example, Ataman Matvey Platov), World War I (Cossack Kozma Kryuchkov), and the Great Patriotic War.
The Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church has 11 dioceses headed by bishops. The Primate of the Church is Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia Korniliy (Konstantin Titov).
Rogozhskaya Sloboda is the spiritual and administrative center of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church and the residence of the Metropolitan. It is there that the main churches of the Old Believers are located, including the Intercession Cathedral - the place of constant service of the Metropolitan.
In the past, the community owned a large necropolis (now the Rogozhskoye cemetery). It was founded during the plague epidemic in 1771.
In 1853, the Moscow Archdiocese appeared. In 1988 it was transformed into an independent metropolitanate under the direction of the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia.
The history of the Rogozhsky cemetery from its foundation to the present day
Rogozhskoe cemetery(other names: Rogozhsky village, Rogozhskaya stanitsa, Rogozhskaya Sloboda) - the main spiritual center of the Old Believers of the Belokrinitsa accord.
Foundation of the Rogozhsky cemetery
The place where the modern Rogozhskoye cemetery is located has been considered sacred since ancient times. Here, near the village of Novoandronovka, the first Moscow martyrs who suffered for the ancient Orthodox faith in the 17th century were executed and buried. During the plague of 1771, in gratitude for the help provided during the elimination of the plague, Catherine II granted this area for the organization of an ancient Orthodox spiritual center and a cemetery. At the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th centuries, the territory of the Rogozhsky village occupied an area of more than 22 dessiatines. Behind the ancient fence, blackened from time to time, there was a whole town. Its population was gradually increasing: in 1823, according to official figures, it was 990 people, in 1845 - 1588. However, these figures can hardly be called accurate, since they are compiled according to the number of so-called "facial", in a modern way - registered residents. In fact, there were at least 5, or even 10 times more people living on Rogozhskoye. Among them were clergymen who came to serve in the churches of the spiritual center, inhabitants of Rogozhsky monasteries, residents of neighboring cities who visited the cemetery to perform services, pilgrims, friends and relatives of permanent cemetery residents who stayed with them for whole years.
During the establishment of the Rogozhsky cemetery in 1771, a small wooden chapel was built. Five years later, it was replaced by an extensive stone in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. In 1790, a huge cold chapel of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos was built next to it, perhaps the most extensive of all Moscow churches. At the beginning of the 19th century, the newest temple structure of the cemetery was built - an extensive winter stone chapel in the name of the Nativity of Christ. In this chapel, the Great Church Cathedrals gathered. They were attended by the clergy of the ancient Orthodox Church, representatives of monasteries, delegates from nonresident communities, trustees. Thanks to the efforts of the trustees, the chapels were decorated no worse than the cathedrals of ancient Russia. The icons collected by generations were of excellent writing - Rublevsky, Stroganov's. Since the chapels were not consecrated, no liturgies were performed there either.
Read more about the history of the cemetery itself and its current state in the article "" on our website.
Liturgical structure on Rogozhskoye
The service was limited to Vespers, Matins, All-Night Vigils and Hours. It is noteworthy that the liturgical circle was then performed in strict accordance with the charter: Vespers - in the evening, and Matins - in the morning. In addition, weddings, confessions, communion, baptism of infants and adults were performed in the chapels. The burial service was performed mainly in the St. Nicholas Chapel. There were many weddings, especially at the meat-eater before Shrovetide. Not only Old Believers who lived in Moscow came to get married at the Rogozhskoye cemetery, but also residents of the districts of the Moscow province. Many came from other provinces, sometimes the most remote. Confession took place both in the chapels and in other rooms of the village.
We received communion with spare gifts in the chapel after hours. For this, four priests with chalices in their hands left the altar in vestments and stood by two at the right and left kliros, two on the kliros themselves and two behind them, in the northern and southern doors of the altar. To judge the number of children brought for baptism from Moscow and neighboring provinces, suffice it to say that there were 46 fonts in the Nativity Chapel. Sometimes it was necessary to baptize adults, who were not at all baptized or who had not received a worthy baptism in the New Rite Church.
Religious processions at the Rogozhskoye cemetery were held several times a year: on January 6, on the day of August 1 for the consecration of water, as well as on Matins on Great Saturday and on some other holidays. The whole path was covered with green cloth and carpets. For the consecration of the water, not far from the chapels, there was a specially dug pond (60 fathoms in length, 15 in width) with a trimmed water channel leading south to the Ryazan highway. A wooden Jordan was built on the pond, in which water was sanctified three times a year, as established by the Church Rite.
Since the Rogozhsky chapels were not consecrated, the liturgies were served in the marching linen churches. Before the Patriotic War of 1812, liturgies were performed rarely and in most cases in secret, so as not to attract too much attention from the authorities. During the secret Eucharist, a large number of spare Holy Gifts were consecrated, with which they then received communion for a whole year.
The relatively free celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist became possible thanks to the intercession of the famous Old Believer, hero of the war of 1812 - Ataman Platov. The Moscow mayor gave Matvey Platov a verbal permission to do this. Subsequently, the field church belonging to Platov, consecrated in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, was donated to the Moscow Old Believers. In addition to the Platov and Irgiz linen churches, there were others at the Rogozhskoye cemetery that were located in women's cloisters.
Elder Ilarius had his own linen church, consecrated in the name of Simeon the Stylite. A victim for the faith, known for his spiritual exploits, he had tremendous authority among the Old Believers. During the years of his life, Ilarius became the spiritual father of many thousands of Christians, while the number of monks and nuns he tonsured was more than 1,000. After his death, Ilarius was venerated as a monk. Bishop Gennady later wrote about the elder: “ Everyone has awe about him and his bodily purity on their lips. The Lord glorified him incorruptible».
Rogozhsky monasteries
In the first half of the 19th century, there were as many as five women's monasteries on the territory of the spiritual center of ancient Orthodoxy. Among them was the monastery of mother Pulcheria with 6 nuns and 40 novices, Alexandra's monastery with 28 nuns and novices, Deborah with 38 novices, Margaret with 4 nuns and 38 novices, and Melania with 10 novices. All these monasteries were destroyed in 1854.
The structures of the Rogozhsky monasteries were built on the model of the Kerzhensky sketes. The large house was divided into many rooms with a whole labyrinth of internal passages, side walls, chambers, closets, basements and undergrounds with several exits to the outside. There was a place for bedrooms, a refectory, and prayer houses. In secret rooms there were camp churches with portable iconostases and thrones.
The most famous of the abbess of the Rogozh monasteries was Mother Pulcheria. There was a linen church at the Pulcheria monastery. During the years of the Nikolaev repressions, and in it secretly, at night, they served the liturgy, and in the 50s they ordained them to the priesthood. From here the primate of the Church, Saint Anthony, sent clergymen to all parishes of the ancient Orthodox Church.
Not far from the Pulcherina monastery there was another women's monastery, the abbess of which was Alexander's mother. This monastery was located in a house specially built for that by the trustee of the Rogozhsky cemetery, Stepan Tikhonovich Milov. This well-known layman did a lot for the establishment of the episcopal see. After the establishment of the metropolis in Belaya Krinitsa, Alexander's mother moved her monastery there. In July 1852 she was elected abbess of the Dormition Belokrinitsky convent. With Alexandra, the nuns who were with her on Rogozhsky moved to Belaya Krinitsa: Varsonofia, Porfiria and Alevtina Velikodvorskaya. The latter was the mother of the famous monk Pavel Belokrinitsky, who, together with the monk Alimpiy (Zverev-Miloradov), was able to convince the Bosno-Sarajevo Metropolitan Ambrose to join the Old Orthodox Church.
Persecution of Emperor NicholasI
Almost immediately after the accession of Nicholas I to the throne, the government began to take the most energetic measures to destroy ancient Orthodoxy. The era of the so-called "Nikolaev persecutions" began, which in fact lasted until 1855. The persistence and mercilessness of Nicholas I in the eyes of Old Believer Russia put him on a par with such persecutors of Christians as the pagan emperors Nero and Diocletian and the iconoclastic emperors Leo Isaurianin and Constantine Copronymus.
The Nikolaev era of the struggle against ancient Orthodoxy began with a government decree of 1826. According to him, crosses were removed from all Old Believer prayer buildings. The construction of new and renovation of old buildings was prohibited.
On May 10, 1827, a new legalization followed: to firmly prohibit the movement of Old Believer priests from one district to another. In the event of a move, local authorities were instructed to catch the priests and "treat them like vagrants."
On November 8, 1827, it was forbidden to admit new priests to the Rogozhskoye cemetery. In the same year, the transition to the Old Believers began to be considered a criminal offense. In 1832, the "Secret Rules" of 1822 were finally canceled, which allowed, in certain cases, to leave alone the clergy who had converted to Old Orthodoxy.
A terrible blow to Russian monasticism was dealt in 1837. In January, the government decided to close all Old Believer monasteries located in the Irgiz River area. The troops completely devastated Sredne-Nikolsky, Verkhne-Spasopreobrazhensky, Sredne-Uspensky, Pokrovsky monasteries and the surrounding monasteries. Even earlier, the Lower Resurrection Monastery was forcibly converted to the same faith. More than 3,000 monks and nuns were expelled from the monasteries. Many of them were sentenced to hard labor and exile.
One of the main spiritual centers of Old Belief, the Rogozhskoye Cemetery, was under the special attention of the synodal and state authorities. On its territory there was always a special state official - the caretaker. He regularly reported to the government on the measures taken. One of the caretakers wrote this about his activities: “ I took the most stringent measures, as a result of which, not only myself, but also through my agents, I had to follow every step of the schismatics. "... All sorts of denunciations enjoyed the special confidence of the caretaker official. So, the merchant Yakov Ignatiev brought to the attention of the authorities that the liturgies served in the linen chapel-church donated to Rogozhsky by the Cossack Platov are going very solemnly and are held with a huge crowd of people. This is how the services seduce the Orthodox. On this denunciation, an inspection was made of all the institutions of the cemetery, and a linen church was discovered in the altar of the Nativity chapel. She was immediately taken away. After that, the trustees were obliged by subscription to no longer allow liturgies to be served at their Rogozhskoye cemetery.
From that moment on, the Eucharist had to be performed in secret, under the constant threat of a search and reprisal. For this reason, Christians began to receive communion rarely and in most cases as spare gifts.
Serious oppressive measures against the Rogozhsky cemetery began in 1827. Then the spiritual center of Old Russian Orthodoxy was deprived of the opportunity to receive new priests. Five "permitted" priests and two deacons remained to serve in the churches of the cemetery. One of the last "permitted" priests of Rogozhsky was the legendary rector of the Intercession Cathedral, Fr. John Yastrebov. During the occupation of Moscow by the French in 1812, he was able to preserve church relics. In 1832, he acted as one of the organizers of the Council, which blessed the restoration of the three-ruled church hierarchy, and was also the first to recognize the archpastoral authority of Metropolitan Ambrose Belokrinitsky. Also thanks to him, Rogozhskoe was able in the middle of the 19th century to withstand the pressure of the church and secular authorities, forcing his parishioners to convert to common faith and new faith.
Taking away temples
In 1848, the Metropolitan of the Synodal Church Filaret (Drozdov) proposed a program of "reprisals", which were supposed to serve the transition of the Rogozhskoye cemetery to the so-called Orthodox union or common belief. Filaret hoped that as soon as the last "permitted" ancient Orthodox priests died in Moscow, then Christians would inevitably be forced to turn to the ruling Church.
With the active participation of Interior Minister Bibikov, the government approved a new law on merchant guilds. According to this normative act, only members of the ruling Church could obtain merchant status. Old Believer merchants lost all merchant rights, turned into powerless people, they were forbidden to engage in entrepreneurial activity. There was only one way out - joining the Synodal Church. Many Christians have chosen to lose property, but preserve the Orthodox faith. However, among the 40,000 parishioners of the Rogozhskoye cemetery, there were a few cowardly ones. After the repose of Fr. John Yastrebov, the merchant Vladimir Sapelkin and several other people turned to the synodal authorities. On September 17, 1854, they submitted a petition to Metropolitan Filaret with a request to join them to the ruling Church and transfer one of the churches of the Rogozhsky cemetery to their co-religionists.
A week later, in the hands of one and a half dozen co-religionists, he was immediately "consecrated". The Rogozhsky God-making house was transferred to the jurisdiction of the government. Of the 36 houses built by benefactors, twelve of the best and more spacious houses were turned into the premises of the clergy and officials of the same faith. The police seized hundreds of sacred vestments and icons. During the search of the library, 517 valuable books were found.
The most valuable vestments, books and church valuables were taken apart by fellow believers. Most of the ancient icons were transferred to the new believers' churches. The priestly vestments, according to the personal instructions of Metropolitan Philaret, were "sacrilegiously used ... were put on fire."
Sealing the altars
With the accession to the throne of the new emperor, Alexander II, Russian society had high hopes. On January 15, 1856, by order of the Minister of Internal Affairs Lanskoy, addressed to the Moscow governor, Count Zakrevsky, after a two-year break, it was again allowed to perform divine services in the churches of the Rogozhsky cemetery. The joy of the ancient Orthodox Christians knew no bounds. On January 21, 1856, vespers were served in the warm chapel of the Rogozhsky cemetery, and the next day, matins and hours. The service was attended by about 6,000 people. Many of those present were crying.
However, not everyone was pleased with the resumption of public Christian prayer within the walls of the spiritual center of the Old Believers. One of the apostates, Hieromonk Parthenius (Guslitsky) of the same faith, wrote a denunciation. He was supported by the Metropolitan of Moscow Filaret, who in his message addressed to the sovereign pointed out the numerous "crimes" of the Rogozhian Old Believers.
First, the metropolitan was extremely outraged by the "unusually large gathering" of worshipers. Secondly, he reported on the unheard-of insolence of the schismatics - "a smoker with incense was placed against the royal gates." Thirdly, he exposed the fact that in the ministry "the clerk Ivan Kruchinin was in charge." Fourthly, Filaret reported that Rogozhsky's spies saw during the service a certain man dressed and cropped in a philistine style. “But it could be,” the Moscow “saint” makes a terrible assumption, “that he hid the epitrachelion under his outer garment.” Filaret considers the listed acts to be "especially harmful", "already having an unfavorable effect and capable of having harmful consequences."
On March 12, April 5 and May 16, meetings of the secret anti-splitting committee were convened. Representatives of the ruling Church, Metropolitan Nikanor, Archbishop Gregory, Protopresbyter Bazhanov and the acting chief prosecutor of the Synod demanded the closure of the spiritual center of ancient Orthodoxy with the subsequent transfer of its churches to the ownership of St. Synod. Other members of the secret committee - Count Bludov, Count Kiselev, Minister Lanskoy and Count Panin - believed that it would be enough to temporarily "forbid the schismatics from solemn gatherings for prayers" until the circumstances of the case were clarified.
As a result of a heated discussion, both sides agreed to a compromise. The members of the committee decided:
The Rogozhskaya chapels, although they should have been closed, but only out of condescension to the schismatics who are in the almshouse, to seal only the altars in them.
As for prayer to God, it was forbidden in all its church-social manifestations. The only concession to the Christians was permission " pray silently, without reading or singing» .
Having no personal dislike for the Old Believers, but naively trusting the opinion of the hierarchs of the ruling church, Alexander II, having considered the minutes of the meeting of the secret committee on June 12, approved his decision. On July 7, 1856, officials came to the territory of the Rogozhsky cemetery, accompanied by gendarmes, who locked and sealed the altars of the temples.
At the same time, gratifying events also take place during this period. In 1855, the Old Believers' chair was restored in Moscow. It is headed by the Archbishop (Shutov), who performs secret services in the churches of the city, not excluding the home prayer houses of Rogozhsky. Thus, despite all the cruel persecutions in the middle of the 19th century, the Rogozhskoye cemetery becomes the spiritual center of the Old Orthodox Church of Christ's Belokrinitsa hierarchy.
Printing of the altars of the Rogozhsky cemetery
On November 7, 1903, the Old Believers' commissioners filed a petition to Emperor Nicholas II to unseal the altars of the Rogozhsky cemetery. Concerned about the abnormal situation of his subjects, the tsar finally convened a Special Meeting dedicated to the problems of the Old Believers. On it, for the first time, he learned the whole truth about the millions of undeservedly persecuted citizens of Russia.
The tsar instructed the Minister of Internal Affairs PD Svyatopolk-Mirsky to prepare a separate report for him and report it in a private conversation. After that, the Tsar blessed the granting of freedom to all ancient Orthodox Christians. The Tsar approved the Special Journal of the Special Conference, in which, among other things, he noted that the hostile attitude of the Old Believers to the ruling Church "was complicated by the constant appeal of the Church to the secular authorities for help."
By the beginning of March 1905, the Committee of Ministers had prepared a draft decree on religious tolerance and submitted it to the monarch for approval. Almost simultaneously with the completion of work on the preparation of the new law on March 30, 1905, a petition was submitted to the emperor, prepared by Prince Dmitry Dmitrievich Obolensky and supported by the Grand Dukes Nikolai Nikolaevich and Alexander Mikhailovich. It said about the Old Believers of Rogozhsky:
Their wishes are modest, let them pray for you in the altars of their Churches ... The Great Feast of the Resurrection of Christ is coming. Command the Sovereign to open at least in Moscow the Altars of Old Believer churches by this day. (Old Believers. Monthly magazine. 1908. S. 569).
On April 16, a day before the official announcement of the Decree, Nicholas II sent a telegram to the Moscow Governor-General, in which he ordered to immediately unseal the altars and permit services in all churches of the spiritual center of the Ancient Orthodox Church:
I command on this day of the upcoming bright holiday to print out the altars of the Old Believer chapels of the Moscow Rogozhskoye cemetery and allow the Old Believer rectors who are with them to perform church services in them in the future. May this lifting of the long-term ban, so desired by the Old Believer world, serve as a new expression of My trust and heartfelt benevolence to the Old Believers who have been faithful from time immemorial by their unshakable devotion to the throne. (Old Believers Bulletin. 1905. No. 5. May S. 253).
From the pulpit of the Intercession Church, the Tsar's Decree on the opening of both altars was read. Prince Golitsyn personally removed the seals from the royal gates and the southern altar door. Good news quickly spread throughout Moscow. Within a few hours, more than 10,000 people gathered in the temples of Rogozhsky. The Consecrated Cathedral, which took place on August 22, 1905, decided to celebrate the day of unsealing the altars of the Rogozhsky cemetery, annually holding a Liturgy and a prayer service in the health of His Majesty in all Old Believer churches on April 17. After the February Revolution and the overthrow of the monarchy, this custom was forgotten, and at the end of the 20th century a new tradition appeared - to celebrate the unsealing of altars on the week of St. Wives of the Myrrhbearers.
Rogozhskoe after the October Revolution
Already in 1918, the Bolsheviks closed the Old Believer Teachers' Institute, which had been operating in Rogozhskoye since 1911, and other spiritual and charitable institutions in Rogozhskoye. In 1921, the same fate befell. In 1924, the richest collection of manuscripts, early printed books and the archive of the Rogozh community were transferred to the State Library named after Lenin (now the RSL), and the temple itself, erected to commemorate freedom of religion, was turned into a warehouse.
In 1929, the Presidium of the Moscow City Council decided to close the cathedral of the Moscow Archdiocese at the Rogozhskoye cemetery and open a united club for nearby factories in it. Fortunately, this project was not implemented due to the active position of a number of Soviet cultural and museum institutions, as well as the urgent requests of the Rogozhsky parishioners, headed by the Archbishop (Kartushin). Instead, in 1929, the authorities took away from the believers in Rogozhskoye, and on Easter 1930, a canteen and a buffet with the sale of alcoholic beverages were opened there. All other buildings of the Old Believer spiritual center were also judged in favor of the state.
Until the mid-forties, the last church on Rogozhsky, the Intercession Cathedral, was under threat of closure, and there were almost no hierarchical services in it. Only in 1941-1943, after the weakening of the persecution of religion, an archbishop (Parfenov) was elevated to the Moscow episcopal see, whose assistant was the bishop (Lakomkin) who had returned from prison. At that time, all the buildings of Rogozhsky, except for the Intercession Cathedral, were expropriated by the state, and Archbishop Irinarkh, along with his assistants, huddled in the janitor's room, which belonged to the Nikolsky Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.
By the beginning of the 80s, the spiritual life in Rogozhskoye was weakening, the archbishop (Latyshev), under pressure from the authorities, left his Moscow residence and left for permanent residence in the Moldavian SSR. During the years of perestroika, the authorities matured a plan to transfer the buildings that once belonged to the Old Believer center, the Moscow Patriarchate. However, to the credit of the head of the publishing department of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Pitirim (Nechaev), who were offered these buildings, he refused to support such a "project."
Rogozhskoe after perestroika and the collapse of the USSR
In 1988, at the jubilee Consecrated Cathedral dedicated to the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus, Archbishop (Gusev) was elected Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia. At the same Council, the ancient Orthodox Church of Christ (Christians who accept the Belokrinitsa hierarchy) adopted the official name:.
The Metropolitan's permanent residence was the "coffin chapel" on Rogozhskoe, which by that time had been returned to the Old Believer Church.
In the 90s, a gradual return of the historic buildings of the Old Believer Church began. In 2005, through the efforts of the Primate of the Metropolitan Church (Chetvergov), a program for the reconstruction of the Rogozhsky historical and architectural ensemble was approved. Mayor of the capital Yu.M. Luzhkov signed a decree of the Moscow government No. 1213 on carrying out all the necessary restoration work, which was completed by 2015. However, several buildings of the Rogozhsky village, transferred to the Church relatively recently, have not yet been restored and are in disrepair. Today the official residence of the Moscow Metropolitanate is located in the former building of the clergy's house, now referred to as the New Chambers.
Belikov V. Activity of the Moscow Metropolitan Filaret in relation to the schism. Kazan. 1895.S. 389.
Firsov S. Russian Church on the Eve of Change. 2002. Moscow. P. 277.
RF President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin visited the Rogozhsky administrative and spiritual center on May 31. Accompanied by the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Old Rite Church Metropolitan Cornelius The head of state visited the Church of the Nativity of Christ, the Intercession Cathedral, the Museum of the Icon in the House of the Clergyman.
The President's visit to Rogozhskoye began with an inspection exhibitions "Strength of Spirit and Loyalty to Tradition", which opens on June 1 in the Church of the Nativity of Christ. The author of the exhibition, the chief researcher of the State Historical Museum, told the president about the exhibits. Elena Mikhailovna Yukhimenko and curator of the exhibition Priest Alexei Lopatin... The exhibition is based on unique monuments of the 16th – 20th centuries kept in the Metropolitanate of the Russian Orthodox Old Believers Church and the Intercession Cathedral.
After the exhibition, accompanied by Metropolitan Korniliy, Vladimir Putin visited the Intercession Cathedral. Vladyka Cornelius gave a short tour of the church, told about the history of the icons and utensils kept here, as well as about the daily prayer life of the cathedral.
The atmosphere in the temple was as close as possible to the liturgical one: male and female choirs sang banner chants, lamps were lit in front of the icons, and candles on the chandelier were lit under the vault of the temple. Leaving the cathedral, the head of state greeted the bishops and rector of the cathedral, Archpriest Viktor Zheltsov, who had arrived at Rogozhskoye the day before to take part in the service for the anniversary of the Metropolitan's Angel.
Then the distinguished guest examined the permanent exhibition in the Museum of the Icon in the House of the Clergyman, after which the President had a conversation with the Primate of the Church. In the conversation, we discussed in detail the issues of the upcoming celebration of the 400th anniversary of the birth of the holy martyr Archpriest Avvakum and the reconstruction of architectural monuments in the main centers of the celebration - at the Rogozhsky and Preobrazhensky cemeteries in Moscow.
Vladyka Korniliy thanked Vladimir Putin for his approval and support of the Old Believers' appeal on the large-scale celebration in 2020 of the 400th anniversary of the birth of Archpriest Avvakum, the zealot of piety and the founder of Russian literature, as well as for his assistance in holding the conference “International Old Believer Relations” held the day before yesterday in Moscow, where representatives of the Old Believers from different countries of the world met again. Also during the conversation, the topic of the return of compatriot Old Believers living abroad was touched upon. The need for comprehensive measures of state support for the voluntary resettlement of compatriot Old Believers to Russia was noted, including the creation of a mechanism for providing them with land plots for agricultural activities.
Unfortunately, in our country little is known about the Old Believers, who at all times were the defenders of the Fatherland, were an example of Christian love and peace. The history of our Motherland is closely linked with the Old Believers by its spiritual roots. Our pious ancestors, despite severe persecution, have always been patriots of Russia. I think that our today's meeting has truly historical significance - the head of state paid an official visit to the spiritual center of the Orthodox Old Believer Church for the first time, - said Metropolitan Korniliy.
The President congratulated Vladyka Korniliy on his 70th birthday and presented an ancient book as a gift « Service and life of St. Nicholas ”. In turn, in memory of his visit to the Rogozhsky Spiritual Center, Metropolitan Korniliy presented the President with an image of an Old Believer letter of the 19th century - an icon of the Holy Trinity.
The Ostozhensk Old Believer community also congratulates Metropolitan Korniliy on this wonderful anniversary! Many years, holy master!
The educational department of the Russian Orthodox Old Believers Church was created at the Consecrated Cathedral in Moscow in October 2015. Head of the department: Priest Mikhail Rodin. Deputy Head: Sergey Vladimirovich Markus. Curator: Olga Zakharova.
The Education Department, a church community of Christian volunteers, invites everyone to work in the field of enlightenment for the glory of God.
Looking back on the path traversed by the Old Believers, we bow before the confessional feat of our pious ancestors, who in the middle of the 17th century, for the sake of saving the purity and integrity of Orthodoxy, did not accept the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, protecting the ancient piety from the imposition of church innovations. The God-lovers did not spare life itself for the true faith and for the conciliarity of the Church. We sacredly honor the feat of the sufferers for their ancient piety.
After the great schism in the Church, our ancestors underwent not only "bodily bitterness", but also a spiritual test, which for them was the temporary deprivation of the bishopric. The prophet says about this: “And it will be at that time, friends will arm themselves against friends, like enemies, and the earth with those who dwell on it will be afraid” (3 Bk. Ezra 6:24).
“When in Moscow Russia in the middle of the 17th century the Church was pogrom under the guise of reforms,” writes the historian-publicist B. P. Kutuzov, “the Old Believers remained with the saint, not blurred by various dubious innovations, Orthodoxy, and this is the main value of the Old Believers for all times. ". After the church schism of the 17th century, the Old Believers faced the task of preserving the purity of faith and the Orthodox way of life in inviolability in the face of the shock of the Russian people with innovations. In order to preserve the faith during the persecution, many had to leave their homes, leave their habitable places in the forests and swamps, to the distant outskirts of their homeland, preserving the traditions of Orthodox Russia.
The history of the Old Believers speaks of the high patriotism of the champions of true Orthodoxy, evokes a feeling of gratitude for the courageous preservation of national traditions. “It is not known what Russia would be today,” says the writer V. Rasputin, “if not a living and warning reminder of the forces capable of making a reckless and omnipotent impulse in the name of its assertion.
We must be grateful to the Old Believers for the fact that for a good three centuries it extended Russia in its customs, beliefs, rituals, song, character, attitudes and face. This service, perhaps, is no less than the defense of the fatherland on the battlefield.
What has Russia bequeathed to us? She bequeathed to herself ... her originality and independence, her dignity, sobriety and creative possibilities. "
Old Belief is not only the wonderful past of Russia, but also its future!
At the end of the 20th century, our Church found the long-awaited freedom. Now, for more than 20 years, there is a difficult, but steady spiritual rebirth and material creation.
Today the concept of "import substitution" is relevant. In a spiritual sense, this substitution is also highly relevant. It is necessary to cast aside the hostile and destructive spirit of the West and return to Russian identity and independence.
If Russia, having survived the Tatar-Mongol yoke, although it became coarse, nevertheless remained in its spiritual essence by itself, now, when the connection of times has disintegrated, a threat has appeared more dangerous than enslavement by Genghis Khan, this threat is directed against our souls. Liberal freedom, easy accessibility of sin (caused, for example, by the uncontrolled and thoughtless use of the Internet), propaganda imposed by the West, destroying morality - all this, like radiation, invisibly and gradually destroys the souls of our compatriots. We Russians must not lose our identity and faith.
Today our country, and with it the Old Believers, are going through a crucial period of choosing their future. On the one hand, today there are many false values, temptations, and on the other hand, it is good that there is freedom of choice - the opportunity to choose the best path in the spiritual, moral and cultural terms. Russia should not blindly follow the western path, otherwise the Russians may disappear as an ethnic group, losing their traditions and peculiarities, remaining Russia only on a historical and geographical basis.
In the book of the early twentieth century thinker I. Kirillov "The Truth of the Old Faith" we find the following words: “The Old Believers have preserved that small mustard seed of the light of Christ, from which will develop (if destined by the Highest Providence) true Christian enlightenment. If Russia is destined to be great, it will, but it will grow under the rays of enlightenment brought from the distant past. " Russia is not the West or the East, it is a kind of separate world, strong only in the Orthodox Slavic union, which can be a mediator in the reconciliation of the West and the East. Old Believers carry "Russianness" in their centuries-old way of life as a genetic memory, knowing that at all times Russia was saved by the Orthodox faith, moral values and foundations accumulated over a thousand-year history.
It is impossible to comprehend the past, present and future of our country without knowing the history of the Old Believers, the reasons for the church schism, and therefore interest in the history of Orthodoxy in Russia is growing and its understanding is relevant in our time.
The writer I. Solonevich said: "The Old Believers are the most primordial and most powerful form of Orthodoxy." Despite the fact that today many people know almost nothing about the Old Believers and perceive it as a “fragment of history,” nevertheless, sympathy and favor for the Old Believers, for their faith, customs, and culture, is still found in Russia.
It should be noted that nowadays those who want to find a way to salvation are showing a genuine, growing interest in ancient Orthodoxy, realizing that during the current spiritual and moral crisis, the experience of survival in difficult conditions is important, which the Old Believers cannot hold.
What kind of experience are we talking about? The Old Believers have always been distinguished by a strong way of life, honest work, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and love for the fatherland. The Old Believers have accumulated the experience of Christian enlightenment. The latter is especially important in our time, when spiritual traditions have been violated in the country, there is a sense of disunity between parents and children, and young people do not have firm convictions in choosing goodness and removing them from sin. The Old Believer Church, school and family provide spiritual guidance to children, allowing them to oppose sin with the concept of morality, repentance, and the consequences of unbelief and sin.
It must be understood that the defining task for the Church is not the solution of external issues of the organization of society (such as demography, decline in production, crime, unemployment, etc.), but the opportunity to teach people to live according to the commandments of God, in faith, peace and Christian sacrifice. love. And if everyone begins to live according to God's laws, i.e. to create the Kingdom of God within ourselves, then this will be the guarantee of the beginning of the healing of our society, which, in turn, will solve many moral and economic problems.
