Porfiry Korneyevich Ivanov (Russian: Порфирий Корнеевич Иванов) (February 20, 1898 – April 10, 1983) was a Russian mystic whose beliefs have attained a

cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...

status, with followers estimated in the tens of thousands. He was a self-proclaimed

doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

, although he had no formal certification. The

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

has considered his teachings to be

heretical Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

, and calls the cult "

Ivanovites Ivanovism (russian: Ивановство, Ивановизм) is a Rodnover (Slavic Neopagan) new religious movement and healing system in Eastern Europe based on the teachings of the Russian mystic Porfiry Korneyevich Ivanov (1898–1983), who ...

". Ivanov was imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital. Porfiri Ivanov's sect has its own hymn, written by Ivanov himself. The rhythm of the hymn was adopted from the French national anthem ''

La Marseillaise "La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. The song was written in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in Strasbourg after the declaration of war by France against Austria, and was originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du R ...

''. Ivanov promoted ''Detka'', a health system that included

dousing Dousing is the practice of making something or someone wet by throwing liquid over them, e.g., by pouring water, generally cold, over oneself. A related practice is ice swimming. Some consider cold water dousing to be a form of asceticism. Col ...

. He based this system on the belief that it was healthy to remove one's clothing while outdoors in cold weather, in order to become closer to nature. Ivanov also advocated swimming in icy water, a belief that has been applied to the practice of

ice swimming Winter swimming is the activity of swimming during the winter season, typically in outdoor locations (open water swimming) or in unheated pools or lidos. In colder countries, it may be synonymous with ice swimming, when the water is frozen ov ...

. In his thirties he supposedly cured himself of cancer through spiritual cleansing and exposure to extreme cold weather

References

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*
Writings of Porphyry Ivanov

Porfiri Ivanov: Russia's Naturalist Healer
A biography by Daniel H. Shubin. Slavic neopaganism 20th-century mystics Russian religious leaders 1898 births 1983 deaths Russian modern pagans Modern pagan religious leaders {{Russia-reli-bio-stub

See also

References

External links