Sergei Anatolyevitch Torop (russian: Серге́й Анато́льевич То́роп, ''Sergej Anatolʹevič Torop''; born 14 January 1961 in

Krasnodar Krasnodar (; rus, Краснода́р, p=krəsnɐˈdar; ady, Краснодар), formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern ...

Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...

), known as Vissarion ( rus, Виссарио́н, p=vʲɪsərʲɪˈon, "He who gives new life" or "life-giving"), is a Russian spiritual teacher and founder of the non-profit, religious organization “Church of the Last Testament”, described by many organizations as 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 ...

. According to the followers of Sergei Torop and some of his own explanations, on 18 August 1990, at the age of 29, Sergey had some sort of a “spiritual awakening�

He gave his first public teaching after awakening in

Minusinsk Minusinsk (russian: Минуси́нск; kjh, Минсуғ) is a historical types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. Population: 44,500 (1973). Geography Minusinsk marks the center of the Minusinsk Hollow ...

on 18 August 1991. He founded the "Church of the Last Testament" (Церковь Последнего Завета ''Tserkov Poslednego Zaveta''), also known as the "Community of Unified Faith", with its head church located in the Siberian

Taiga Taiga (; rus, тайга́, p=tɐjˈɡa; relates to Mongolic and Turkic languages), generally referred to in North America as a boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruce ...

in the

Minusinsk Depression Minusinsk Basin or Khakass-Minusinsk Basin (russian: Минусинская (Хакасско-Минусинская) котловина, ''Minusinskaya (Chakassko-Minusinskaya) kotlovina'') is in Khakassia and Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia located ...

east of

Abakan Abakan (russian: Абака́н, p=ɐbɐˈkan; Khakas: , ''Ağban''/, ''Abaxan'') is the capital city of the Republic of Khakassia, Russia, located in the central part of Minusinsk Depression, at the confluence of the Yenisei and Abakan Rivers. A ...

, in the small settlement called "Abode of Dawn" (official name) or "The Sun City" (unofficial name) near Petropavlovka. Since then, the Christianity-based religious movement has amassed more than 10,000 followers around the world with around 4,000 living in the few settlements in Siberia near Vissario

https://www.rferl.org/a/inside-vissarions-village-the-jesus-of-siberia/30854072.html] As Vissarion, he teaches

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is a ...

veganism Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...

, and harmonious human relations predicting the end of the world. Since 1991, on the basis of Vissarion's meetings, speeches and teachings, a multi-volume text called “The Last Testament” has been written, outlining a set of principles focused on self-improvement, self-governance and community. In September 2020 Vissarion and two of his close students were arrested and taken away from homes by helicopters during
dramatic operation
empowered by Russia’s Investigative Committee. The Russian authorities accused them of “creating a religious group whose activities may impose violence on citizens”. As of 2021 Vissarion and the two others are being kept in prison in

Novosibirsk Novosibirsk (, also ; rus, Новосиби́рск, p=nəvəsʲɪˈbʲirsk, a=ru-Новосибирск.ogg) is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the Russian Census ...

, despite the fact that there is no evidence that can confirm the accusations and no proper criminal indictment. No trial has been scheduled.

Biography

Sergei Anatolyevitch Torop was born in

to Anatoly Torop and Nadezhda (''née'' Malashenko). At 18, he began compulsory service by enlisting in the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

, becoming a sergeant working on building sites in

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

, followed by three years as a factory metal worker in Minusinsk, Siberia. In the town, he worked as a

patrol officer A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as law enforcement officers, military personnel, or security personnel, that are assigned to monitor or secure a specific geographic area. Etymology From French ''patrouiller'', from Old Fren ...

before losing his job in 1989. Reported to have gained nine commendations during his five years of service, he was made redundant. Torop claims that in 1990 he was "reborn" as Vissarion (meaning "he who gives new life"), claiming to be a returned

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

. In his system this does not make him God, but instead the word of God. His religious beliefs combines elements of 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 ...

with

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

, apocalypticism, collectivism, and ecological values. Torop founded the Church of the Last Testament in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia in 1991 just before the

fall of the USSR The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

. He predicted the imminent end of the world with only his followers being saved. His followers observe strict regulations, including abstaining from meat, smoking,

drinking alcohol Alcohol, sometimes referred to by the chemical name ''ethanol'', is a depressant drug that is the active ingredient in drinks such as beer, wine, and distilled spirits (hard liquor). It is one of the oldest and most commonly consumed recreatio ...

, swearing and the use of money. The aim of the group is to unite all religions on Earth. He replaced Christmas with a feast day on his birthday (14 January) and claimed to possess an ability to heal cancer and

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

with a touch from his hand. The calendar runs from the day in 1961 of Vissarion's birth; the biggest feast day (August 18) originates from his first sermon in 1991. Tiberkul, the settlement in the Taiga, was established in 1994 on a territory of , and expanded to several nearby villages, such as those of Petropavlovka and Cheremshanka, at ca. . It has some four thousand inhabitants, following ecological principles. The central settlement, also called ''The Town'' and ''The Mountain'', has a three-tiered structure: the Town itself (''Abode of Dawn''), the ''Heavenly Abode'', and the ''Temple Peak''. The churches and houses are built from wood by hand, most of the energy used originating from windmills or solar panels.

Media coverage

Since 1992, biographer Vadim Redkin has published an annual volume detailing Vissarion's activities. Vissarion has attracted followers from Germany's

esoteric Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas a ...

subculture, and seven volumes of Vadim's account have been translated into German. In May 2012, the ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...

'' YouTube channel released "Cult Leader Thinks He's Jesus (Documentary Exclusive)", containing a report by

Rocco Castoro Rocco Castoro (born 1982) is an American editor and writer. He graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Journalism.After serving as an Associate Editor at ''Satellite Magazine'', he joined VICE Magazine in 2006 ...

, a reporter for ''Vice'' in Petropavlovka, and his interview with Vissarion. This was the first time Vissarion had granted an interview in three years. In 2018, the Japanese show ''Hyper Hardboiled Gourmet Report'' visited the City of the Sun, but did not interview the founder (Vissarion). They were able to interview multiple adherents, including children and a sub-founder.

2020 arrest

On 22 September 2020, Russian authorities arrested Vissarion on charges of running an illegal religious organisation, possible physical harm to others, and extortion. He was apprehended by the FSB and Russian police, and taken to

central district court, along with two aides, Vadim Redkin and Vladimir Vedernikov.

Personal life

Torop repudiated his first wife and married a nineteen-year-old who had lived with him since she was a girl of seven. He has six children from the two marriages. Vissarion has a younger half-sister, Irina. Though he has a biological mother named Nadyezhda, Vissarion considers

Mary, mother of Jesus Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

, as his own mother.Последний Завет. Т.1, СП-б, Фламинго, 1996, вопрос 24.
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References

External links