The Podruchnik (Russian: "подручник", literally "something under an arm") is a small

prayer rug A prayer rug or prayer mat is a piece of fabric, sometimes a pile carpet, used by Muslims, some Christians and some Baha'i during prayer. In Islam, a prayer mat is placed between the ground and the worshipper for cleanliness during the various ...

, once used in prayer by all

Russian Orthodox Russian Orthodoxy (russian: Русское православие) is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, whose liturgy is or was traditionally conducted in Church Slavonic language. Most ...

Christians in the

Tsardom of Russia The Tsardom of Russia or Tsardom of Rus' also externally referenced as the Tsardom of Muscovy, was the centralized Russian state from the assumption of the title of Tsar by Ivan IV in 1547 until the foundation of the Russian Empire by Peter I ...

before the schism of 1653 but currently in use only by the

Old Believers Old Believers or Old Ritualists, ''starovery'' or ''staroobryadtsy'' are Eastern Orthodox Christians who maintain the liturgical and ritual practices of the Russian Orthodox Church as they were before the reforms of Patriarch Nikon of Moscow b ...

Description and use

Measuring roughly 40cm by 40 cm, the Podruchnik takes the form of a small cushion, often with patchwork decoration which varies from region to region. Its sole function is to keep the worshipper's hands and face clean during the frequent

prostrations Prostration is the gesture of placing one's body in a reverentially or submissively prone position. Typically prostration is distinguished from the lesser acts of bowing or kneeling by involving a part of the body above the knee, especially ...

that occur in church services, as it is felt that the fingers used to make the

Sign of the Cross Making the sign of the cross ( la, signum crucis), or blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is a ritual blessing made by members of some branches of Christianity. This blessing is made by the tracing of an upright cross or + across the body with ...

must remain clean during prayers. During

church services A church service (or a service of worship) is a formalized period of Christian communal worship, often held in a church building. It often but not exclusively occurs on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sa ...

, when prostrations are made, as the worshipper lowers his torso, he flips the Podruchnik onto the ground in such a way that when he is kneeling and prostrate on the ground, the Podruchnik protects his hands and forehead from the dirt and grime of the floor. When not in use, they are stored at the side of the church, stacked up in such a manner that the dirty sides touch each other and the clean sides only touch other clean sides. Some

Spiritual Christians Spiritual Christianity (russian: духовное христианство) is the group of belief systems held by so-called ''folk Protestants'' (), including non-Eastern Orthodox indigenous faith tribes and new religious movements that emerge ...

(''Dukh-i-zhizniki'', ''Pryguny'' and '' Molokane'') bring their own handkerchief for similar prostration rituals, usually performed on clean floors while holding the kerchief. When a floor may be dirty, prostrations can be done as low kneeling without touching the floor with hands or head.

References

External links

An example of a Podruchnik from the Russian Museum of Ethnography
{{orthodoxy-stub Old Believer movement Christian prayer Pillows Russian Orthodox Church in Russia

Description and use

See also

References

External links