Russian Old-Orthodox Church
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The Russian Old Orthodox Church (russian: Русская Древлеправославная Церковь) is an
Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via ...
of 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 bet ...
tradition, born of a
schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...
within 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 ...
(''
raskol The Schism of the Russian Church, also known as Raskol (russian: раскол, , meaning "split" or " schism"), was the splitting of the Russian Orthodox Church into an official church and the Old Believers movement in the mid-17th century. It ...
'') during the 17th century (Old Believers). This jurisdiction incorporated those Old Believer groups which refused to accept the authority of
Belokrinitskaya Hierarchy {{Unreferenced, date=November 2021 Belokrinitskaya Hierarchy (russian: Белокриницкая иерархия) is the first full and stable church hierarchy created by the Old Believers. The Orthodox Old-Rite Church (in earlier times called ...
, est. 1846 (see
Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church The Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church (or Russian Orthodox Oldritualist Church, Russian Orthodox Old-Ritualist Church) (russian: Русская Православная Старообрядческая Церковь) is an Eastern Orthodox Chur ...
). It was also known as Novozybkov Hierarchy (by the name of the city where its chief hierarch resided in 1963–2000). It is considered to be independent of the Eastern Orthodox Communion i.e. it is not recognised by the
Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of th ...
, nor by any of the Orthodox churches in communion with the Patriarch. From 1963 until 2002, the official title of its chief hierarch was ''Archbishop of Novozybkov, Moscow and all Russia''. In 2000, with the move of the Archbishop's residence to
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
, the
toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...
Novozybkov Novozybkov (russian: Новозы́бков; be, Навазыбкаў) is a historical town in Bryansk Oblast, Russia. Population: The city has a branch of the Bryansk State University. History It was founded in 1701 and was granted town status ...
was dropped from the title. Since March 2003, the official title of the church leader is ''Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia''. The current head of the Church is Patriarch Alexander (Kalinin; since 9 May 2000, Patriarch since 3 March 2003


History

The Russian Old Orthodox Church was formed from the groups of Old Believers who insisted on preserving the traditional church structure and hierarchy (as opposed to
Bespopovtsy Bespopovtsy ( rus, беспоповцы, p=bʲɪspɐˈpoft͡sɨ, "priestless ones") are Priestless Old Believers that reject Nikonite priests. They are one of the two major strains of Old Believers. Priestless Old Believers may have evolved into ...
groups), but refused to accept the authority of Metropolitan Amvrosii (Popovitch) who converted in 1846 and founded the
Belokrinitskaya Hierarchy {{Unreferenced, date=November 2021 Belokrinitskaya Hierarchy (russian: Белокриницкая иерархия) is the first full and stable church hierarchy created by the Old Believers. The Orthodox Old-Rite Church (in earlier times called ...
, due to some canonical problems with his conversion and the ordination of its second bishop, Kiril (Amvrosii ordained him alone, which was against canons). These Old Believers groups continued to exist without a
bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
until 1923 when they created their own hierarchy, by receiving the Renovationist Archbishop Nikola (Pozdnev) of Saratov (1853–1934). He was received (like Amvrosii in 1846) by
chrismation Chrismation consists of the sacrament or mystery in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches, as well as in the Assyrian Church of the East initiation rites. The sacrament is more commonly known in the West as confirm ...
on November 4, 1923, and given a title ''Archbishop of Moscow, Saratov and all old Orthodox Christians of Russia''. Some problems with Nikola's installation and with the 'validity' of this jurisdiction in general was that the Renovationist Church was a
schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...
from 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 ...
and archbishop Nikola, together with other Renovationist clergy was officially suspended from all priestly functions by the Council of Bishops under
Patriarch Tikhon Tikhon of Moscow (russian: Тихон Московский, – ), born Vasily Ivanovich Bellavin (russian: Василий Иванович Беллавин), was a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). On 5 November 1917 ( OS) he was ...
(Bellavin) in 1923. Also, some Old Believers had doubts whether Nikola was baptized by infusion rather than triple immersion (see
Baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...
). These doubts were rejected by the Moscow Council of the Old-Orthodox Church in May 1924. In order to avoid the same "error" which they thought the leaders of the
Belokrinitskaya Hierarchy {{Unreferenced, date=November 2021 Belokrinitskaya Hierarchy (russian: Белокриницкая иерархия) is the first full and stable church hierarchy created by the Old Believers. The Orthodox Old-Rite Church (in earlier times called ...
had made, Archbishop Nikola did not ordain any new bishops single-handedly – not until the conversion of another bishop from 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 ...
, Stephan (Rastorguev), in September 1929. Four more bishops were ordained in subsequent years. Like many other Christian Churches in Soviet Russia, the Old-Orthodox Church suffered heavy persecution from atheistic authorities. One of the outcomes of these conditions was the frequent migration of the see of its first hierarch: Moscow (1924–1955); Kuibyshev – now
Samara Samara ( rus, Сама́ра, p=sɐˈmarə), known from 1935 to 1991 as Kuybyshev (; ), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara (Volga), Samara rivers, with ...
(1955–1963); Novozybkov (in
Bryansk Bryansk ( rus, Брянск, p=brʲansk) is a city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, situated on the River Desna, southwest of Moscow. Population: Geography Urban layout The location of the settlement was originally ass ...
region) (1963–2000). In 2000, the residence was moved back to Moscow. In the 1990s, several bishops separated from the central administration of the Russian Old-Orthodox Church, forming two schismatic ecclesiastical bodies: * ''Slavo-Georgian (Iberian) Old-Orthodox Church'' (''Славяно-Грузинская Иверская Древлеправославная Церковь'') was created in the beginning of the 1990s by two schismatic bishops (Leonty of Perm and Flavian of
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
). This church has three bishops and a couple of parishes in
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
and in
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
. Its distinctive feature is that liturgical services are held in both Slavonic and
Old Georgian Old Georgian (ႤႬႠჂ ႵႠႰႧႭჃႪႨ, ''enay kartuli'') was a literary language of the Georgian monarchies attested from the 5th century. The language remains in use as the liturgical language of the Georgian Orthodox Church and for ...
, using pre-18th century Old Georgian
liturgical book A liturgical book, or service book, is a book published by the authority of a church body that contains the text and directions for the liturgy of its official religious services. Christianity Roman Rite In the Roman Rite of the Catholic ...
s. * ''Old Orthodox Church of Russia'' (''Древлеправославная Церковь России'') was formed in 1999 in response to the alleged "Renovationist" policies of the church's central administration. It currently has three bishops and 12 parishes in Russia and
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
. Since the 1990s, some of these schismatic bishops restored communion with the Russian Old-Orthodox Church, but the two churches these schisms created still exist. In 2003, in a highly controversial move, the leaders of the Old-Orthodox Church resolved to "restore" the
patriarchate Patriarchate ( grc, πατριαρχεῖον, ''patriarcheîon'') is an ecclesiological term in Christianity, designating the office and jurisdiction of an ecclesiastical patriarch. According to Christian tradition three patriarchates were esta ...
in the "Russian Church", thus setting up a rival Patriarchate of Moscow in opposition to the Patriarch
Aleksy II Patriarch Alexy II (or Alexius II, russian: link=no, Патриарх Алексий II; secular name Aleksei Mikhailovich Ridiger russian: link=no, Алексе́й Миха́йлович Ри́дигер; 23 February 1929 – 5 December ...
(Ridiger), the head 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 ...
. This act was bound to complicate the relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church and another Old Believer Church claiming to be the authentic Russian hierarchy – the
Belokrinitskaya Hierarchy {{Unreferenced, date=November 2021 Belokrinitskaya Hierarchy (russian: Белокриницкая иерархия) is the first full and stable church hierarchy created by the Old Believers. The Orthodox Old-Rite Church (in earlier times called ...
or
Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church The Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church (or Russian Orthodox Oldritualist Church, Russian Orthodox Old-Ritualist Church) (russian: Русская Православная Старообрядческая Церковь) is an Eastern Orthodox Chur ...
, and until this day, these three churches are officially not in communion with each other.


Organisation

The Holy Council is the highest legislative body, which elects the Patriarch and the members of the Chief Ecclesiastical Council. Today, the Old-Orthodox Church has six hierarchs and about more than 10 parishes on the former Soviet Union territory and four parishes in Romania (as of 1996).


First Hierarchs of Russian Old-Orthodox Church

{, border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" , - bgcolor=#EEDDCC , Nikola (Pozdnev), , Archbishop of Moscow, Saratov and All Russia, , December 19, 1923 – September 1, 1934 , - bgcolor=#EEDDCC , rowspan="2" , Stephan (Rastorguev), , ''locum tenens'', , 1934 – July 1935 , - bgcolor=#EEDDCC , Archbishop of Moscow and All Russia, , July 1935 – September 2 1937 , - bgcolor=#EEDDCC , Mikhail (Kochetov), , , , May 1938 – April 6, 1944 , - bgcolor=#EEDDCC , Ioann (Kalinin), , , , October 14, 1944 – August 27, 1955 , - bgcolor=#EEDDCC , Epiphaniy (Abramov), , Archbishop of Kuibyshev, Moscow and All Russia, , November 5, 1955 – 1963 (d. 1965) , - bgcolor=#EEDDCC , Jeremiah (Matvievich), , Archbishop of Novozybkov, Moscow and All Russia, , March 24, 1963 – June 17, 1969 , - bgcolor=#EEDDCC , Pavel (Mashinin), , , , July 27, 1969 – June 1977 , - bgcolor=#EEDDCC , Varsonophiy (Ovsyannikov), , ''locum tenens'', , June 1977 – September 1979 , - bgcolor=#EEDDCC , Gennadiy (Antonov), , , , September 23, 1979 – February 2, 1996 , - bgcolor=#EEDDCC , Aristarkh (Kalinin), , , , February 1996 – May 4, 2000 , - bgcolor=#EEDDCC , rowspan="2" , Aleksandr (Kalinin), , Archbishop of Moscow and All Russia, , May 9, 2000 – March 3, 2002 , - bgcolor=#EEDDCC , Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, , March 3, 2002 – present


See also

*
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 bet ...
*
Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church The Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church (or Russian Orthodox Oldritualist Church, Russian Orthodox Old-Ritualist Church) (russian: Русская Православная Старообрядческая Церковь) is an Eastern Orthodox Chur ...
*
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 ...


External links


Official web site (Russian)

Another official web site (Russian)


Bibliography

* S. G. Vurgraft, I. A. Ushakov. ''Staroobriadchestvo. Litsa, predmety, sobytiia i simvoly. Opyt entsiklopedicheskogo slovaria'' he Old Believers: Figures, Subjects, Events and Symbols. An Encyclopedic DictionaryMoscow: Tserkov, 1996. Old Believer movement