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The Chronology of the Renovationist «Revolution» in the Russian Church in May, 1922 according to New Archival Documents
DOI of the paper: 10.15382/sturII201458.24-60
Abstract
The Chronology of the Renovationist «Revolution» in the Russian Church in May, 1922 according to New Archival Documents S.N. Ivanov The article covers the events of the beginning of the Renovationist schism in the Russian Orthodox Church, in particular —the attempt of the clergy’s group which has been loyal to the Soviet authorities to assume the higher power of the Church in May, 1922. The author supplemented the chronology of Renovationist schism with new archival documents which open the circumstances of negotiations between future dissenters and the members of an oversight body on the eve of meetings with Patriarch Tikhon at the Troitsk town residence in Moscow. Results of the research scientifi cally proved the assumption the Bolshevik authorities have used property. Earlier there was only the supposition of the church-historical researchers relying on the detected cost estimate of the withdrawal’s company of a Church property. For organizing the church division the Political bureau of Central Committee RKP (b) relied on the disagreements of clergy concerning the confi scation. The facts found out by the author clarifi ed the understanding of the true motives of loud statements about «the Famine Relief». The story of May events recreated in the article allows drawing more detailed conclusions about the decisions accepting by the Patriarch in the fi eld of the higher church management in this period. Reasonableness, compliance with the decrees of the Higher Church Management and the aspiration to benefi t the Church has distinguished the position of St. Patriarch Tikhon. the Moscow tribunal’s sentence upon 11 persons (including 8 priests) to be shot, for pressure, both on St. Patriarch Tikhon, and on the Revivalists with a view of the control over them. The author proves that the schism’s leaders, agitating voluntary for handing over divine service vessels to the Bolshevik commissions of Famine Relief, have received monetary compensation of state bodies for the “work” on the confi scation of Church
Keywords
Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Tikhon, Renovation schism, Highest Church Administration, Trinity town church, Synodal offi ce, The state political Department, Seizure of a church property, Church revolution, Persecution against the Church
References
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