Caves in catacomb movement of the Russian Orthodox Church on the territory of the Don and the Volga Region in 1920-1940s

Abstract

The paper examines creation and application history of cave space in catacomb movement of the Russian Orthodox Church on the territory of the Don and the Volga Region in 1920-1940s. Development of cave digging on these territories was promoted by the fact of their frontier position, allowing searching for a hiding place for the ideas, differing from the mainstream society. The caves use as shelters and places of worship in the Don Region is exemplified by the territory of Voronezh Region, where in the revolution period caves were dug in the chalk mass near the village of Karayashnik, and traditionally honored by the people loci of sacred space were used like caves in Divnogorye and on Shatrishche Mount. Caves near the village of Karayashnik were used as a place of worship by a conservative part of peasants being supporters of both the Patriarchal Church and the Fedorovtsy sect. Caves in Divnogorye were used by Joanites sect, caves on Shatrishche Mount were used by so-called True Orthodox Church. In addition to the chalk caves in the Don Region people used underground of houses as secret places of worship. Examples of such undergrounds are hidden caves in the villages of Troitskoe and Novopokrovka, equipped by one of communities of so-called True Orthodox Christians. The paper considers caves use in the Volga Region through the example of the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan, where communities of the True Orthodox Church acted, creating cult undergrounds under houses in the town of Bugulma and villages of Akkireevo, Zabugorovka, Crym-Saray Naumovka and Novoe Ilmovo. Together with territories of personal farmsteads, caves were created outside villages, usually in a forest zone. For example, near the village of Novosheshminsk there was an underground monastery, near villages of Volchya Sloboda and Elantovo there were underground temples. Activities of the underground religious communities referred to in the paper were ceased due to state punitive measures.