Abstract
On 19 January 1918 Patriarch Tikhon issued a synodal epistle declaring anathema those who had unleashed terror and a bloody civil war in Russia: "By the power invested in us by God we forbid you to partake of the Sacraments of Christ, for you are anathema … although you were born into the Orthodox Church."1 On the next day Izvestia published the Decree Separating Church from State and the Schools from the Church. This marked the beginning of the period of "militant atheism " in Russia, effectively signaling the physical annihilation of Orthodox Christians, the looting and destruction of churches, and the burning of icons and books of worship. The new state regime went on a rampage, confiscating ancient robes, church accouterments, and cathedral decorations, and dumping trainloads of sacred national treasures in the West for a song. Yet the people was silent.
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