Orthodox Parish Research Articles

REFLECTION OF THE INFORMATION VALUE OF CLERics STATEMENTS IN HISTORICAL LITERATURE

Historical and ecclesiastical issues occupy an increasing place in the mass media and in the life of Russian society, since the Orthodox Church, along with other confessions, acts not only as a social institution, but also as a guardian of the material and spiritual culture of the past. In this regard, the history of the Orthodox confession in the country as a whole and in individual regions is of genuine interest. Various problems of the history of Orthodoxy are increasingly reflected in scientific research. Among the most pressing problems are aspects of the social and mental history of society, which caused the need to study historical sources, which previously, due to their vastness or dryness, had no major significance. The article presents an overview of the historical literature on the clerics statements, which were the material for accounting for the parish clergy and the Orthodox population of the Russian Empire since 1769. Introduced into scientific circulation more recently, the clerics statements are a specific historical source about the parish life of Russia during the imperial period. The article presents a historiographical review of the literature on clerics statements and focuses on works in which researchers, one way or another, using the materials of church records of the population, revealed various aspects of the functioning of an Orthodox parish. In general, historical literature can be divided into several blocks. Among them, scientific publications devoted directly to the social status of the parish clergy, their origin, education, moral character, and the practical activities of clerics occupy a leading position. A number of works reveal the state of the flock, its social structure, attitude towards the church and the Orthodox faith in general. Clerics statements are a unique source about the history of a particular parish, locality, diocese, and church art. Of separate note are the works in which the genesis and further changes in the structure and form of the document are considered. In general, the clerics statements have a huge information potential in the study of social history and confessional policy of the state.

Lexical Originality Of Regional Orthodox Parish Chronicles

The lexical level of two parochial chronicles of the Southern Urals of the 19th century is analyzed in the article. The relevance of the study is due to the fact that the monuments were created during the period of renewal of the chronicle tradition. The novelty of the work lies in the description of the lexical diversity of two texts of the same genre. The main attention is paid to the peculiarities of lexico-thematic groups: denotation, choice of lexeme, lexical relations between the components of the group. It has been proved that it is the lexical level that most clearly translates the specifics of the picture of the world of the Southern Urals inhabitants against the background of the chronicles of other provinces. It is concluded that six groups are distinguished in the vocabulary of church chronicles as a reflection of significant areas of the life of parishioners: religious life, work, life, education, the world around, social relations. It is shown that the scribe’s speech is not oversaturated with heterogeneous information, therefore the choice of topics and words plays an important role in the research reading of the document. It is noted that the information required by the stencil of the document is transmitted by chronicles using different lexemes. A comparative analysis of the lexemes of chronicles shows that the actual centralization of topics in the chronicles does not focus on religion, although religion is a moral and ethical guide for the layman of that time.

Talking to God: Religion, Para-Science and Disciplinary Practices as Consolidation Tools

The article examines social instruments used to consolidate small religious groups in modern society. Such groups are viewed as a variation of the development of a local Orthodox parish founded as a community of like-minded people. The research subject is closed religious community that has existed in the Perm region (Russia) for over thirty years. The community has evolved from a typical Orthodox parish to a modern-type spiritual group that used non-Orthodox sources of information and devotion, and was led by a woman. The study identifies most effective social instruments for the consolidation of those type of religious community. The research includes reconstruction of the history of the community and the analysis of the materials of spiritual seminars held there, reflecting gradual transformation of the teachings and change of the leader’s status. The research data were acquired from several sources: interviews and personal correspondence of the author with former members of the community, materials of journalistic investigations, etc.

In search of parishioners: Orthodox parish in the XX-XXI century’s reflections and discussions

In search of parishioners: Orthodox parish in the XX-XXI century’s reflections and discussions

The Specificity of Formation and Use of Patronyms in the Orthodox Parish of Rajsk in the Podlasie Region in the Late 19th Century

Widespread use of patronymic names among the Orthodox residents of Podlasie in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries is conditioned by its administrative affiliation to the Russian Empire and consequently, the prevalence of the Russian naming formula. This paper discusses patronymics (otchestva) attested in the Rajsk parish registers in the late 19th century. Researching the structure (including word-formation, phonetic, and graphic features) and etymology of these names, the author discovers that most of patronyms were derived from the Orthodox variants of proper names (e.g. Ilіin, Sofronіev, Filimonov; Aleksіeva, Stefanova), yet some refer to the non-canonical variants of baptismal names (e.g. Bonifatov, Tarasov; Demianova, Sebestіanova, Trokhimova), differing from the original variants by phonetic alternations. From derivation perspective, short forms of patronyms (so-called semi-patronymics, poluotchestva) e.g. Ignatіev, Matfeev, Fomov; Kondratova, Stakhіeva prevail over the full forms (Petrovich, Savvich; Epifanіevna, Ippolitovna). The presence of patronyms in the personal data allows to trace family traditions of naming children spanning three generations. Regardless of the fact that all analyzed records were made by one person, the names showcase a noticeable variability in terms of motivation, word-formation, orthography, and phonetics. It was not uncommon for the different patronymics to refer to one and the same bearer, highlighting the phenomenon of several co-existing name variants in the period in question.

Przekształcenie chrzcielnicy w świątynię domową w budynku domu parafialnego parafii prawosławnej św. Apostoła i Ewangelisty Jana Teologa w Białymstoku

The scope of changes and the consequences of the decision to redesign the baptismal font into a house temple in the parish house of the Orthodox Parish of St. Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian in Bialystok was analyzed. The case study presented here may be a reference to other similar investment processes in sacred space.

ПРАВОСЛАВНІ ПАРАФІЯЛЬНІ ГРОМАДИ ЯК ОСЕРЕДКИ КОНТРОЛЮ ЗА ШЛЮБНОЮ МОБІЛЬНІСТЮ УКРАЇНСЬКОГО НАСЕЛЕННЯ XVIII ‒ ПЕРШОЇ ПОЛОВИНИ ХІХ ст.

The Purpose of the Research. The article focuses on the issue of the territorial affiliation of people to the Orthodox parish communities; they controlled the marital mobility of the Ukrainian population of the 18th ‒ the first half of the 19th centuries primarily to prevent illegal weddings and births. The Methodology of the Research. The construction of a generalized image of the Orthodox parish communities took place at the rational and emotional levels of knowledge, but at the same time based on the principle of objectivity. Interdisciplinary strategies of historical anthropology, the methods of critical, structural analysis and the method of sources deconstruction have been used. Interpretations and conclusions are based on the materials of seven archival institutions and documentation of a directive administrative, informational and publishing direction. The Scientific Novelty. The presentation of a new look at the Orthodox communities at the same time exposed the pressing social problems of the period under study, some of which are relevant today: begging, profligacy, crime, illegal weddings and childbearing, infanticide, family breakdown due to the departure of one of the married couple to earn money or sale serfs and, etc. The Conclusions. In the XVIIIth century witness documentation was introduced, which allowed the population to migrate and get married legally. According to a civil law, the marriage registration by parishioners who were the bride or groom, was supposed to take place in the churches. People acquired membership in the new parish in the context of the issuance of the relevant permission documents in connection with the relocation, the redeployment of military units, the remoteness of the parish church from society, the unsatisfactory state of the church premises for worship, and etc. Significant factors that led to significant population movements and possible violations of matrimonial requirements were the salary movement of the common people and the flight of serfs. In the marriage case of dependent peasants of different owners and changes in the arrival of the bride-serfs, they had to submit manumission, letters of sale and purchase of peasants, or documents, which testified to releasing a person from serfdom.

Formation and Development of Spiritual And Cultural Centers of the Town of Kovalivka on the XIX and Early XX Centuries

The article, based on statistical materials and periodicals of the Russian Empire, attempts to show the process of formation of cultural and spiritual centers of the town of Kovalivka. The peculiarities of church building and spiritual-educational activity of the local Orthodox parish, the specifics of the activity of the local priest in the line of the general imperial policy of struggle against various currents of Protestantism are analyzed. An attempt is made to shed light on new facts from the history of Odessa County through an analysis of the process of formation and development of schools and religious centers of the settlement. An analysis of the impact of school education on the population of the settlement. The peculiarities of their educational activity both within the town and outside it have been clarified.

РОЛЬ ПРАВОСЛАВНОГО ПАРАФІЯЛЬНОГО ДУХОВЕНСТВА У ПРОВЕДЕННІ СЕЛЯНСЬКОЇ РЕФОРМИ 1861 Р. (НА МАТЕРІАЛАХ КИЇВСЬКОЇ ГУБЕРНІЇ)

Анотація. Мета дослідження – з’ясування на матеріалах Київської губернії ролі православного парафіяльного духовенства у впровадженні селянської реформи 1861 р. Методологія дослідження включає головні принципи системності, науковості, історизму, а також використання загальнонаукових методів аналізу, синтезу, узагальнення, порівняння. Наукова новизна роботи полягає у тому, що автори, використовуючи опубліковані та раніше невживані архівні джерела, матеріали періодичних видань, на прикладі Київської губернії показали значення православного парафіяльного духовенства у проведенні селянської реформи 1861 р. Висновки. В ході реалізації селянської реформи влада активно використовувала одержавлену Православну церкву для ідеологічної підтримки, адже її вплив на населення був значним. Діяльність парафіяльних священно- і церковнослужителів регламентувалась інструкціями центральної церковної та єпархіальної адміністрацій, які погрожуючи “суворою відповідальністю”, вимагали уникати довільного, а тим більше невірного пояснення маніфесту. В церковній періодиці (“Киевских епархиальных ведомостях”, “Руководстве для сельских пастырей”) для священнослужителів публікувалися зразки проповідей, присвячених цій суто світській події. Православному духовенству ставилось у обов’язок формувати позитивну оцінку аграрним перетворенням, сприяти “правильному” розумінню селянством реформи, виконанню повинностей на користь поміщиків, подавати її як турботу імператора. Особливо важливим завданням, яке зобов’язувалися виконувати парафіяльні священнослужителі, була боротьба з протестними настроями серед селянства, яке виявляло незадоволення грабіжницьким характером аграрних перетворень 1861 р. Православна церква, будучи частиною державного апарату, досить успішно виконувала завдання, що полягали у схваленні та благословінні селянської реформи, чого від неї так вимагала влада.
 Ключові слова: селянська реформа 1861 р., православне духовенство, поміщик, Київська губернія.

Исторический очерк о сакральных объектах на территории православного прихода Вознесения Господня в Клейниках

The article is an attempt to present certain events over the past centuries connected with the creation of sacred buildings in the Orthodox parish in Klejniki. The article gives the chronological dates of the construction of every place of worship, often presenting their material fittings, such as icons, liturgical texts, etc. The material presented is also enriched with notes on clergymen carrying out pastoral duties in Klejniki parish, and their spiritual contribution to parishioners’ life. The parish life did not avoid various problems connected with an attempt to build churches. The lack of money, difficulties with an access to building materials, and administrative problems caused significant delays in construction work.

Parish Experiences. Social Activity of Parish Priests, Parish Charity and the Question of the Revival of the Orthodox Parish in Russia in the Second Half of the 19th Century

The article examines the experiences of two Russian priests, rural and metropolitan, who in the 1860s initiated projects designed to renew the life of their parishes. Both cases were related to social activity: pastors were looking for new opportunities to be useful to their parishioners. A priest from the Ryazan province, John Molchanov, began to give loans to his parishioners who were in a difficult situation. This practice existed in the pre-Petrine period but was forgotten in the era of the Empire. The revival of this practice indicates the urgency of the problem of small-scale credit in the conditions of the Russian agricultural economy. St.-Petersburg priest Alexander Gumilevskiy began to unite his parishioners to help the parish “ragamuffins” (oborvantsy), orphans, widows — the most vulnerable groups of the urban population, which increased numerically in the conditions of urbanization of the post-reform period. Despite their importance, neither the one nor the other experiences are not widespread. This happened, among other things, because even long-term and successful projects, both socially and religiously, required the approval of high authorities, and in the absence of it, they were threatened with closure.

“The Principal Russian Church in America”: from the History of Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral in the City of New York

Based on previously unearthed documents from the Russia’s State Historical Archive and the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire the article explores the history of the first Russian Orthodox parish in New York City and construction of Saint-Nickolas Russian Orthodox Cathedral in the city. It was a protracted and complicated interagency process that involved Russian Orthodox mission in the United States, Russia’s Foreign Ministry and its missions in the United States, the Holy Governing Synod, Russia’s Ministry of Finance and the State Council. The principal actors were the bishops Nicholas (Ziorov) and especially Tikhon (Bellavin), Ober-Prosecutor of the Holy Governing Synod Konstantine Pobedonostsev and Reverend Alexander Khotovitsky. This case study of the Cathedral history reveals an interaction of ecclesiastical and civil authorities in which private and civic initiative was combined with strict bureaucratic rules and procedures.

The Kyrgyz Anti-Islamic Mission of the Orenburg Diocese (1890s to early 20th century)

As a contribution to the history of the institutional development of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Central Asian parts of the Russian Empire, the present article analyzes the emergence of missionary structures in the Orenburg diocese. The research is based on a wide range of administrative documents of the Orenburg diocese (preserved in the State Archive of the Orenburg region), and on materials published in the Orenburg Diocesan Gazette. The contribution explores the reasons for the creation of the regional Committee of the Orthodox Missionary Society and the Kyrgyz Mission, and identifies the stages of their activities. It also highlights the features of the organization of Orthodox missionary work among the Kazakhs of the Urals and Turgay regions. The authors argue that Orthodox missionary work in the Steppe was meant to exclude the Kazakhs from the ongoing all-Russian Muslim consolidation. The strategy that the Russian state chose to control regions with a dense inorodtsy (non-Russians) population was acculturation, to control the respective populations by inclu- ding them into the cultural and religious Russian-Orthodox space. On the spot, however, the officials of the Kyrgyz Mission faced a whole range of obstacles, including particular attitudes of the Kazakhs about aspects of the Christian dogma. Also, there was already well-funded Islamic missionary work in the Ural and Turgai steppes. The Orthodox parish system remained weak, and state financing of missionary work was considered insufficient. The resettlement of peasants into the region required that employees of the Kirghiz mission changed their emphasis from missionary work to the ordinary duties of parish priests. All this allows the authors to conclude that the efficiency of Orthodox missionary structures among the Kazakhs of the Orenburg diocese was low.

The Golden book of the Serbian Orthodox Parish in Vienna (c.1860-1892)

The Golden book of the Serbian Orthodox Parish in Vienna (c.1860-1892)

The Evolution of the Orthodox Parish on the Territory of Yenisei Siberia in the late XVIII – first half of the XIX century

The Evolution of the Orthodox Parish on the Territory of Yenisei Siberia in the late XVIII – first half of the XIX century

Интернет в православном приходе: особенности взаимодействия православных пользователей с интернет-технологиями

Интернет в православном приходе: особенности взаимодействия православных пользователей с интернет-технологиями

Приходский вопрос в Отзывах епархиальных преосвященных 1905–1906 годов

The article examines the views of the bishops of the Orthodox Russian Church on the prospects for the transformation of the Orthodox parish of the Russian Empire, reflected in the literary monument of church thought of the beginning of the 20th century – the “Comments of the Diocesan Bishops on Issues of Church Reform” of 1905–1906. The author shows that the bishops viewed the parish question in conjunction with other aspects of church reform, and sometimes with the general socio-economic situation in the empire. The bishops’ view of parish reform was quite broad. They spoke about the possible autonomy of parish communities, about the possibility of allowing parishioners to dispose of the parish property and giving them the right to intercede for a candidate they knew when nominating members of the parish clergy. At the same time, the author notes that almost none of the diocesan bishops who supported parish reforms in the “Comments”, responded to the Synod’s call to begin parish reform in 1906.

Реформа духовного образования 1808 г. и закрепощение православных приходов в Российской империи

Реформа духовного образования 1808 г. и закрепощение православных приходов в Российской империи

Optimizing the system of placing Orthodox parish church complexes in modern urban environment of Saint Petersburg

The present paper discusses some solutions for optimization of the system of placing Orthodox parish church complexes (PCC) taking into account the traditions of temple architecture, current conditions and strategy of urban and socioeconomic development of Saint Petersburg. The urgency of this topic is substantiated by the construction of churches currently proceeding in Saint Petersburg. However, there is a problem of advancing the existing typology of parish complexes and enhancing the system of their placement on recently developed lands, taking into account modern environment of Saint Petersburg. The paper considers town- planning problems of the existing system of PCCs in Saint Petersburg. In order to work out some solutions for integrating various types of PCCs into the city structure, certain assessment criteria for territories of Saint Petersburg were determined. Recommendations for each type of PCCs were made, concerning the territorial placement in the city structure, possible space-planning solutions, territorial accessibility, elaboration of a site plan of a church yard.

Функционирование российского православия в новых социокультурных условиях: типологических подход

The paper addresses the problems of the functioning of the Russian church in modern realities, characterized by its clash with external and internal challenges. It is indicated that the Russian church acts as an object of criticism in public space because of its inconsistency with a certain stable idea of what it should be. The author makes an attempt to answer the question of how, from the point of view of the functioning of culture, Russian Orthodoxy can respond to such challenges. This question is comprehended in a philosophical and cultural way, taking into account the dual nature of the church. As a result of such a reflection, the intensive (axiological) and extensive (institutional, success-oriented) types of functioning of the Orthodox culture are distinguished. The relevance of the embodiment of the intense modality of churchness today is grounded. The relevant experience of the development of a modern Orthodox parish in Yekaterinburg is given. In conclusion, some recommendations for a more active embodiment of the intensive type of churchness by the Russian Orthodox Church are presented. An important role in this process is given to the figure of the abbot and the work of the church with the local population.