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Apostle Andrew , Vladimir The Great
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1448
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as a separate patriarchate in 1589 by Constantinople
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Patriarch Alexius II
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Moscow, Russia
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Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, some former Soviet republics
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United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, China
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Church Slavonic
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90,000,000
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Church of Russia
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The (also known as the ''Orthodox Catholic Church of Russia'') (''Русская Православная церковь'') is that body of
Christians who are united under the
Patriarch Of Moscow , who in turn is in
Communion with the other
Patriarch s and
Primate s of the
Eastern Orthodox Church . In this way Russian Orthodox believers are in communion with all other Eastern Orthodox believers.
, a well-known Russian Orthodox icon from
Zvenigorod .]]
The Russian Orthodox Church traces its roots to the
Baptism Of Kiev in
988 , when Prince
Vladimir I officially adopted the religion of the
Byzantine Empire as the state religion of the
Rus ' state. Thus, in
1988 , the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated its millennial anniversary. It therefore traces its
Apostolic Succession through the
Patriarch Of Constantinople .
The Church was originally a
Metropolitanate of the
Patriarchate of Constantinople and the
Byzantine Patriarch appointed the metropolitan who governed the Church of Rus'. The Metropolitan moved from the Rus' capital of
Kiev to
Vladimir , then to
Moscow in
1325 following Kiev's devastation by the
Mongol s. The 14th century was the time when the Russian Church was pivotal for the national survival. Such holy figures as
Sergey Of Radonezh and
Metropolitan Alexis helped the country to withstand the years of
Tatar oppression and to expand both economically and spiritually.
In
1439 at the
Council Of Florence , a meeting of the Catholic and some Orthodox Church leaders agreed upon terms of reunification of the two branches of Christianity. The Russian people, however, rejected the concessions to the Catholics and
Metropolitan Isidore was expelled from his position. '' from
Novgorod (1057)]]
In
1448 , the Russian Church became independent from the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Metropolitan Jonas , installed by the Council of Russian bishops in 1448, was given the title of
Metropolitan Of Moscow and All Rus'. This was just five years before the
Fall Of Constantinople in
1453 . Thereupon the Russian Church became the successor of Constantinople, and the doctrine of
Moscow as the
Third Rome signifies its position as the spiritual center of The One, Holy, and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ.
The reign of
Ivan III and his successor was plagued by numerous heresies and controversies. One party, led by
Nil Sorsky and
Vassian Kosoy , called for secularisation of monastic properties. They were oppugned by the influential
Joseph Of Volotsk , who defended ecclesiastical ownership of land properties. The sovereign's position fluctuated, until he threw his support to Joseph.
Monastic life flourished in Russia it focused on prayer and spiritual growth. Monasteries produced innumerable number of bright examples of holiness, which may be attained by people, who fully devote their lives to the search of God and salvation. Monasteries largely contributed to spiritual growth and purification of souls of all people in Russia. Some bright examples of monastic holiness are
Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra ,
Joseph Volokolamsk Monastery ,
Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery and the
Solovki .
In the
1540s ,
Metropolitan Macarius convened a number of church synods, which culminated in the
Hundred Chapter Synod of
1551 . This assembly unified Church ceremonies and duties in the whole territory of Russia. At the demand of the Church hierarchy the government canceled the tsar's jurisdiction over ecclesiastics.
In
1589 ,
Metropolitan Job of Moscow became the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'; making the Russian Church
Autocephalous . The other Eastern patriarchs have recognized the Moscow Patriarchate as one of the five honourable Patriarchates. During the next half a century, when the tsardom was weak, the Patriarchs (notably
Germogen and
Philaret ) become very respectable and influential figures. .]]
In
1652 ,
Patriarch Nikon resolved to centralize power that had been distributed locally while conforming Russian Orthodox rites and rituals to those of the
Greek Orthodox Church . For instance he insisted that Russian Christians cross themselves with three fingers, rather than the then-traditional two. This aroused antipathy among a small section of the believers who saw the changed rites both as heresy, although it only had a minor ritual significance. This group became known as the Old Ritual Believers or
Old Believers and they reject the teachings of the new Patriarch.
Tsar Aleksey (who was simultaneously centralizing political power) upheld Nikon's changes. The Old Ritual Believers were separated from The Orthodox Church.
Avvakum Petrov,
Boyarynya Morozova and many other dissidents were burned at the stake, either forcibly or voluntarily.
In the late
Seventeenth and early
Eighteenth centuries, the Russian Orthodox Church experienced phenomenal geographic expansion. In the
1686 , the
Metropolia Of Kiev passed from Constantinople's control to that of Moscow bringing millions more faithful and a half dozen dioceses under the pastoral and administrative care of the Russian Orthodox Patriarch. In the following two centuries, missionary efforts stretched out across Siberia into Alaska, then into the United States at California. Eminent people on that missionary effort included St. Innocent of
Irkutsk , St.
Herman Of Alaska , St. Innocent of Siberia and Alaska. They learned local languages and translated the gospels and the hymns. Sometimes those translations required the invention of new systems of transcription.
In
1700 following
Patriarch Adrian 's death, Peter the Great prevented a successor from being named, and in
1721 , after the advice of
Feofan Prokopovich , he established the
Holy And Supreme Synod to govern
The Church Instead Of A Single Primate . This was the situation until shortly after the
Russian Revolution Of 1917 , at which time the Local Council (more than half of its members being laypersons) adopted the decision to restore Patriarchy. And on November 5 (according to the Julian calendar) a new patriarch, Patriarch
Tikhon was named through casting lots. The
19th Century saw the rise of ''
Starchestvo '' under
Paisiy Velichkovsky and his disciples at the
Optina Monastery . This marked a beginning of a significant spiritual revival in the Russian Church after a period of westernization.
In
1914 in Russia there were 55 173 Russian Orthodox
Churches and 29 593
Chapels , 112 629
Priests and
Deacons , 550
Monasteries and 475
Nunneries with a total of 95 259 monks and nuns. praying before the relics of
Metropolitan Philip ''.]]
The year
1917 was a major turning point for the history of Russia and implicitly also the Russian Orthodox Church. The
Russian Empire was dissolved and the Tsarist government - which had granted the Church numerous privileges - was overthrown. After a few months of political turmoil, the
Bolshevik s took power in October 1917 and declared a
Separation Of Church And State . Thus the Russian Orthodox Church found itself without official state backing for the first time in its history. One of the first decrees of the new Communist government (issued in January 1918) declared the freedom of religious expression for believers of all faiths, as well as for
Atheist s. This led to a marked decline in the power and influence of the Church. The Church was also caught in the crossfire of the
Russian Civil War that began later the same year, and many leaders of the Church made the mistake of throwing their support behind what would ultimately turn out to be the losing side (the
White Movement ).
After the end of the civil war and the creation of the
Soviet Union , the Russian Orthodox Church had very tense relations with the
Secular Communist government, whose members were for the most part atheists. The Soviet Union's official policy was one of religious toleration, though in practice the government often made attempts to discourage organized religion and particularly disregarded religious buildings (new churches were rarely built, and old ones were sometimes converted to other purposes if attendance was deemed too low). However, the Russian Orthodox Church did accept the new government as legitimate, which led to a split with the
Russian Orthodox Church Outside Of Russia .
Relations between the Soviet government and the Church improved considerably during
World War II , with such milestones as the reopening of the
Moscow Theological Academy And Seminary that had been closed since 1918. Nevertheless, the Church and the government remained on unfriendly terms until
1988 . In practice, the most important aspect of this conflict was that openly religious people could not join the
Communist Party Of The Soviet Union , which meant that they could not hold any political office. However, among the general population, large numbers remained religious. In
1987 in the
Russian SFSR between 40% and 50% of newborn babies (depending on the region) were baptized and over 60% of all deceased received Christian funeral services.
A pivotal point in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church came in
1988 - the millennial anniversary of the
Baptism Of Kievan Rus' . Throughout the summer of 1988, major government-supported celebrations took place in Moscow and other cities; many older churches and some monasteries were reopened. An implicit ban on religious propaganda on state TV was finally lifted. For the first time in the history of Soviet Union, people could see live transmissions of church services on television.
Today, the Russian Orthodox Church is the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world. Depending on how the question is asked, as many as 90% of ethnic
Russians identify themselves as Russian Orthodox. The number of people regularly attending church services is relatively low, but has grown significantly since the
Collapse Of The Soviet Union . The Church has over 23,000 parishes, 154 bishops, 635 monasteries, and 102 clerical schools in the territory of the former Soviet Union and has a well-established presence in many other countries all over the world. In recent years some church buildings have been officially returned to the Church, most of these being in a deteriorated condition.
and Alexius II]]
There have been difficulties in the relationship between the Russian Orthodox Church and the
Vatican , especially since
2002 , when
Pope John Paul II created a
Catholic diocesan structure for Russian territory. The leadership of the Russian Church saw this action as a throwback to prior attempts by the Vatican to
Proselytize the Russian Orthodox faithful to become Roman Catholic. This point of view is based upon the stance of the Russian Orthodox Church (and the
Eastern Orthodox Church ) that the Church of Rome is but one of many equal
Christian organizations, and that as such it is straying into territory that was already Christianized by the Orthodox Church. The Catholic Church, on the other hand, while acknowledging the primacy of the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia, believes that the small Catholic minority in Russia, in continuous existence since at least the 18th century, should be served by a fully developed church hierarchy with a presence and status in Russia, just as the Russian Orthodox Church is present in other countries.
The issue of encroachment by other Christian denominations into Russia is a particularly sensitive one to many members of the Russian Orthodox Church. They argue that the Orthodox Church now finds itself in a weakened position as a result of decades of secular Communist rule, and is therefore unable to compete on an equal footing with Western Churches. Thus, proselytizing by mostly foreign-based
Catholic s,
Protestant denominations, and by many non-traditional sects can be seen as taking unfair advantage of the still-recovering condition of the Russian Church. On the other hand, many of these religions have argued that the position of Russian Orthodoxy is today no weaker than that of most Western European Churches. Smaller religious movements, particularly
Baptists and members of other
Protestant denominations, that have become active in Russia in the past decade claim that the state provides unfair support to the Orthodox Church and suppresses others, referring to the
1997 Russian Law , under which those religious organizations that could not provide official proof of their existence for the preceding 15 years were seriously restricted in their rights and ability to worship. The law was formally presented as a way to combat
Destructive Cult s, but was condemned by representatives of other religions and human rights organizations as being written in a manner that explicitly favored the Russian Orthodox Church, as the Soviet Union had prohibited the establishment of other religions. Consequently, this law gave full rights only to a small number of "first-rank" religions, such as Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism. The situation is expected to normalise as the 15-year window starts to slide over the post-Communist period. .]]
Due to its deep cultural roots, many members of the Russian government are keen to display their respect for the Church. It is common for the President of Russia to publicly meet with the
Patriarch on Church holidays such as
Easter (''Paskha'' or ''Пасха'' in
Russian ). Meetings with representatives of Islam and Buddhism occur less frequently.
The Russian Orthodox Church should not be confused with the
Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (also known as the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad), based in
New York . The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad was formed by Russian communities outside then-Communist Russia who refused to recognize the authority of the Russian Orthodox Church, as they believed it had fallen under the influence of the
Bolshevik s. The two churches have been steadily moving towards reconciliation.
The Russian Orthodox Church also has a history in
China .
Russian Orthodox church buildings differ in design from most western-type churches. First, their interiors are very enriched with sacramental objects, including holy icons, which are painted or made like
Fresco s and often cover most of the interior. Some of these are icons of Saints and scenes from their lives. One particularly inspiring feature of many Russian churches is that the interior reaches all the way up into the dome or domes of the church (most Orthodox churches have the shape of domes). On the ceiling of many churches (inside the main dome in a domed church), is an icon of Christ as ''Pantokrator'' (Ruler of All). Pantokrator icons emphasize Christ's humanity and divinity simultaneously, signifying that Christ is a Man and yet is also The God without beginning or end.
There are no pews. Most churches are lit with candles rather than electric light. Virtually all churches have many
Votive Candle stands in front of the icons. It is customary for worshipers to purchase candles in church stores, light them up and place them on the stands ( this ritual signifies person's prayer to The God, or to His Holy Mother, or to the saints or angels asking for help in the difficult way to salvation and to freedom from sin).
, the spiritual heart of
Russian Orthodoxy .]]
All Russian Orthodox churches have an
Iconostasis which separates the large hall of the church from the holy altar, which signifies the Heavenly Kingdom. Covered with
Icon s, it is intended to stop physical sight, but to allow the spiritual sight of the worshipers through.
The colours of the domes of a Russian Orthodox church having meaning, as follows:
- Black - servitude. Black domes are found in Monasteries .
- Green - the Holy Trinity.
- Blue - the Spirit of God.
- Gold - Jesus . Gold domes on top of tall drum-like towers also intentionally look like candles from a distance.
Silver domes are also found, but these simply indicate that the dome is modern, and has not been painted.
The number of domes also has meaning:
- One on its own indicates Jesus.
- Three indicates the Holy Trinity.
- Five indicates Jesus and the Four Evangelists .
- Seven symbolize the Seven Ecumenical Councils which formulated the basic dogmas of the Orthodox Church, as well as the general use in the Church of the sacred number seven.
- Nine represent the traditional nine ranks of Angels.
- Thirteen cupolas signify Christ and the Twelve Apostles.
Sometimes the bottoms of the crosses found on Russian churches will be adorned with a crescent. The common misconception attributes these to the fact that in 1552, Tsar
Ivan IV (the Terrible) conquered the city of Kazan which had been under the rule of Muslem Tatars, and in remembrance of this, he decreed that from henceforth the Islamic crescent be placed at the bottom of the crosses to signify the victory of the cross (Christianity) over the crescent (Islam). In fact, cresent on crosses was widespread during pre-Mongolian period of Russian history and bears no relation to the Islam.
Gold is a colour of The Heavenly Kingdom. When used as the background of an icon it is not flat, but is instead intended to be of infinite depth. Icons are drawn in a flat, non-perspective style. This is intentional, not just a reflection on the skills of the icon painters. The flat style of the painting allows the icon to be viewed equally by all, regardless of position.
Some churches were funded by merchants. These often have large crypts, which were intended to serve as warehouses for those merchants.
Most churches are symmetric in architecture and interior design, since in The Heavenly Kingdom everything must have an order. Only a few churches, such as
Saint Basil's Cathedral in
Moscow , are not symmetric structures.
