March 1, 7534
On February 8, 2025, the 300th anniversary of the death of the Russian Emperor Peter the First was commemorated. At his tomb, Metropolitan Barsanuphius of St. Petersburg and Ladoga of the Russian Orthodox Church officiated a memorial litany. The service was attended by the Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Beglov, Chairman of the Gazprom Board…
On the 2nd day of November. A brief account of the valor, courage, elegant testimony, and patient suffering of the newly-revealed great martyr, the noblewoman Feodosiya Prokopievna, who in monasticism was named Feodora, and by her earthly fame called Morozova; together with her only sister and fellow-sufferer, the pious princess Evdokia, and their third companion…
Dimitry Urushev Bishop Pavel of Kolomna is one of the most significant figures in Russian spiritual history of the 17th century. Alas, he was not fortunate. His name failed to attract the attention of scholars. He remained in the shadow of his more famous contemporaries—Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Patriarch Nikon, and Archpriest Avvakum. Pavel and Nikon…
In the wild, desolate Dauria, A voivode’s detachment marches on. In that troop, with a dignified stride, A great sufferer trudges along. His wife and young children Bear the exile with him. For his righteous preaching in the world, A cruel judgment has been passed. – Old Believer spiritual verse “Avvakum in Exile” In the…
-Dimitry Urushev In rare books on 18th-century Russian literature, one seldom encounters the name of Simeon Denisov. Among the “enlightened men” like the poets Kantemir, Sumarokov, or Kheraskov, who sang in a European style of “the heart’s bitter sorrows,” there is little room for a northern hermit who, in an ancient style, recounted not “the…
-K. Kozhurin As it has always been within the Orthodox Church, there have been sacred persons, permitted by the authorities at certain times and under specific circumstances, including from among ordinary, unordained individuals, particularly in monastic settings, even when sacred persons faced ultimate destruction. For when sacred persons are present, they strictly prohibit ordinary people…
Much less is known about the Filippovtsy sect compared to the Pomortsy and Fedoseevtsy sects. This is partly due to the greater secrecy of the Filippovtsy, which stems from their teachings. Currently, very few Filippovtsy remain—on Russian territory, the sect is represented by only a few communities, with an estimated total of no more than…
-Dimitry Urushev Bishop Paul of Kolomna is one of the most significant figures in Russian spiritual history of the 17th century. Unfortunately, he has not been fortunate in attracting scholarly attention. His name has been overshadowed by more famous contemporaries—Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Patriarch Nikon, and Protopriest Avvakum. Paul and Nikon The memory of Bishop Paul…
In the Tretyakov Gallery, one cannot miss the enormous painting by Vasily Perov, Nikita Pustosvyat. Dispute on Faith. At the center of the composition is a figure that evokes little sympathy: an elder with a frenzied, crazed expression—Nikita Dobrynin, an Old Believer priest. This is a caricatured, biased portrayal. The term “Pustosvyat” (meaning “false saint”)…
A public figure and prominent leader of the Old Believer movement at the beginning of the 20th century, Nikifor Dmitrievich Zenin was a Russian photographer, documentarian, artist, and owner of a photography studio. He also distinguished himself as a reporter, writer, journalist, publicist, and apologist for Old Belief. The multifaceted nature of N.D. Zenin’s personality…