The Old Believers appeared in the new capital of the Russian Empire almost from the very beginning of its foundation. Initially, the Old Believers of St. Petersburg were dominated by the Old Pomorian (Fedoseevtsy). At the beginning of the 19th century, there were about a dozen Bespopovtsy prayer houses in the city. The article, based on rare archival materials from various collections of the Russian State Historical Archive, is devoted to the history of one of the most important spiritual centers of the Fedoseyevtsy in St. Petersburg — the Zelenkovskaya prayer house (later for some time it was called by the surname of its new owner “Zinovievskaya”). Just like other spiritual centers of the Fedoseyevtsy located in the capital (Kostsovskaya prayer house, Volkovskoye and Malookhtenskoye cemeteries), it was not just a prayer house with an almshouse attached to it, but actually a real monastery. The article examines the internal order, the peculiarities of the spiritual and economic life of the Old Believers’ monastery. The Zelenkovskaya prayer house has been in operation since 1808 and was closed during the intensified persecution of the Old Believers during the reign of Nicholas I in 1846. Special attention is paid in the article to the personalities of the founder of the Zelenkovskaya prayer house Simeon Leontievich (monk Savatiy; 1758–1825) and the main donor and trustee of the prayer house Pyotr Semenovich Zelenkov (1756–1832).

Keywords: schism, Old Believers, St. Petersburg Old Believers, fedoseevtsy, bespopovtsy, Zelenkovskaya prayer house, prayer houses, monk Savaty.

For citation
Kozhurin K.Ya. “He became extremely rich and maintained a prayer house in St. Petersburg” (from the history of the Zelenkovskaya Prayer House in St. Petersburg, 1808–1846). Old Believer, 2025, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 5–39. https://doi.org/10.65324/ob006

The article examines the policy of the Russian government aimed at introducing edinoverie (the union of Old Believers with the official Orthodox Church) in the Kurenev Old Believer monasteries during the 1830s–1840s. Particular attention is given to legislation that served as a major instrument for restricting the Old Believers’ right to freedom of religion. It is noted that in the 1830s — early 1850s, the authorities increasingly relied on coercive methods to impose edinoverie, which also affected the Kurenev monasteries. The study discusses numerous instances of administrative pressure exerted on the Old Believers of the Kurenevka village, including situations in which officials took advantage of circumstances created by the Old Believers themselves. Exemplary is the case of Simeon (Kravtsov), a monk of the Nikolsky Monastery, who joined the ruling Church due to internal confessional disagreements. Simeon’s conversion to edinoverie drew the attention of the leadership of the Podolia diocese, which began to intensify pressure on the Kurenevka elders and prompted the adoption of new directives by the provincial and higher authorities. The latter were largely initiated by the Archbishop Arseny (Moskvin) of Podolia, and through the engagement of the diocesan administration ultimately led to the issuance, on 16 May 1842, of an Imperial Decree by Emperor Nicholas I concerning the Kurenev monasteries. The higher leadership of the ruling Church at the local level demanded more radical measures from the governors, who sought to act in accordance with Russian law and the particular political status of Right-Bank Ukraine. It is emphasized that the missionary activities of the clergy of the Olgopol district against the Kurenev Old Believers produced no tangible results.

Keywords: Podolia Province, Kurenev monasteries, Old Believers, Orthodox Church, persecution, oppression, edinoverie.

For citation
Taranets S.V. Government attempts to introduce the Old Believers’ Church in the Kurenevsky Old Believer monasteries in the 1830s — early 1850s. Old Believer, 2025, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 40–57. https://doi.org/10.65324/ob007

The presented work is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the little-studied French-language work “Le Raskol”, published in Paris in 1859. The main tasks of the research group were the translation of the book into Russian, a comprehensive analysis of its ideological content, and an introduction to Russian historiography. The study of the book shows that the worldview of its anonymous author was a complex synthesis of conservative-protective and moderate-liberal ideas. On the one hand, the author is a consistent statesman and a supporter of the Uvarov triad, who sees Old Believers as a socio-political threat. On the other hand, he allows criticism of certain administrative imperfections, condemns absolutism, and advocates flexibility and enlightened paternalism in the field of religious policy. The researcher concludes that the book “Le Raskol” does not have great academic value as a religious study, but it is an important historical and cultural monument demonstrating the evolution of conservative ideology on the eve of Great Reforms. The essay is a valuable source for studying the history of social thought and state-church relations in Russia in the mid-19th century. The current article examines the fifth chapter of “Le Raskol”, which is devoted to a critical analysis of state policy towards the Old Believers. The author acknowledges the good intentions of the authorities, but points out the key mistake of the government of Nicholas — a superficial understanding of the nature of Old Faith. According to the author’s vision, the phenomenon of church schism was rooted in opposition to the merger of church and state. The author identifies two main causes of the conflict: religious (lack of church autonomy) and political (despotism and arbitrariness of officials). He concludes that the Old Believers will continue to remain in opposition to the state until these fundamental contradictions are resolved. Work is underway to analyze the nominations used in the book “Le Raskol” to designate various trends of Old Believers and Russian sectarianism. It is demonstrated that the choice of confessiononyms was not accidental, but reflected the specifics of the author’s worldview. The dominance of emotionally colored concepts borrowed from the nomenclature of the ruling hierarchy and the rare use of self-names of Old Believers is convincing evidence that the author viewed “folk” Christianity mainly in a negative way. In conclusion, the work provides a table of confessiononyms, systematizing the French–speaking nominations used by the author of “Le Raskol” to designate various faiths that existed in Russian society during the XIV–XIX centuries.

Keywords: Old Believers, church schism, Old Belief, Protestantism, religious tolerance, religious persecution, absolutism, Orthodoxy, confessiononyms, nominations, translation strategies.

For citation
Bytko S.S., Sayfutdinova A. The Schism. Historical and Critical essay on religious sects in Russia (chapter 5): features of the use of confessiononyms in the book “Le Raskol”. Old Believer, 2025, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 58–87. https://doi.org/10.65324/ob008

This article examines in detail the mechanisms for nominating candidates, including both popular initiatives and proposals from bishops. Particular attention is given to the process of compiling candidate lists, selection criteria, and the process of verifying their credibility. The role of a candidate's spiritual father, the significance of their moral character, and the feedback from those around them are analyzed. The study sheds light on the evolution of diocesan replacement rules, including the transition from the requirement that a candidate belong to their diocese to a more flexible system. The article highlights the specifics of lay participation in the process of electing bishops, controversial aspects of church practice, and the administrative aspects of church personnel management. The criteria for excluding candidates from lists are examined in detail, including family circumstances, health status, and violations of church rules. Special attention is given to the procedure for coordinating candidates with diocesan structures and the process of final approval of the elected candidates.

Keywords: Old Believers, Consecrated Council, Church administration, archival index.

For citation
Sviridonova A.I. Peculiarities of the election of candidates for bishops and the replacement of widowed dioceses of the Old Believer Church of the Belokrinitsky hierarchy of the late 19th — early 20th centuries. Old Believer, 2025, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 88–115. https://doi.org/10.65324/ob009

This publication presents a systematic database of documentary materials that allows for a comprehensive study of the governance mechanisms of the Old Believer Church of the Belokrinitskaya Hierarchy at the turn of the 20th century. The chronological framework of the index covers the period 1861–1916 — a time when the Old Believer Church of the Belokrinitskaya Hierarchy underwent significant institutional changes and, consequently, required a comprehensive system of diocesan governance. The inclusion of sources from three archives — the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts (RGADA), the Manuscript Department of the Russian State Library (ORRGL), and the Archive of the Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church (ArchiveMMiVRROC), as well as materials from a private collection (a book of original decrees) — ensures the diversity of the source base. The index’s contents reflect the dynamics of church life and the intensity of territorial and administrative restructuring: new dioceses were opened, the boundaries of existing ones were revised, and many sees remained vacant for long periods. The process of filling episcopal sees faced significant difficulties — one of the key challenges was the shortage of worthy candidates who met canonical requirements and possessed the necessary authority within the community. The complexity of the situation was exacerbated by both external factors (state restrictions on the activities of Old Believers) and internal challenges (disagreements with the Belokrinitsky Metropolitanate, the need to seek compromises in the formation of the diocesan administration). Against this backdrop, the creation of the Moscow Spiritual Council as a temporary governing body was an attempt to stabilize church governance amid a shortage of bishops. Later, with the resumption of regular Consecrated Councils (since 1898) and the reform of administrative principles with the participation of Bishop Arseny of the Urals, new approaches to personnel issues began to be developed — in particular, to the procedure for electing candidates and distributing diocesan powers, which gradually streamlined the process of filling widowed sees. This index allows one to trace the procedures for electing bishop candidates and filling widowed dioceses; to identify the specifics of decision-making at Consecrated Councils; and to understand the relationship between internal church processes and the general historical context of the Russian Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Keywords: Old Believers, Consecrated Council, Church administration, archival index.

For citation
Sviridonova A.I. The election of candidates for bishops and the replacement of widowed dioceses of the Old Believer Church of the Belokrinitskaya hierarchy of the late 19th — early 20th centuries: an annotated index of sources. Old Believer, 2025, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 116–213. https://doi.org/10.65324/ob010