Based on unique archival documents, the article examines the history of the Old Believer spiritual centers that existed on the territory of the Bobruisk district of the Minsk province in the XVIII — early XX century: Solotino, Kapustino, Turkovskaya Sloboda, Bogushevka, Bobruisk. Although the Bobruisk Old Believer has repeatedly attracted the attention of researchers before, however, it has not yet become the subject of a separate study. The documents discovered by the author in the Russian State Historical Archive of St. Petersburg and in the National Historical Archive of the Republic of Belarus are valuable because they reveal the role of the Bobruisk district as one of the most important spiritual centers of the Bespopovtsy’s part of the Old Believers and the second largest number of Old Believers in the region (south-east of the modern Republic of Belarus). The article clarifies the issue of the time of the appearance of the Old Believers (“pilipons”) in the Bobruisk district, their religious affiliation and the specifics of their names in official documents. Documents related to the construction of prayer houses and the organization of community life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries are also published.

Keywords: schism, Old Believers, pylypons, Bobruisk District, Old Believer communities, Old Believers prayer houses.

For citation
Kozhurin K.Ya. Bobruisk “pylypons” in the XVIII — early XX century. Old Believer, 2026, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 5–44. https://doi.org/10.65324/ob018

This article examines the status of the Dormition Old Women’s Monastery, which operated in the village of Kurenevka, Podolsk Governorate, from the 1820s to the first half of the 20th century. It examines the monastery’s location, the size, social background, and geographic origins of its female residents, as well as its relationships with the Ukrainian population, Prince N.A. Orlov, the owner of the Chechelnitsky estate, the police, and representatives of the established Church. N.A. Orlov’s note, “Thoughts on Schism,” which influenced changes in the government’s domestic policy toward the Old Believers, is analyzed, and attention is paid to the reaction of Old Believers of the Baltic Diocese to the First All-Russian Population Census. It confirms the previously developed scholarly assertion that centuries of restrictions, oppression, and persecution by the autocracy provoked extraordinary events that affected the overall mental state and mental health of the Old Believers. This article analyzes a significant event in the history of the Starozhensky Monastery, which was the result of government oppression and, as a result, the cruelty of some of the monastery’s residents, who tortured and intentionally injured novice N.I. Nikulicheva. The religious views of the nuns, which were linked to their rejection of the Circular Letter, are examined. The monastery’s situation during the establishment of Soviet power and during the war is reviewed. The study focuses on the functioning of numerous women’s monastic settlements. It is particularly noted that the peak of persecution occurred during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I. It is estimated that between 1825 and 1881, more than 50% of the author’s estimated number of women’s monasteries belonging to Old Believers of various denominations were liquidated in the empire.

Keywords: Podolsk province, Kurenevka village, Belokrinitskaya hierarchy, Old Believer monasteries, neokruzhniki, persecutions, population census, torture.

For citation
Taranets S.V. Dormition Old Women’s Monastery in the village of Kurenevka Podolsk Governorate in the 1820s — first half of the 20th century. Old Believer, 2026, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 45–76. https://doi.org/10.65324/ob019

The article continues the previously undertaken work on the comprehensive study of the little-known French-language work “Le Raskol”, published in Paris in 1859. The main objectives of the research were the translation of the book into Russian, a comprehensive analysis of its ideological content and an introduction to the circulation of Russian historiography. This paper examines the seventh chapter of “Le Raskol”, dedicated to the results of the state-confessional policy of Nicholas I. In this chapter, the anonymous author provides a retrospective look at the historical development of the Russian Church schism. The essay demonstrates the failure of the secular government’s attempts to achieve religious uniformity through harsh administrative methods. The author thoroughly analyzes the complex of government measures against religious freethinking. The main emphasis is on the dualism of the policy pursued: it was dictated by the authorities’ desire for social stability, but inevitably gave rise to arbitrariness and violation of freedom of conscience. According to the author, the system of religious uniformity, natural for previous epochs, has lost its legitimacy as a result of humanity’s transition to a new stage of civilizational development. The final part of the chapter contains a lengthy apology for the reign of Nicholas I. The author, recognizing the excessive severity of individual decisions of the emperor, extols the national character of the Nicholas rule. The death of Nicholas I and the beginning of the reign of Alexander II, according to the author, open up the prospect of resolving the Old Believer issue through systemic liberal transformations. Thus, the current chapter presents the history of the Russian church schism as a mirror of the evolution of autocratic power: from attempts at total control over conscience to the granting of basic religious rights to the population.

Keywords: Old Believers, church schism, Old Belief, Orthodoxy, history of Christianity, church, Nicholas I, state, administrative system, officialdom, bureaucratic apparatus.

For citation
Bytko S.S. The Schism. Historical and Critical essay on religious sects in Russia (chapter 7). Old Believer, 2026, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 77–93. https://doi.org/10.65324/ob020

The article is devoted to the life and ideological evolution of Archimandrite Mikhail (Semyonov), who later became an Old Believer bishop, a religious and social activist whose legacy is particularly relevant in light of the 110th anniversary of his tragic death. The article attempts to comprehensively reconstruct the path of this now largely forgotten thinker, who eventually converted to Old Belief, by analyzing his biographical milestones, educational background, social circles, and reading habits, which all played a role in shaping his worldview. The focus is on the key stages of his biography: childhood in Simbirsk, studies in theological educational institutions of the Russian Empire, the beginning of church ministry and the gradual increase in disagreements with the official position of the Synodal Church. Special attention is paid to the period of Voronezh exile, the conflict with the Synod, the exile to Voronezh and the failed exile to Valaam — turning points in his life, during which Mikhail (Semenov) decided to leave the Synodal Church.

Keywords: Old Believers, spiritual education, Christianity, Russian Orthodox Church.

For citation
Stupin V.A., Sviridonova A.I. The formation of the personality and path of Bishop Mikhail (Semenov) through the prism of theological educational institutions of the Russian Empire. Old Believer, 2026, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 94–188. https://doi.org/10.65324/ob021

This publication constitutes an archaeographic edition of the minutes of the meetings of the Consecrated Council and the Council under the Archbishopric of the Old Believer Church of the Belokrinitsa Hierarchy from the first quarter of the 20th century — a valuable corpus of historical sources for the study of the history of Russian Old Belief. The aim of the publication is to introduce into scholarly circulation previously under‑researched documents that reflect the organisational, canonical and social activities of the Old Believers of the Belokrinitsa Hierarchy during a period of radical socio‑political changes in the early 20th century. The edition includes meeting minutes from 1903 to 1917, documenting the decisions of the Councils on a wide range of issues: disciplinary cases involving the clergy; marriage and family matters and canonical difficulties; issues concerning liturgical practice; questions of church administration and interaction with state institutions; initiatives for the development of parish‑based religious education; petitions from communities and private individuals. The archaeographic preparation of the materials involved thorough textual work: collation of manuscript originals, normalisation of orthography and punctuation while preserving key linguistic features of the period. The edition is supplemented with notes that facilitate researchers’ work with the sources. The materials enable a deeper study of the internal life of Old Believer communities, the mechanisms of their institutional functioning and adaptation strategies during a period of large‑scale social transformations, as well as tracing the evolution of church administration and canonical practice under conditions of revolutionary change.

Keywords: Old Believers, church administration, the Consecrated Council, meeting protocols, archaeographic publications.

For citation
Sviridonova A.I. Minutes of Meetings of the Consecrated Council and the Council of the Archbishopric of the Old Believers of the Belokrinitskaya Hierarchy in the First Quarter of the 20th Century: An Archaeographic Publication. Old Believer, 2026, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 189–344. https://doi.org/10.65324/ob022