The Russian Orthodox Church and Rural life

Background The Orthodox Church was one of the state’s greatest supporters and a key feature of rural life During the later Tsarist period of the nineteenth century, there was an increase in church attendance and a revival in religion Across Russia, there were 1000 religious houses, with 95 000 monks and nuns, and over 80 000 churches by 1914. Other religions were tolerated, with outbreaks of anti- Semitism

Religion and Revolution Many revolutionaries viewed religion as a feature of the tsarist regime and therefore having no place in Bolshevik society The Church was a major landowner and therefore a class enemy, as well as it’s opposition to modernisation of industry The Church also supported the Whites during the Civil War Lenin therefore executed 1200 priests, nationalised church land and confiscated their property Orthodox Christians were banned from the party, with the church seen as an ideolgical enemy.

Stalin and the Church The 1920s saw no political or religious freedom for the rural population A special section of the OGPU was set aside for undermining religion Collectivisation saw an intensification in persecution of religion with 130 000 priests arrested and 95 000 killed Churches were requisitioned and by 1939 only 500 remained.

What replaced religion? Industrial growth may have replaced traditional religion, with factories as cathedrals Religion was however never properly eliminated as political activity was The Church eventually accepted the state in 1927, and in 1941 with the Nazi invasion, many turned to the church with many reopened and weapons being blessed The Great patriotic war saw the Church and state cooperating, and by 1957, there were 22 000 churches, far higher than the 1930s

Khrushchev Khrushchev’s rule saw a reawakening of repression against the Church Around 7 000 churches now survived in Russia The Church of Christ Saviour in Moscow was destroyed in order to build a new Soviet Palace, costs spiralled out of control but the Church was rebuilt in 1997

Church of Christ Saviour