Old Belief

“Apostasy into a Schism” in the Kazan Diocese: Old Believers in the Parish Life of the Russian Village

In the era of Nicholas I, the policy for further unification of the religious life and stricter surveillance over parishioners led to a rise of investigative cases filed against schismatics. The article discusses how the clergy increased their efforts in revealing the facts of “apostasy” of Old Belief among the Orthodox. In the course of these activities, the Russian authorities discovered the imperfection of their own system of surveillance.

“Now We See Two Churches…” Conversions to the Old Believer’s Church of Belokrinitsa Agreement and Multi-Orthodoxy Religious Landscape after 1905

This article analyzes an almost unprecedented religious situation, which emerged after the 1905 “Edict of Toleration.” The Edict set in motion a number of processes in Russian religious landscape and created a legal foundation of what may be called a situation of multi‑ Orthodoxy. The author explores the legal co‑existence of two church hierarchies who called themselves Orthodox: Russian Synodal Orthodox Church and Old Believers’ Church of Belokrinitsa agreement. The Edict and the following Circular no.