Вестник Екатеринбургской духовной семинарии (Jul 2024)
RELIGIOUS LIFE OF ORTHODOX BROTHERHOODS IN THE NORTH-WEST OF RUSSIA IN THE 1920S–1930S: HISTORIOGRAPHICAL ISSUES
Abstract
Studies of the religious life of Orthodox believers in Russia in the 20s – 30s of the 20th century (both in the general context and with regional characteristics) mainly examine various aspects of church-state relations, since this area is provided with the largest number of sources. However, informal communities of believers, such as brotherhoods and secret monastic communities often had more opportunities than parishes to continue religious life during this period. It became especially evident at a time when many churches and monasteries were already closed. In these communities, joint prayer was preserved, the sacraments were performed, the Holy Scriptures were read, sermons were heard, and spiritual conversations also took place. Therefore, for the history of the Russian Orthodox Church of the 20th century, the introduction into scientific circulation of materials devoted to such associations, despite the source study and historiographical problems, seems quite important. The article provides an overview of both Soviet and foreign, including emigrant, as well as post-Soviet historiography of the religious life of Orthodox believers in Russia in the 1920–30s: its methodology, main provisions, and possible periodization. The author traces the trend from the use of an extremely poor source base, and as a consequence — simplification in interpretations, to the emergence of an increasingly comprehensive analysis based on an ever-expanding complex of archival materials and other types of sources, although still far from complete. Particular attention is paid to research devoted specifically to Orthodox brotherhoods. The Alexander Nevsky Brotherhood (in Petrograd-Leningrad) and the Brotherhood of Bishop Makary (Opotsky), which operated in several cities in the northwest Russia, are examined in more detail, as the largest number of materials published for this region at the beginning of 2024 consider these brotherhoods. The sequence of introduction into scientific circulation of various types of sources related to the life and activities of these brotherhoods is traced, and a range of problems that remain relevant today is outlined.
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