CONVERSION FROM THE OLD BELIEVERS SCHISM TO THE ORTHODOX CHURCH OF THE FUTURE SUPERIOR OF THE BELOGORSK ST. NICHOLAS MONASTERY OF THE PERM DIOCESE MONK MARTYR VARLAAM (KONOPLEV)

Abstract

The article considers the process of conversion of the future superior of the Belogorsky St. Nicholas Missionary Monastery in the Perm diocese, Monk Martyr Varlaam (Konoplev) from the Old Believers into Orthodoxy in the second half of the 19th century. The author draws attention to the Archimandrite Varlaam’s extraordinary life path, which he went in the period before reunion with the Church of Christ. The historical information that describes his ambitions in the quest for the Truth indicates the personality’s spiritual profundity of this remarkable monk missionary. Being a well-read person in Scriptures and a contender for the pseudo-episcopal chair in the “Austrian” (Belokrinitskaya) Hierarchy, after a long search for the only true Church Father Varlaam made a decision to leave the schism and join the Orthodox Church, and became later a Superior of the missionary monastery. In order to detect the main factors that contributed Father Varlaam’s conversion to Orthodoxy, the author for the first time, based on autobiographical and historical data analyzes in detail the life path, religious experience, the influence of the environment and different circumstances that have contributed to a change in attitudes of the former Old Believer. The significance of the activity of Orthodox missionaries in overcoming the schism is emphasized. The author concludes that the conversion from the Old Believer to Orthodoxy on the example of Father Varlaam could be attributed to several factors, which one can divide into three groups depending on the source of the action: on the side of the Old Believer-schismatic — it is a genuine desire to find a salutary path, and active research of historical context of the problem of schism and fairness in finding answers to the key dogmatic questions of the Christian faith; on the side of Orthodox missionaries and Church — it is clarification concerning the truths of Faith with pastoral love and attention to Old Believers-interlocutors, giving them the opportunity to attend the Orthodox worship; and finally, from the side of the God — it is support by God’s grace in response to prayer requests for pointing out the paths to salvation.

Keywords

• russian orthodox church
• perm diocese
• mission
• old believers schism
• monk martyr varlaam (konoplev)
• archpriest stefan lukanin
• belogorsky monastery