Viktar Baranenka

The process of forming a parish separate model in the conditions of church schism, Soviet state regulation and repression is analyzed in the article. The main stages of reforming the parish orthodox church institutions in 1920s and 1930s are emphasized. Special attention is paid to the logical interconnection and interdependence of parish governance levels. It is concluded that the parish institutes are deformed due to the antireligious policy consolidation, widespread church closure and repression of the community members in the 1930 s.

In this article the author makes an attempt to analyze the peculiarities of the Belarusian Orthodox Holy Synod replenishment both from a juridical standpoint  and in real life. The author defines the nature of the Renovators adaptation to the new principles of religious activity, the political system and the emerging ideology. The transformation of the Belarusian Holy Synod formation mechanism in the period of its functioning, from the elective to the appointed, is traced. The influence of state authorities on this process is noted. The article draws attention to the reaction of the diocesan authorities and clergy in relation to the violation of the established procedure for the Belarusian Holy Synod formation.

The most significant fonds and documents of the Belarusian and Russian state archives covering the history of the Belarusian renovation church from its creation to liquidation are presented.

renovationism, Belarusian renovation church, National historical archives of the Republic of Belarus, National archives of the Republic of Belarus, State archives of the Vitebsk region, State archives of the Gomel region, State archives of the Mogilev region, Zonal state archives in Polotsk.

This article shows the process of liquidation of the Belarusian Renovationist Church as a religious community that had its hierarchical and organizational structure in 1934-1938, based on the historiography and complex of official legal archive documents by the way of compilation and systematization of the material. Author aimed to characterize the activity of renovationist institutions at the territory of the BSSR in the absence of collective form of government of the Russian Orthodox (Renovationist) Church during “independent pontifical government”. Statistics for the clergy and churches of the orthodox ecclesiastical institutions of the BSSR in the 2nd half of 1930s is presented in the article. Forms of adaptation of the orthodox clergy to the state prohibitions and limitations during the period of “the Great Purge” are being considered. And there was made a conclusion that the reason for renovationism disappearance in the BSSR was the oppressive politics of the soviet government against the Belarusian Renovationist Church figures.

This article is devoted to transformation of higher administration of Belarusian Renovation Church during 1924-1938 under the influence of socio-political processes as well as processes within the Church itself.  Four main stages of evolution of higher church authorities of autonomous renovation organization on the territory of BSSR have been determined on the basis of archive documents, periodic publications and historiography. The characteristic of higher authorities and structures of Renovated church is given in the article.

This work includes analysis of religious citizens’ relation to renovationism during first two decades of Soviet regime. The processes that had certain impact on relation of believers to renovationist clergy are analyzed. On the basis of Belorussian and Russian archives the author proves that reaction of religious part of country’s population to the new church movement largely depended on relation of beneficiary or eparch to this movement. Most representatives of religious part of the population, especially countrymen, uneducated and non-familiar with terminology, didn’t divide clergy into renovationists and supporters of Patriarch Tikhon.


Рассматривается трансформация отношения верующих к обновленчеству в первые два десятилетия советского строя. Анализируются процессы, тем или иным образом повлиявшие на отношения верующего населения к обновленческому духовенству. Опираясь на материалы белорусских и российских архивов, показано, что реакция верующего населения к новому церковному движению зависела в первую очередь от отношения к данному движению настоятеля храма либо правящего архиерея. Большинство же верующих, преимущественно сельских жителей, неграмотных и малосведущих в терминологии, не
разделяло священников на «тихоновцев» и «обновленцев».

Specifics, composition and informational structure of the historical documents of the Orthodox Church discovered by the author are considered in the article. The documents are stored in funds of Polotsk zonal state archive. They were systematized by the origin (governmental-party and church) and types. The specific features of documents are shown; the most important documents are noted. The attention is focused on uniqueness and a variety of information from documents.

One of episodes of history of the Renovationism in the Russian Orthodox Church in the territory of Belarus is discussed. The fact is noted that the representatives of the Renovationism proclaiming loyalty to the Soviet power had re¬ceived considerable influence in the Belarusian lands in the early 1920s. Prerequisites, preparation and realization of the Belarusian regional church council of 1924 in Mahileu are described in detail. It is empha¬sized that the Renovationist Orthodox Church in the territory of Belarus received its registration as a result of its work: its internal organization was defined, the leaders were elected and the directions of the further development are set.

This article covers events related to the commencement of the Renovationist Movement in the BSSR. For the first time, archival documents introduced for scientific use add to the history of Renovationism, its interaction with state authority representatives. An attempt was made to divide the evolution of attitude to the Renovationist Movement of the Orthodox clergy and church members of Minsk eparchy into periods.
The author has managed to specify the previously unknown membership of the progressive clergy and laity group in Minsk eparchy which was created in August 1922 and aimed at struggling against the Metropolitan Bishop Melhisedek and attracting as many eparchy clergymen and laypeople as possible to the Renovationist Movement. The composition of the initiative group “Living Church” created in the late May – early June, 1922, under supervision of the Archbishop of Minsk and Turov Melhisedek, was partially restored.
Proclamation of Byelorussian Metropolitanate by the city clergy of Minsk is emphasized as an initial event which caused separation of part of clergymen and laypeople of Minsk eparchy from the Metropolitan Bishop Melhisedek (Payevsky).

The situation of the Polotsk obnovlencheskikh diocese and its reorganization in the early thirties of the XX century during the collectivization and the fight against anti-Soviet elements is considered in the article.
The attention is paid for the methods of influence to priests. The purpose was their refusal of the arrivals and the performance of religious practices.
The relationship between the representatives of Synod currents and representatives of patriarchal is conceded. The conclusion is that in the early thirties there is a gradual toughening of a state policy concerning Church, there comes a long stage of systematic persecutions. Article introduces a number of new archival documents that is obviously important for further researches on this subject into scientific circulation.

The article examines the change of the eastern canonical border of the Belarusian renewal church from the time of its creation to the end of the 1920s. as a result of economic zoning within the framework of civil administrative-territorial reform through a radical breakdown of the pre-revolutionary administrative system. Attention is focused on the territories of the RSFSR which were under the jurisdiction of the Belarusian Orthodox Holy Synod. The ambiguous attitude of the Orthodox renewal clergy to the possibility of subordination to the Belarusian renewed executive body is reflected.

This article attempts to clarify the relationship of the Orthodox churches in Polotsk before "Renovationist Church" and "traditional" orientations under the conditions of Church schism and examine changing of this ratio from 1922 till 1934. Focusing attention on the reasons of affiliation causes of the Polotsk churches to the particular church organization.

Робіцца спроба ўдакладніць дачыненне праваслаўных храмаў г. Полацка да “абнаўленчай” ці “патрыяршай” арыентацый ва ўмовах царкоўнага расколу і прагледзіць змены вызначанай суадносіны ў перыяд з 1922 г. па 1934 г. Акцэнтуецца ўвага на прычынах прыналежнасці полацкіх гарадскіх храмаў да пэўнай царкоўнай арганізацыі.

Зроблены разгляд прычынаў узнікнення і развіцця абнаўленчага руху, а таксама ўзаемаадносіны дадзенага руху з ціханаўцамі ў г. Полацку напачатку 1920-х гадоў. Паказана, што ў дадзены прамежак часу на Полаччыне мела месца падтрымка савецкай уладай абнаўленцаў.