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Russian Orthodoxy: A Short Overview
The continent of Europe is home to a multitude of different cultures. From the peak of Mount
Hvannadalshnjúkur in Iceland, to the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia, Europe spans an impressive
4.1 million square miles. Over these millions of square miles, there’s bound to be multiple religions. Yet,
Christianity stands as the most practiced religion in Europe. Christianity has many denominations,
including Catholics, Protestants, and the Orthodox. In Russia, around ¾ of the population considers
themselves to be Orthodox. This group is part of the Russian Orthodox Church, a subset of the Eastern
Orthodox Church. This simple overview will explore the history of Orthodoxy, the differences between
Orthodoxy and Catholicism, important Russian saints, and the impact the Soviets had on Orthodoxy in
Russia.
To fully understand Russian Orthodoxy, one must first understand the basics of Eastern
Orthodoxy as a religion. Orthodoxy is essentially the original Christian Church created by Jesus and his
Apostles. The Church split in 1054 in the Great Schism, a divide between what became Catholics and the
Orthodox. There are many different ideas and beliefs for why they split, but the prime movers were the
Pope’s authority over all and the use of icons in the Church. The Greeks (Orthodox) believed that the
Pope had overextended his power, diminishing the authority of the bishops within their respective areas,
whereas the Romans (Catholic) were in support of the Pope. Additionally, the Romans believed that using
icons to worship the saints and God was idolatry, similar to that of the Pagans, while the Greeks believed
that icons strengthened the relationship between an individual and their God. The term “Orthodox”
literally means “correct in teaching,” relating to the fact that they believe their faith is the one true faith.
Within Eastern Orthodoxy, there are a few different cultural subsets of the same religion. They do not
function as separate churches, however, like denominations; they generally follow the same teachings.
The main distinctions in most types of Orthodoxy are things like the area they’re in, language services are
spoken in, style of icons, and saints celebrated. These are all majorly cultural differences. The Orthodox
are, ultimately, one church, regardless of these intricacies.
Orthodoxy differs from Catholicism in many ways. A lot of Catholics think Orthodoxy is similar
to their religion, but a lot of the Orthodox believe Catholics are very far from their own beliefs. Catholics
believe the Church progresses and changes over time, all tracing back to the initial seed of Christianity.
However, the Orthodox believe the teachings of the Bible are unchanging. Catholics also believe anyone
who isn’t christened Catholic is sent to Hell in the afterlife, while the Orthodox are more vague on the
topic. They believe they don’t know who goes to Heaven or Hell, but they must follow the teachings as
closely as possible to lead a righteous life. The only people they know go to Heaven for sure are the
saints. Catholics also believe in Purgatory, while the Orthodox do not. Purgatory is essentially a waiting
room for judgement. The Orthodox believe when one dies, they are sent straight to judgement.
Orthodoxy initially came to Russia in the late 10th century. Prince Vladimir of Kiev understood
how religion was important to his people and their culture. Initially he supported the beliefs of early
Russian Paganism, believing in Slavic gods such as Perun and Dazh’bog. However, he explored other
faiths as well, sending emissaries out to other lands to bring back information on religions such as
Judaism, Islam, Catholicism, and Orthodoxy. He eventually accepted Orthodoxy as his own faith,
bringing it to Russia. After his baptism, he experienced a spiritual conversion and is now officially
recognized as a saint.
Saints are often recognized after their death for being martyrs (being killed for their religion),
performing miracles, or living righteously. While the Orthodox recognize the same saints across
jurisdictions , it would be extremely hard if not impossible to observe them all. Russian Orthodoxy
observes mostly Russian saints, and very famous saints such as St. Nicholas. Matrona of Moscow is a
good example of a Russian saint. St. Matrona was born blind in 1881, making her a relatively new saint
for Orthodoxy, and was unable to walk from the age of 16. She bore her illness humbly and idly. Many
Russians pray to St. Matrona during times of illness and sickness. Another notable saint is St. Herman of
Alaska. St. Herman was born in the 1700s in Moscow. He was sent on a mission trip with other members
of the Church to preach to the Indigenous peoples of Alaska. A source from the OCA (Orthodox Church
in America) states: “On the right side of his throat under his chin there appeared an abscess…did not
appeal to a physician of this world, but locking his cell he fell before an icon of the Mother of God. With
fervent tears he prayed, asking of Her that he might be healed…” It goes on to say how he dreamt of the
Virgin Mary and was healed the next day. Overall, the Russian saints had interesting lives, leading to them
still being venerated today.
The rise of the Bolsheviks and thus the U.S.S.R at the turn of the 20th century had crucial
consequences on the future of the Orthodox Church within Russia. After the overthrowing of the Tsar,
Communism rose in Russia. With Communism, oppression and religious persecution also rose.
Communists discouraged religion, and many religious people were pressured to give up their faith. An
excerpt from “Church and State in the Soviet Union”, a journal article by Bohdan R. Bociurkiw portrays
this well. “During the twenty years that followed the 1917 revolution, the regime used discriminatory
legislation, anti-religious propaganda, and violence to up-root all religion in Soviet society.”
In 1917, there were more than 46,000 Orthodox churches in the U.S.S.R. In 1940, the number had
dropped to less than 5,000. In 1917, there were 130 Orthodox bishops. In 1940, 28 remained. However,
the Kremlin (Soviet government) later began to believe they could use the Church to their advantage.
Some of the Orthodox agreed with this, but others refused to accept Communism. For example, in
Moscow in 1941, during the Nazi invasions, the Church affiliated itself with the state. However, in
annexed territories such as those in Ukraine, they refused to be affiliated with the state. The Soviets
clearly had an impact on religion during their reign. After the fall of the U.S.S.R and the end of the Cold
War, there was a significant resurgence of religion within the nation of Russia. When the long reign of
Communism ended in Russia, religious peoples felt more safe to express their beliefs once again. All this
brings together the interesting and complex history of Russia and the Soviet Union.
The history of Russian Orthodoxy tells a deep story of the juxtaposition of religion and politics.
But, so what? All these events happened in the past, and as stated earlier, ¾ of the Russian population
considers themselves to be Orthodox Christian. It is of great importance the world remembers these
events. Teaching history such as this allows people to learn about cultures other than their own and
prevents history from repeating itself.
