Orthodoxy in the Belarusian Lands from 1839 to 1917: A Return to the Faith of Ancestors
https://doi.org/10.53822/2712-9276-2024-4-146-179
Abstract
The article explores the history of the Orthodox Church in the Belarusian territories from 1839 to 1917. The article investigates the gradual resurgence of Orthodoxy following the Church Council of Polotsk, exploring its stages and the obstacles and challenges encountered during this period. This is attributed to the lasting impact left on the believers’ consciousness by over two centuries of Orthodox Christians staying within the Uniate Greek Catholic Church. Many former Uniates after 1839, who were formally considered Orthodox, for various reasons still attended Roman Catholic churches, confessed to Roman Catholic priests, i.e., in fact, they remained Catholics in practice. According to G.Ya. Kiprianovich, it can be said that “the work of reunification was accomplished, but it was far from over in 1839”. For example, deviations from the Orthodox church charter existed in Orthodox worship, or there were also deviations in the performance of the sacraments. Such phenomena, as well as the persistence of Catholicism in former Uniates, were firstly attributed to the fanaticism of local Latin priests. Secondly, the apparatus of local government in the Belarusian lands was filled with officials with a Polish identity who harbored anti-Russian sentiments. Therefore, during 1839–1917, a complex process of gradual revival and strengthening of Orthodoxy occurred in the Belarusian lands. This difficult path can be divided into several stages, with the first stage spanning from 1839 to 1863– 1864. It was marked by the open proselytizing missionary activity of the Catholic clergy among Orthodox believers. It was overcome by the 1860s. The second period, from the 1860s to 1905, marked the establishment of Orthodoxy and the beginning of outwardly calm relations between the Catholic and Orthodox clergy. During this period, former Uniates affirmed their faith in the traditions of their fathers and grandfathers. After the decree “On Strengthening the Principles of Religious Tolerance” was issued on April 17, 1905, a new stage of acute confrontation between Orthodoxy and Catholicism ensued. However, through extensive missionary activity by the Orthodox clergy, active engagement with the faithful through parochial brotherhoods and parochial schools, this period was overcome by 1914–1917.
About the Author
V. A. TeplovaBelarus
Valentina A. Teplova — Candidate of Historical Sciences, Head of the Department of Church History and Church Practical Disciplines of the Minsk Theological Academy, Associate Professor at the Belarusian State University,
27, Zybitskaya str., Minsk, 220030
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Review
For citations:
Teplova V.A. Orthodoxy in the Belarusian Lands from 1839 to 1917: A Return to the Faith of Ancestors. Orthodoxia. 2024;(4):146-179. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.53822/2712-9276-2024-4-146-179