P. V. Sedov. Old Believers in the Vvedensky Tikhvin Monastery in the Second Half of the 17th Century // Petersburg Historical Journal, no. 4, 2025, pp. 83–94.

DOI: 10.51255/2311–603X_2025_4_83

Abstract:

The article under scrutiny here focuses on the Old Believers of the Vvedensky Convent in Tikhvin in the latter half of the 17th century. The author conducted a detailed analysis of the adherence to the pre-Nikon rite in this convent, utilising newly obtained archival data as a foundation for their research. The authorities of the neighbouring Great Dormition Monastery utilised accusations of schism against the Vvedensky elders in a protracted land dispute, which subsequently served as the impetus for the eradication of the pre-Nikonian rite in that locale.
For many years, the residents of the monastery maintained the traditional church rite. However, under pressure from the Nikonian authorities, they repented and did not openly resist. This tendency was prevalent among a significant proportion, perhaps even the majority, of Old Believers, a strategy that enabled them to endure adversity and maintain their spiritual beliefs in the face of oppression from the authorities.

Key words: Nikon’s church reform, Old Believers, Vvedensky Tikhvin Monastery, Assumption Tikhvin Monastery.

Author:

Sedov, Pavel Vladimirovich — Dr. of Sciences in History, Leading Researcher, Saint Petersburg
Institute of History of Russian Academy of Sciences (Saint-Petersburg, Russia).
E-mail: sedovpv@rambler.ru

References:

Glinchikova, A. G. Raskol, ili Sryv “russkoi Reformatsii” [Schism or the Failure of the “Russian Reformation”. In Russ.]. Moscow, Kul’turnaya revolyutsiya publ., 2008. 384 p.

Ivanova, M. A. Ot rozhdeniya do vozrozhdeniya. Istoriya Tikhvinskogo Vvedenskogo zhenskogo monastyrya v litsakh i likakh [From Birth to Rebirth. The History of the Tikhvin Vvedensky Convent in Faces and Visages. In Russ.]. St. Petersburg, Raduga publ., 2022. 324 p.

Sedov, P. V. Byl li raskol XVII veka v Rossii Reformatsiei? [Was the Schism of the 17th Century in Russia the Reformation? In Russ.]. In Isaev, S. A., Sedov P. V. (eds.). Evropeiskaya reformatsiya i ee vozmozhnye analogi v Rossii. St. Petersburg, Nestor-Istoriya publ., 2017. P. 364–427.

Sedov, P. V. Zakat Moskovskogo tsarstva. Tsarskii dvor kontsa XVII veka [The Decline of the Muscovite Kingdom. The Royal Court at the End of the 17th Century. In Russ.]. 2nd ed. St. Petersburg, Dmitrii Bulanin publ., 2008. 603 p.

Skrypkina, E. V. Samoderzhavie i tserkovnyi raskol v Rossii vo vtoroi polovine XVII v.: Tsar’ Aleksei Mikhailovich i protopop Avvakum [Autocracy and Church Schism in Russia in the Second Half of the 17th Century: Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Archpriest Avvakum. In Russ.]. Omsk, Omsk State University press, 2009. 179 p.

Zen’kovskii, S. A. Russkoe staroobryadchestvo. Dukhovnye dvizheniya semnadtsatogo veka [Russian Old Believers. Spiritual Movements of the Seventeenth Century. In Russ.]. Moscow, Tserkov’ publ., 1995. 527 p.

Similar Posts

|

PHJ № 4 (48) 2025 — V. A. Berdinskikh. PROBLEMS OF HISTORY IN THE STALIN ERA AS A SUBJECT OF SCIENTIFIC REFLECTION. BOOK REVIEW: TIKHONOV V. V. THE USEFUL PAST: HISTORY IN THE STALINIST USSR. MOSCOW: NOVOE LITERATURNOE OBOZRENIE, 2024. 367 P.

The article examines the main problems of the book of the Moscow historian V. V. Tikhonov, devoted to the problems of interaction between Soviet historians and the authorities in the era of Stalinism. The book is written in the genre of scientific essay. The transformation of the ideology of Stalinism and the complex of relations between the authorities and the scientific and historical community are the focus of the author’s attention. An attempt to understand how the “historiographic vertical of power” works is clearly a success for V. V. Tikhonov. He posed important and relevant questions of the place and role of historians in historical politics.

| |

PHJ № 3 (47) 2025 — D. Yu. Kozlov. “THIS WAS THE ACHILLES’ HEEL OF THE RUSSIAN COLOSSUS…”: ON THE ROLE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE BLACK SEA THEATER OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

The article under scrutiny herein undertakes a thoroughgoing analysis of the impact of the struggle between the Russian and Ottoman navies on the course and outcome of the First World War. The author’s primary focus is on the impact of naval operations in the Black Sea on the economic and, to a certain extent, socio-political situation in Russia and Turkey. It is concluded that the results of the struggle in the Black Sea, principally the actions of the opposing fleets on maritime communications, largely catalysed the economic and political problems in the Russian and Ottoman Empires, which ultimately led to their military defeat and subsequent disintegration.

| |

PHJ № 3 (47) 2025 — S. V. Bondarev. THE ACTIVITIES OF THE GATCHINA AND PETERHOF PALACE ADMINISTRATIONS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY

The famous suburbs of St. Petersburg — Peterhof and Gatchina — had the status of palace towns at the beginning of the 20th century and were under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Imperial Court. The purpose of this article is to study the management system and organization of the economy of two settlements in the 1900s as a separate type of urban settlements. The study is devoted to a little-known side of the activities of suburban Palace Administrations, which, along with servicing the royal palace complexes, were engaged in the development of urban infrastructure and were responsible for all aspects of the life of settlements that were part of the suburban imperial residences. An appeal to the history of the development of two cities of the Court Department provides for consideration of the features of construction development, communal and gardening, public safety and other aspects. The analysis of interaction of senior officials of various departments with ordinary employees, the mode of work of services in directions, the specifics of work of architects, police chiefs, custodians, fire chiefs, fountain attendants and representatives of other professions allows to present a picture of everyday life in suburbs with a special status. As a result of the work, the features of economic activity of Peterhof and Gatchina palace administrations as bodies engaged in provision of royal residences and towns near them are revealed. Scientific novelty lies in a comprehensive consideration of organizational and administrative work on management of economy of two palace towns and issues of organization of economy and urban economy of Peterhof and Gatchina at the beginning of the 20th century. The study will allow to supplement the picture of the national system of organization and management in the Russian Empire, to make a contribution to the study of history of cities of the Russian Empire. Also, the article contains new information for studying the history of palace and park ensembles in Peterhof and Gatchina.

|

PHJ №1 (45) 2025 — T. A. Bazarova. PETRINE ST. PETERSBURG AND THE WATER ELEMENT

The waters of the Neva and the Gulf of Finland were a source of danger for the inhabitants of Petersburg. In the city, an alarm was organized for the time of the opening and freezing of the Neva, as well as for the beginning of the flooding. The article analyses the decrees of Peter I and the orders of the local administration, which were designed to minimize the damage, and established standards for the construction of new buildings and piers. The article is accompanied by a letter of the Kotlin commander Vasily Poroshin on the consequences of the flood of 5 November 1721.

|

PHJ №1 (45) 2025 — A. V. Ashikhmin, D. N. Shilov. “WELL, BUT NOT THE TIME”. THE LAST REPORTS OF M. M. SPERANSKY TO EMPEROR ALEXANDER I ON THE REFORM OF THE SENATE IN 1811

This research is dedicated to the unfinished reform of the Senate carried out by Speransky in 1811. The authors analyzed a set of documents deposited in the Russian State Historical Archive in the fund of the Special Committee of Chairmen of Departments of the State Council (F. 1164), consisting of 32 parts. These documents were interpreted by researchers since the beginning of the 20th century, and their archival systematization was carried out during that period by A. R. Dobrokhotov, clerk of the State Chancery. Despite the obvious relevance of these sources for the history of such large-scale state transformations, most of them have not yet been published. Based on the research of predecessors, source studies, and archaeological research, the history of this collection is reconstructed. This archival complex fits into the history of the Senate reform in 1911, and the role of Speransky and other members of the State Сouncil in its development is revealed. The authors describe and analyze the contents of reform documents, including preparatory projects dating back to Catherine’s reign. This collection provides a comprehensive source on senatorial reform developed by Speransky. Access to these documents and their analysis helps us better understand the ideas of the reformer and his methods of working with historical and contemporary materials, as well as methods of communicating and defending his opinions during discussions. It also reveals additional aspects Speransky’s “technical bureau” work during its early period. For the first time in more than a century of research, the most important documents of the reform authored by Speransky were published — the note “On the formation of the Senate”, with attached drafts of manifesto and decrees, and the note “On the timeliness of establishing the Senate”, comprising parts 17 and 18 of the archival collection under consideration.