The Russian Orthodox Church during the Great Patriotic War

In honor of the blessed day of Easter celebrated this year on April 12, the Presidential Library has built up a rare collection of scientific studies, revealing the importance and development of the Russian Orthodox Church during the Great Patriotic War. This topic is relevant today in connection with the upcoming celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory.

Since the early days of the Great Patriotic War II, the remaining churches conducted an active patriotic work with parishioners. Joseph Stalin knew quite well the history of the Church and the Law of God - in his youth, he studied at a religious school and seminary. Paradoxically, it was there that he became an atheist. It is told about in the work of Paul Pobedonostev, "Stalin and the Church through the eyes of contemporaries: patriarchs, saints, priests" from the holdings of the Presidential Library. "It is no accident, writes priest Dmitry Dudko about Stalin, he studied at the theological seminary, although there he lost faith, but to really obtain it later."

According to the memories of Stalin's bodyguard, Yu. Soloviev, who had been with the leader for his last ten years: "In his office there was an icon of Our Lady of Kazan, and he often prayed alone in the inner temple of the Nativity of the Virgin in the Grand Kremlin Palace." The fact is described in the book of Paul Pobedonostev.

This scientific work is a valuable source, because most of the materials of the research were published for the first time. Many of the facts were classified in the Soviet period.

The event crucial for the entire Orthodox community took place in 1943: September4, in Moscow, Joseph Stalin met with the Acting Patriarch Sergius (Stragorodsky), Leningrad Metropolitan Alexy and Exarch of Ukraine, Kiev and Galich Metropolitan Nicholas. At the meeting, Stalin promised that "the church can count on the full support of the Government in all matters related to its organizational strengthening and development within the USSR." From that day the church revival began. Religion has come to play an increasingly important role in the social and legal society. 22,000 parishes were opened, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra - the center of Russian spirituality – was revived along with the Theological Academy under it. Editions of the Moscow Patriarchate were published more often and in greater numbers. After a long break, in 1944, the Easter was first celebrated in the Soviet Union.

The return to religion, opening of temples and mitigating of the official policy in relation to the faith revealed problems with the staff: for many years there was virtually no change of generations, the question on the spiritual and canonical leadership in the newly opened parishes arose. "In such circumstances, the only source to replace empty posts of the church priors and deacons were the priests, exiled in the region, as well as the priests that were in retirement," notes Mary Red'ko in her scientific journal, "Russian Orthodox Church under the Soviet socio-political system in 1940-1980-ies. (taking as an example the Krasnoyarsk diocese)." The author cites the figures: "...of 21 church ministers, 19 were more than sixty years old."

To date, these books are digitized and are part of the Presidential Library collections. They are available in the electronic reading rooms of the national repository. These research works have become an important addition to the existing materials on the history of Orthodoxy. In addition, the Presidential Library website features a large-scale collection, "History of the Russian Orthodox Church", telling about its origin and formation.