«Religious to the point of mysticism, fanatical, and strongly connected to the сhurch»: Old Believers of the Izmail Region in the perception of Soviet power (1945).

Abstract

Research aim. The purpose of this publication is to introduce a report on the Old Believers in the Izmail Region into scientific circulation. The document was prepared by O. Ostapenko, Representative of the Council for Religious Cult under the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR for the Izmail Region, dated December 10, 1945, and is stored in the Izmail Executive Committee fund of the State Archives of the Odesa Region.

Research methodology. The study is based on general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis, the principles of historicism and objectivity.

The scientific novelty. The published document contains valuable data on the number of Old Believers and their social composition, provides a detailed picture of their way of life, cultural and everyday characteristics (external registration of Old Believers, the conduct of church services, the celebration of church holidays, etc.), describes the hierarchical structure of Old Belief in the Izmail Diocese, demonstrates the relations between religious communities and their leaders and the Soviet authorities, and analyses the political sentiments of the Old Believers in the region, which had been part of Romania for several decades. With the arrival of Soviet power in 1940, the religious centre of the Old Believers was moved from Bila Krynytsia to the town of Breila. In 1945, there was a reorientation from the Bila Krynytsia Metropolis to the Moscow Archdiocese.

Conclusions. The document presented is ideologically biased, reflecting the view of Old Belief held by an official representative of the Soviet authorities. Above all, it reveals a generally dismissive attitude towards them as ‘fanatics’, ‘mystics’, the uneducated, and ‘Romanophiles’ who opposed Soviet power and its laws. The report traces the complex process of registering religious communities, engaging them in patriotic activities through fundraising, and carrying out targeted work, particularly among young people, to overcome ‘religious fanaticism’. The report provides an insight into the integration of Old Believers into Soviet society and the suppression of their religious identity. The source comments provided in the text help to understand the terms, names, etc. mentioned.