| We get a lot of questions about what happened | | | | death of Joseph Stalin in 1953, relations |
| to the Russian Church after the revolution of | | | | between the Church and the state started to |
| 1917 and what religious life was like during | | | | deteriorate again. Until Perestroika, public |
| the Communist regime in Russia.As we know, in | | | | expression of religious beliefs - Christian |
| 1914 Russia had 55 173 Russian Orthodox | | | | or otherwise - was frowned upon; known |
| churches and 29 593 chapels, 112 629 priests | | | | churchgoers were deprived of some social |
| and deacons, 550 monasteries and 475 | | | | rights, they could not become members of the |
| nunneries with a total of 95 259 | | | | Communist Party, which in turn, severely |
| inhabitants.As the twentieth century | | | | limited their career opportunities and many |
| approached, Russia could boast the largest | | | | lost their jobs and any privileges. All |
| single national Church in the world.Although | | | | Soviet university students were required to |
| freedom of religious expression was formally | | | | take courses in so-called "Scientific |
| declared by one of the first decrees of the | | | | Atheism".Cathedral of Christ the Savior was |
| revolutionary government in January 1918, | | | | blown up in 1931 and turned into a heated |
| both the Church and its followers were | | | | open-air pool. Restoration was started in |
| heavily persecuted and deeply disadvantaged. | | | | 1995.Some priests of the Russian Orthodox |
| Prior to the Russian Revolution, there were | | | | Church, as well as other churches in the |
| some 54 000 functioning parishes and over 150 | | | | Soviet Union were secretly employed by the |
| bishops. There were soon bloody and cruel | | | | KGB for the government to discover who was a |
| killings of bishops and priests, and | | | | Church member. Despite the dangers, large |
| massacres of believers during the Red Terror | | | | numbers of people remained openly or secretly |
| and the following years of repressions were | | | | religious. In 1987 in the Russian Federation |
| shocking. These persecutions were even | | | | between 40% and 50% of newborn babies were |
| greater than the persecutions of the Ancient | | | | baptized, and over 60% of all the deceased |
| Christian Church both in the number of holy | | | | received Christian funeral services.A pivotal |
| martyrs and the cruelty and ingenuity of the | | | | moment in the history of the Russian Orthodox |
| persecutors.Many religious hierarchs fled | | | | Church came in 1988 - the millennium of the |
| Russia during the revolution and the civil | | | | Baptism of Russia. It appears now that the |
| war that followed. They contributed to the | | | | government had realized the fruitlessness of |
| spread of the Orthodox Church in many | | | | its efforts in its war against religion and |
| countries. However, some hierarchs even | | | | instead tried to use religion to gain the |
| formed their own organization that became | | | | support of the people.Throughout the summer |
| known as the Russian Orthodox Church Outside | | | | of 1988, major government-supported |
| of Russia. They split away from the Russian | | | | celebrations took place in Moscow and other |
| Church. During the 1920-30s, most church | | | | cities and many churches and some monasteries |
| buildings were blown up, burned or converted | | | | were reopened. An implicit ban against |
| into secular buildings; over 50 thousand | | | | religious propaganda on state TV was finally |
| priests were either executed or sent to labor | | | | lifted. For the first time in the history of |
| camps. | | | | the Soviet Union, people could use their TVs |
| | | | to see live transmissions of services from |
| By 1939, there were less than 100 | | | | central churches.Today, the Russian Orthodox |
| functioning parishes and only four | | | | Church is the largest of the Eastern Orthodox |
| bishops.During World War II, the religious | | | | churches in the world. Over 90% of ethnic |
| persecution in Soviet Union became less | | | | Russians identify themselves as Russian |
| pronounced, in part due to cooperation of the | | | | Orthodox. The number of people regularly |
| Church with the state on national defense | | | | attending church services is considerably |
| issues. Years 1944-45 saw the reopening of | | | | lower, but growing every year. The Church has |
| the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary | | | | over 23,000 parishes, 154 bishops, 635 |
| that had been closed since 1918. After the | | | | monasteries, and 102 clerical schools. |