Old Believer Concords of Nizhny Novgorod Region is a consolidated overview of the nine Old Believer movements (concords, or soglasiya) that historically took shape on the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod lands: the Belokrinitsa, Beglopopovtsy (fugitive priest), Pomortsy, Fedoseevtsy, Filippovtsy, Spasovtsy, Arseniyevtsy, Samokreshchentsy (self-baptized), and Wanderers (Stranniki) concords.[2] The Nizhny Novgorod region occupies a special place in the history of Russian Old Belief: it was here, in Zavolzhye, that from the 1660s a far-flung network of Kerzhenets sketes (hermit communities) arose, which became the main stronghold of "ancient piety" after the church schism of the mid-17th century.[2]
Composition of the Concords and Their Numbers
According to the compilation's materials, which cover data from 1912 as well as the present-day situation, nine concords are recorded in Nizhny Novgorod Region.[2] Each represents an independent tradition of worship and church organization:
- Belokrinitsa Concord (Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church) — priestly Old Believers (popovtsy) who received an episcopal hierarchy through the Belokrinitsa Metropolia in the 19th century.
- Beglopopovtsy — priestly Old Believers who did not recognize the Belokrinitsa hierarchy and accepted priests who "fled" from the official church.
- Pomorian Concord — one of the largest priestless (bespopovtsy) branches, tracing its origins to the Vyg Hermitage.
- Fedoseevtsy — a priestless concord that adhered to strict celibacy.
- Filippovtsy — a priestless concord that split off from the Pomorians in the 18th century.
- Spasovo Concord — a priestless branch of Nizhny Novgorod origin that became widespread across the Volga Region.
- Arsenyevtsy — an offshoot of the Spasovo Concord.
- Samokreshchentsy — a radical priestless branch.
- Stranniki (runners) — a priestless concord that rejected any relations with the state.
The compendium records the number of communities for each concord both as of 1912 and for the present period.[2]
Historical Background
The roots of Nizhny Novgorod Old Belief reach back to the era of the church schism of the 1650s. By the early 18th century, Zavolzhye had as many as 94 sketes according to archival counts (77 according to Melnikov-Pechersky), forming the Kerzhenets monastic network.[2] The Spasovo Concord is considered to be of Nizhny Novgorod origin and was especially widespread in the Volga Region.[2] The Old Believer merchant families — the Bugrovs, the Blinovs, the Sirotkins — came out of this milieu and left a notable mark on the city's culture and philanthropy.[2]
Sources and Scholarship
The manuscript heritage of Nizhny Novgorod Old Believers is concentrated primarily in the Department of Rare Books and Manuscripts of the Nizhny Novgorod State Regional Universal Research Library: the collection comprises over 56,000 items, among them the "Pomorian Answers," Guslitsa chant manuscripts, and works by the icon painter and scribe I. G. Blinov.[2] The folklore tradition of the Nizhny Novgorod Old Believers is recorded in the collection "Shall I climb the high mountain, shall I see the deep abyss…," compiled by O. A. Savelyeva and L. N. Novikova and published in 2001.[3] The overall picture of Old Belief in Russia at the turn of the 20th–21st centuries, including questions of numbers and confessional self-identification, has been examined in a study by the historian Sergey Taranets, published on the website of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church.[1]
Sources
- rpsc.ru — Old Belief in the Russian Federation in the Late 20th and Early 21st Centuries — Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church (archive)
- Historical Encyclopedia of Nizhny Novgorod — Old Belief in the Nizhny Novgorod Territory (archive)
- bibliarh.narod.ru — Bibliographic Archive: "Shall I climb the high mountain, shall I see the deep abyss...": Old Believer Folklore of Nizhny Novgorod Region / Compiled by O. A. Savelyeva, L. N. Novikova