Suchergebnisse

Today the Old Believers enjoy the status of a traditional religious community. The title of the Master's paper - "The Old Believers Church in Lithuania in 1918-1940" -reflects the subject of study dealing with its legal status, religious organisation, social and political involvement. The choice of the subject was determined by the importance of research on Lithuania's traditional religious minorities. Owing to the fact that over a long period Lithuania's history research has been one-sided, focusing mostly on ethnic history and missing the civil one, the historical image of Lithuania's religious communities has remained somewhat incomplete. So far no exhaustive studies related to the history of Lithuania's communities of traditional religious minorities have been made. In most cases the mentioned studies dealt only with the history of the Lithuanian Catholic Church. The goal of the paper is the study of the Old Believers Church in Lithuania (further referred to as "OBCL") as an organizational institution. The objectives to achieve the set goal: - to analyze the legal status and development of the Old Believers Church in Lithuania in 1918-1940 in the context of State - Church relations; - to examine the specific development features of the organization of the Old Believers Church in Lithuania, i.e. formation and activity of institutions, adaptation to the new political situation and solution of related problems, relations with organizations of the Old Believers Church in other countries. - to examine the factors of OBCL social and political involvement. In terms of intensity of cooperation between the State and religious organizations in the period under study the model of the Lithuanian State may be characterized as the State Not separated from the Church, where different religions enjoy relatively equal rights. Summarizing the State-OBCL relations, the state policy in respect of OBCL can be characterized as tending to compromise. The State endeavoured not to interfere with OBCL internal affairs; however, the very model of relations in effect between the State and the Church in Lithuania called for intervention of authorities into OBCL internal life. On the one hand, this policy also provided certain protection to the Old Believers minority when applying to it certain analogous decisions mainly adopted to protect the interests of the predominant "state church". On the other hand, this kind of state policy sometimes resulted in violation of OBCL autonomy rights. In evaluating the OBCL legal status, it is important to note that during the whole interwar period the State-Church relations were governed by provisional law, meaning that the OBCL legal status was not finally regulated. The State failed to officially recognize a single OBCL internal document. It is this uncertainty that made it possible for the state authorities to intervene in OBCL internal matters. The final recognition of OBCL supreme authorities was determined by state institutions and not by OBCL organizational principle, which is an essential part in the religion of the "priestless pomors". Strange enough, but as the case with OBCL is, these violations of autonomy had a positive effect on the preservation of integrity of OBCL organization. With all that, even willing to accept the stabilizing role of intervention of authorities, the State in democratic societies may not take steps to ensure the survival of religious communities or their government in a centralized way. Summing up the OBCL social and political involvement, it is worth saying that for a long time having no opportunity to be heard in public and political spheres, the Old Believers of the interwar period were gradually getting involved in the social and political life of Lithuania. In this way this study introduces certain corrections to the "dark", "passive", "colonist" image of an Old Believer.

Today the Old Believers enjoy the status of a traditional religious community. The title of the Master's paper - "The Old Believers Church in Lithuania in 1918-1940" -reflects the subject of study dealing with its legal status, religious organisation, social and political involvement. The choice of the subject was determined by the importance of research on Lithuania's traditional religious minorities. Owing to the fact that over a long period Lithuania's history research has been one-sided, focusing mostly on ethnic history and missing the civil one, the historical image of Lithuania's religious communities has remained somewhat incomplete. So far no exhaustive studies related to the history of Lithuania's communities of traditional religious minorities have been made. In most cases the mentioned studies dealt only with the history of the Lithuanian Catholic Church. The goal of the paper is the study of the Old Believers Church in Lithuania (further referred to as "OBCL") as an organizational institution. The objectives to achieve the set goal: - to analyze the legal status and development of the Old Believers Church in Lithuania in 1918-1940 in the context of State - Church relations; - to examine the specific development features of the organization of the Old Believers Church in Lithuania, i.e. formation and activity of institutions, adaptation to the new political situation and solution of related problems, relations with organizations of the Old Believers Church in other countries. - to examine the factors of OBCL social and political involvement. In terms of intensity of cooperation between the State and religious organizations in the period under study the model of the Lithuanian State may be characterized as the State Not separated from the Church, where different religions enjoy relatively equal rights. Summarizing the State-OBCL relations, the state policy in respect of OBCL can be characterized as tending to compromise. The State endeavoured not to interfere with OBCL internal affairs; however, the very model of relations in effect between the State and the Church in Lithuania called for intervention of authorities into OBCL internal life. On the one hand, this policy also provided certain protection to the Old Believers minority when applying to it certain analogous decisions mainly adopted to protect the interests of the predominant "state church". On the other hand, this kind of state policy sometimes resulted in violation of OBCL autonomy rights. In evaluating the OBCL legal status, it is important to note that during the whole interwar period the State-Church relations were governed by provisional law, meaning that the OBCL legal status was not finally regulated. The State failed to officially recognize a single OBCL internal document. It is this uncertainty that made it possible for the state authorities to intervene in OBCL internal matters. The final recognition of OBCL supreme authorities was determined by state institutions and not by OBCL organizational principle, which is an essential part in the religion of the "priestless pomors". Strange enough, but as the case with OBCL is, these violations of autonomy had a positive effect on the preservation of integrity of OBCL organization. With all that, even willing to accept the stabilizing role of intervention of authorities, the State in democratic societies may not take steps to ensure the survival of religious communities or their government in a centralized way. Summing up the OBCL social and political involvement, it is worth saying that for a long time having no opportunity to be heard in public and political spheres, the Old Believers of the interwar period were gradually getting involved in the social and political life of Lithuania. In this way this study introduces certain corrections to the "dark", "passive", "colonist" image of an Old Believer.

Today the Old Believers enjoy the status of a traditional religious community. The title of the Master's paper - "The Old Believers Church in Lithuania in 1918-1940" -reflects the subject of study dealing with its legal status, religious organisation, social and political involvement. The choice of the subject was determined by the importance of research on Lithuania's traditional religious minorities. Owing to the fact that over a long period Lithuania's history research has been one-sided, focusing mostly on ethnic history and missing the civil one, the historical image of Lithuania's religious communities has remained somewhat incomplete. So far no exhaustive studies related to the history of Lithuania's communities of traditional religious minorities have been made. In most cases the mentioned studies dealt only with the history of the Lithuanian Catholic Church. The goal of the paper is the study of the Old Believers Church in Lithuania (further referred to as "OBCL") as an organizational institution. The objectives to achieve the set goal: - to analyze the legal status and development of the Old Believers Church in Lithuania in 1918-1940 in the context of State - Church relations; - to examine the specific development features of the organization of the Old Believers Church in Lithuania, i.e. formation and activity of institutions, adaptation to the new political situation and solution of related problems, relations with organizations of the Old Believers Church in other countries. - to examine the factors of OBCL social and political involvement. In terms of intensity of cooperation between the State and religious organizations in the period under study the model of the Lithuanian State may be characterized as the State Not separated from the Church, where different religions enjoy relatively equal rights. Summarizing the State-OBCL relations, the state policy in respect of OBCL can be characterized as tending to compromise. The State endeavoured not to interfere with OBCL internal affairs; however, the very model of relations in effect between the State and the Church in Lithuania called for intervention of authorities into OBCL internal life. On the one hand, this policy also provided certain protection to the Old Believers minority when applying to it certain analogous decisions mainly adopted to protect the interests of the predominant "state church". On the other hand, this kind of state policy sometimes resulted in violation of OBCL autonomy rights. In evaluating the OBCL legal status, it is important to note that during the whole interwar period the State-Church relations were governed by provisional law, meaning that the OBCL legal status was not finally regulated. The State failed to officially recognize a single OBCL internal document. It is this uncertainty that made it possible for the state authorities to intervene in OBCL internal matters. The final recognition of OBCL supreme authorities was determined by state institutions and not by OBCL organizational principle, which is an essential part in the religion of the "priestless pomors". Strange enough, but as the case with OBCL is, these violations of autonomy had a positive effect on the preservation of integrity of OBCL organization. With all that, even willing to accept the stabilizing role of intervention of authorities, the State in democratic societies may not take steps to ensure the survival of religious communities or their government in a centralized way. Summing up the OBCL social and political involvement, it is worth saying that for a long time having no opportunity to be heard in public and political spheres, the Old Believers of the interwar period were gradually getting involved in the social and political life of Lithuania. In this way this study introduces certain corrections to the "dark", "passive", "colonist" image of an Old Believer.

Today the Old Believers enjoy the status of a traditional religious community. The title of the Master's paper - "The Old Believers Church in Lithuania in 1918-1940" -reflects the subject of study dealing with its legal status, religious organisation, social and political involvement. The choice of the subject was determined by the importance of research on Lithuania's traditional religious minorities. Owing to the fact that over a long period Lithuania's history research has been one-sided, focusing mostly on ethnic history and missing the civil one, the historical image of Lithuania's religious communities has remained somewhat incomplete. So far no exhaustive studies related to the history of Lithuania's communities of traditional religious minorities have been made. In most cases the mentioned studies dealt only with the history of the Lithuanian Catholic Church. The goal of the paper is the study of the Old Believers Church in Lithuania (further referred to as "OBCL") as an organizational institution. The objectives to achieve the set goal: - to analyze the legal status and development of the Old Believers Church in Lithuania in 1918-1940 in the context of State - Church relations; - to examine the specific development features of the organization of the Old Believers Church in Lithuania, i.e. formation and activity of institutions, adaptation to the new political situation and solution of related problems, relations with organizations of the Old Believers Church in other countries. - to examine the factors of OBCL social and political involvement. In terms of intensity of cooperation between the State and religious organizations in the period under study the model of the Lithuanian State may be characterized as the State Not separated from the Church, where different religions enjoy relatively equal rights. Summarizing the State-OBCL relations, the state policy in respect of OBCL can be characterized as tending to compromise. The State endeavoured not to interfere with OBCL internal affairs; however, the very model of relations in effect between the State and the Church in Lithuania called for intervention of authorities into OBCL internal life. On the one hand, this policy also provided certain protection to the Old Believers minority when applying to it certain analogous decisions mainly adopted to protect the interests of the predominant "state church". On the other hand, this kind of state policy sometimes resulted in violation of OBCL autonomy rights. In evaluating the OBCL legal status, it is important to note that during the whole interwar period the State-Church relations were governed by provisional law, meaning that the OBCL legal status was not finally regulated. The State failed to officially recognize a single OBCL internal document. It is this uncertainty that made it possible for the state authorities to intervene in OBCL internal matters. The final recognition of OBCL supreme authorities was determined by state institutions and not by OBCL organizational principle, which is an essential part in the religion of the "priestless pomors". Strange enough, but as the case with OBCL is, these violations of autonomy had a positive effect on the preservation of integrity of OBCL organization. With all that, even willing to accept the stabilizing role of intervention of authorities, the State in democratic societies may not take steps to ensure the survival of religious communities or their government in a centralized way. Summing up the OBCL social and political involvement, it is worth saying that for a long time having no opportunity to be heard in public and political spheres, the Old Believers of the interwar period were gradually getting involved in the social and political life of Lithuania. In this way this study introduces certain corrections to the "dark", "passive", "colonist" image of an Old Believer.

The purpose of this article is to research in more detail the restoration of the Old Believers parishes and their recognition during the interwar Lithuania (excluding Vilnius region) from 1918 to 1923, as well as to analyse the legalization of the Old Believers' Church of Lithuania and the problems of practical establishment of religious autonomy in this period.The main focus is on three new problems: the situation of the Old Believers' parishes in the country at the beginning of 1918, taking into account the mass migration to the depths of Russia from 1914 to 1915; the restoration of Old Believers parishes and the legalization (registration) of their religious activities from 1918 to 1922, during their mass repatriation to Lithuania; and focus on some problems of the practical consolidation of Old Believers' Church of Lithuania autonomy from 1923 to 1926. The research is based mostly on new archival data, as well as on the analysis and interpretation of Lithuanian and partly foreign historiography on this topic.The study suggests that due to the mass migration of Old Believers to the East between 1914 and 1915, the future Lithuanian territory retained a much thinner congregation network and in turn had fewer parishes members by the beginning of 1918. Therefore, the mass repatriation of the Old Believers from Soviet Russia from the spring of 1918 to 1922 to a large extent explains why the recovery of many of their parishes in Lithuania has been rather slow.After the establishment of the central institutions of the Church in May 1922, the Lithuanian Old Believers' Church was legal-ized on the basis of "Provisional regulations concerning the relationship between the organization of Old Believers in Lithuania and the Lithuanian government" on the May 20, 1923. Therefore, for the first time in history in 1923 the Lithuanian Old Believers Church was legally recognized in a certain state and formally received equal rights with other recognized denominations. At that time, Lithuania was the first country in Central and Eastern Europe to officially recognize the Old Believers (Pomorian) Church.

The purpose of this article is to research in more detail the restoration of the Old Believers parishes and their recognition during the interwar Lithuania (excluding Vilnius region) from 1918 to 1923, as well as to analyse the legalization of the Old Believers' Church of Lithuania and the problems of practical establishment of religious autonomy in this period.The main focus is on three new problems: the situation of the Old Believers' parishes in the country at the beginning of 1918, taking into account the mass migration to the depths of Russia from 1914 to 1915; the restoration of Old Believers parishes and the legalization (registration) of their religious activities from 1918 to 1922, during their mass repatriation to Lithuania; and focus on some problems of the practical consolidation of Old Believers' Church of Lithuania autonomy from 1923 to 1926. The research is based mostly on new archival data, as well as on the analysis and interpretation of Lithuanian and partly foreign historiography on this topic.The study suggests that due to the mass migration of Old Believers to the East between 1914 and 1915, the future Lithuanian territory retained a much thinner congregation network and in turn had fewer parishes members by the beginning of 1918. Therefore, the mass repatriation of the Old Believers from Soviet Russia from the spring of 1918 to 1922 to a large extent explains why the recovery of many of their parishes in Lithuania has been rather slow.After the establishment of the central institutions of the Church in May 1922, the Lithuanian Old Believers' Church was legal-ized on the basis of "Provisional regulations concerning the relationship between the organization of Old Believers in Lithuania and the Lithuanian government" on the May 20, 1923. Therefore, for the first time in history in 1923 the Lithuanian Old Believers Church was legally recognized in a certain state and formally received equal rights with other recognized denominations. At that time, Lithuania was the first country in Central and Eastern Europe to officially recognize the Old Believers (Pomorian) Church.

The purpose of this article is to research in more detail the restoration of the Old Believers parishes and their recognition during the interwar Lithuania (excluding Vilnius region) from 1918 to 1923, as well as to analyse the legalization of the Old Believers' Church of Lithuania and the problems of practical establishment of religious autonomy in this period.The main focus is on three new problems: the situation of the Old Believers' parishes in the country at the beginning of 1918, taking into account the mass migration to the depths of Russia from 1914 to 1915; the restoration of Old Believers parishes and the legalization (registration) of their religious activities from 1918 to 1922, during their mass repatriation to Lithuania; and focus on some problems of the practical consolidation of Old Believers' Church of Lithuania autonomy from 1923 to 1926. The research is based mostly on new archival data, as well as on the analysis and interpretation of Lithuanian and partly foreign historiography on this topic.The study suggests that due to the mass migration of Old Believers to the East between 1914 and 1915, the future Lithuanian territory retained a much thinner congregation network and in turn had fewer parishes members by the beginning of 1918. Therefore, the mass repatriation of the Old Believers from Soviet Russia from the spring of 1918 to 1922 to a large extent explains why the recovery of many of their parishes in Lithuania has been rather slow.After the establishment of the central institutions of the Church in May 1922, the Lithuanian Old Believers' Church was legal-ized on the basis of "Provisional regulations concerning the relationship between the organization of Old Believers in Lithuania and the Lithuanian government" on the May 20, 1923. Therefore, for the first time in history in 1923 the Lithuanian Old Believers Church was legally recognized in a certain state and formally received equal rights with other recognized denominations. At that time, Lithuania was the first country in Central and Eastern Europe to officially recognize the Old Believers (Pomorian) Church.

The purpose of this article is to research in more detail the restoration of the Old Believers parishes and their recognition during the interwar Lithuania (excluding Vilnius region) from 1918 to 1923, as well as to analyse the legalization of the Old Believers' Church of Lithuania and the problems of practical establishment of religious autonomy in this period.The main focus is on three new problems: the situation of the Old Believers' parishes in the country at the beginning of 1918, taking into account the mass migration to the depths of Russia from 1914 to 1915; the restoration of Old Believers parishes and the legalization (registration) of their religious activities from 1918 to 1922, during their mass repatriation to Lithuania; and focus on some problems of the practical consolidation of Old Believers' Church of Lithuania autonomy from 1923 to 1926. The research is based mostly on new archival data, as well as on the analysis and interpretation of Lithuanian and partly foreign historiography on this topic.The study suggests that due to the mass migration of Old Believers to the East between 1914 and 1915, the future Lithuanian territory retained a much thinner congregation network and in turn had fewer parishes members by the beginning of 1918. Therefore, the mass repatriation of the Old Believers from Soviet Russia from the spring of 1918 to 1922 to a large extent explains why the recovery of many of their parishes in Lithuania has been rather slow.After the establishment of the central institutions of the Church in May 1922, the Lithuanian Old Believers' Church was legal-ized on the basis of "Provisional regulations concerning the relationship between the organization of Old Believers in Lithuania and the Lithuanian government" on the May 20, 1923. Therefore, for the first time in history in 1923 the Lithuanian Old Believers Church was legally recognized in a certain state and formally received equal rights with other recognized denominations. At that time, Lithuania was the first country in Central and Eastern Europe to officially recognize the Old Believers (Pomorian) Church.

The purpose of this article is to research in more detail the restoration of the Old Believers parishes and their recognition during the interwar Lithuania (excluding Vilnius region) from 1918 to 1923, as well as to analyse the legalization of the Old Believers' Church of Lithuania and the problems of practical establishment of religious autonomy in this period.The main focus is on three new problems: the situation of the Old Believers' parishes in the countryat the beginning of 1918, taking into account the mass migration to the depths of Russia from 1914 to 1915; the restoration of Old Believers parishes and the legalization (registration) of their religious activities from 1918 to 1922, during their mass repatriation to Lithuania; and focus on some problems of the practical consolidation of Old Believers' Church of Lithuania autonomy from 1923 to 1926. The research is based mostly on new archival data, as well as on the analysis and interpretation of Lithuanian and partly foreign historiography on this topic.The study suggests that due to the mass migration of Old Believers to the East between 1914 and 1915, the future Lithuanian territory retained a much thinner congregation network and in turn had fewer parishes members by the beginning of 1918. Therefore, the mass repatriation of the Old Believers from Soviet Russia from the spring of 1918 to 1922 to a large extent explains why the recovery of many of their parishes in Lithuania has been rather slow.After the establishment of the central institutions of the Church in May 1922, the Lithuanian Old Believers' Church was legalized on the basis of "Provisional regulations concerning the relationship between the organization of Old Believers in Lithuania and the Lithuanian government" on the May 20, 1923. Therefore, for the first time in history in 1923 the Lithuanian Old Believers Church was legally recognized in a certain state and formally received equal rights with other recognized denominations. At that time, Lithuania was the first country in Central and Eastern Europe to officially recognize the Old Believers (Pomorian) Church. ; Šio straipsnio tikslas– nuodugniau panagrinėti sentikių parapijų atsikūrimą ir jų pripažinimą tarpukario Lietuvos ribose (be Vilniaus krašto) 1918–1923m., taip pat paanalizuoti LSB įteisinimą ir religinės autonomijos praktinio įtvirtinimo problemas 1923–1926m. Tyrimas paremtas daugiausia naujais archyvų duomenimis, taip pat šios temos Lietuvos ir iš dalies užsienio istoriografijos analize bei interpretacija. Atliktas tyrimas leidžia teigti, kad keliomis bangomis vykusi sentikių masinė repatriacija iš Sovietų Rusijos 1918m. pavasarį–1922m. nemaža dalimi paaiškina, kodėl tada Lietuvoje gana lėtai vyko ir užsitęsė daugelio jų parapijų atsikūrimas, o dėl to vėlavo ir daugelio jų oficialus pripažinimas VRM. 1922m. sukūrus SCT, LSB buvo įteisinta, remiantis vyriausybės 1923m. gegužės 20d. patvirtintomis Laikinomis taisyklėmis. Tačiau, nepaisant lygiateisiškumo retorikos, 1923–1926m. valdžia praktikoje pažeisdavo LSB savarankiškumą, filtravo SCT narius, prižiūrėjo ir vis daugiau siekė kontroliuoti Tarybos veiklą. Vyriausybė ir VRM ėmėsi riboti religines ir socialines Bažnyčios ir nemažos dalies sentikių dvasininkų teises.

TWO POWERFUL INSTITUTIONS GUARD THE FAITH BEHIND THE OLD IRON CURTAIN: PATRIARCH AND PAPACY KEEP THE FAITH BUT WITH RATHER DIFFERENT CONSEQUENCES