The Orthodox Parish in the Context of the Changes in the Anti-Religious Policy of the Soviet State 1944–1945 (Based on the Material of the Peter and Paul Church of Tomsk)

The article analyzes the problems of believers and clergy in the Tomsk region in the restoration of religious life in the context of changes in the anti-religious policy of the state in 1944-1945 using the example of the Peter and Paul Church in Tomsk. The study is based on documents from the collection of the Plenipotentiary of the Council for Religious Affairs at the Council of Ministers of the USSR for the Tomsk Region. The article states that the repressive religious policy of the pre-war period did not lead to a complete suppression of religion and that religious congregations were illegal. It notes that one of these congregations, which formed around an illegal house of prayer, had a significant share in the revived parish. We have analyzed the conditions under which the Orthodox congregation of the Peter and Paul Church was involved in the restoration of religious life in a legal position. We came to the conclusion that the change in religious policy in 1943 met with the inertia of the local authorities, and it took a year for all the formalities for the opening of the church to be approved. The reports of the local authorities and the documents of the congregation reveal problems in the restoration of religious life, such as the poor technical condition of the building purchased by the faithful, conflicts between the congregation and the priesthood of the Novosibirsk and Barnaul diocese, and internal congregational problems related to the confrontation between priests and parishioners. The article reveals a lack of unity among the active parishioners when one of the parties, during the course of the conflict, revealed information to the authorities about the maintenance of an illegal house of prayer before the establishment of the parish. We analyzed the congregation’s serious problems with financial accounting and the violations of the condition of the church buildings. We concluded that spiritual life has declined during the ongoing anti-religious persecution. The article provides quantitative data on the level of liturgical activities of the Peter and Paul Church clergy in the context of demographic changes in the region. We found that the restrictions on the revitalization of religious life did not fully meet the needs of the population. The article shows that even under these conditions, other Tomsk believers turned to the Peter and Paul Church, and the clergy conducted services and sacraments not only in the city itself but also outside the city, which could be due to the social demand for the revival of religious life.

Russian Orthodox Church, Orthodox parish, Soviet government, Peter and Paul Church, Tomsk region, Tomsk