History of the Russian Church can be divided into five periods: (1) Kiev Period (862-1240) (378 years); (2) Moscow Period (1240-1700) (460 years); (3) Petersburg Period (1700-1917) (217 years); (4) Godless Period (1917-1991) (74 years); (5) New Period (1991 until now).
    Contents: Introduction; (1) Planning of Revolution; (2) February Coup; (3) Державная [Reigning] Mother of God Icon; (4) Restoration of Patriarchate; (5) October Coup; (6) Beginning of Civil War; (7) Murder of the Czar's Family, Persecution of Church and General Terror; (8) Enforcing Atheism; (9) Situation inside the Church; (10) Catacomb Church; (11) "Sergianstvo"; (12) World War II; (13) Situation after the War; (14) Canonization of New Martyrs of Russia; (15) Gorbachev's "Perestroika" and Fall of Communism; Questions for the students of the Church School.

Introduction
The Godless period (1917-1991) begins with February coup in 1917. This period is marked with the state militant atheism and great persecutions of the Church. In the beginning of the Civil War, almost all the clergy and churches were destroyed. During the Second World War the government gradually allows the Russian Orthodox Church to exist, but as an enslaved and obedient servant of the godless and militantly богоборческий [god-fighting, atheistic] government. The clergy serves the government which is hostile to the Church and tries to undermine her in every possible way. The Church is slowly renewed from below -- new, young clergy appear. With "perestroika", during the time of Gorbachev, the Church receives more and more freedom. The Godless Period ends with the fall of Communism on August 19, 1991 Преображение Господне [Transfiguration of the Lord] and the rejection of state atheism. A long time will have to pass to eradicate all the evil brought to the people and the Church during the Godless Period.

1. Planning of Revolution
At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, a large part of the intelligentsia in the world was dreaming about a new economic system which would replace capitalism, which at that time still was not tamed. They thought that changes in a society are possible only by means of a revolution. Therefore, in many countries a revolution was being planned and begun, but nowhere was it successful. In Russia, the seeds of disorders and coups were sown from abroad. Many foreigners participated in them and financial resources for the revolution were also received from abroad. That was the time of the First World War. Germany needed to weaken Russia and consequently she, by all possible means, supported disorders in Russia.

2. February Coup
The year 1917 was the break point not only for the Russian Orthodox Church, but also for the whole of Russia and the whole world. The First World War was going on, there were rumors throughout the country, the time was troublesome. On February 24/March 9 disorders began in Petrograd (St. Petersburg was renamed into Petrograd). On the counsel of his advisors, in order to calm the disorders, Emperor Nikolay II abdicated from the throne for himself and his son, and transferred it to his brother Great Count Mikhail Aleksandrovich. The Great Count declined and the governing power was immeditely transferred to the "Provisional Government" with Count Lvov at its head, who was replaced in July by Aleksandr Fedorovich Kerensky. On March 8/21 the Czar with his family was arrested.

3. The Державная [Reigning] Icon of Mother of God
On the day of the Czar's abdication an icon of the Mother of God appears unexpectedly. This unusual icon was found in the village of Kolomensk, near Moscow. The Mother of God is shown sitting on the royal throne and consequently the icon was named the Державная [Reigning] icon. Believers see in this a sign from the Lord God that since the Czar abdicated from the throne, the Mother of God will protect and take care of Russia.

4. Restoration of Patriarchate
When Czar Emperor Nikolay II abdicated, the Russian Orthodox Church was governed by the Most Holy Synod. After the Czar's abdication and the February coup it became clear that the governing of the Church should be concentrated in the hands of one person, that is the Patriarch. To deal with this matter the Local Holy Council of Moscow was called. The Council began its session on August, 16/29, 1917 in Moscow, in the Church of Christ the Savior. The Council chose Metropolitan Tikhon (Belavin) as Patriarch, restored the feastday of "All Russian Saints" and proclaimed anathema on the Soviet regime. Soon the Patriarch was arrested and imprisoned -- according to his jailers -- died (+1925).
    After the death of Patriarch Tikhon a new Patriarch was not elected, and the Church was temporarily ruled by Metropolitans (temporarily substituting for the Patriarch).

5. October Coup
The power of the Provisional Government was weak and the Bolsheviks took advantage of it and on October 25/November 7 of 1917 illegally seized power by force. During the night of October 25th, the Bolsheviks took over the Winter Palace and dispersed the Provisional Government.
    In front of everybody, a grand deception was carried out; the government was taken over illegally by revolutionaries, who were well organized, prepared and financed from abroad. After a lengthy propaganda period, the state structure weakened, the Czar abdicated, the Provisional Government had not had time to organize properly and the Bolsheviks seized the government and the army nearly without any resistance.
    Russia by territory - is a huge country. In the beginning of the XX century the communication was poor and the news arrived belatedly. When the bolsheviks took over the government and started to send out orders, the entire government structure received them as more or less something normal and followed the directives from Petrograd. But, in some places resistance would break out occasionally. This way, the enormous size of the country became one of the causes of the Russian catastrophe.
    Russia was divided into areas determined by language/dialects and national attributes. Various independent republics were formed in this manner, which were later incorporated into the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Russia as a national Orthodox State ceased to exist.

6. Beginning of Civil War
In 1917, the governing power passed to the Provisional Government, and then in October to the Bolsheviks. Both governments разлагали [demoralize] the army in different ways from above and promoted desertions. Germany was interested in this and certainly she promoted it in anyway she could. Military authority passed to the commissars, and they held so called courts for officers and shot them. The army was breaking up and the majority of officers left. Eventually the Bolsheviks restructured the remainder of the army into the Red Army and filled it with new draftees.
    Seeing this chaos, in November of 1917 general Alexeev began to call up the Voluntary White Army and took action against the Red Army. This was the start of the Civil War.

7. Murder of Czar's Family, Persecution of Church and General Terror
The new government in order to stay in power began to carry out well calculated terror.
    The first victim was the peaceful, quiet and totally innocent Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and Galitziya -- January 25/ February 7, 1918. Then as it was said already above, right after his abdication, the Czar with his family were arrested by the Provisional Government, and then on July 4/17, 1918 (the night of 16/17) were shot by the Bolsheviks. Soon, Patriarch Tikhon died suddenly (+1925).
    Horror began in Russia. Strong and purposefully designed terror for the sake of terror was carried out. From the start, the churches were destroyed and then priests, monks, officers, intelligentsia, and prosperous peasantry were killed. Thousands and thousands of laymen, priests, monks, and general clergy were killed and tortured. The whole class of prosperous peasants was destroyed.
    Churches were torn down, or turned into warehouses, antireligious museums, cinemas etc. Thus the Russian Orthodox Church (clergy and the church buildings) was subject to terrible persecutions and was almost totally destroyed.
    Духовный [spiritual, religious] genocide was performed on the Russian people -- gradually and purposefully the Russian man who was brought up in Orthodox Christianity was re-made into a Soviet Man brought up on atheism. The country, from an Orthodox and believing one, was by force turned into one that was atheistic, богоборческую [god-fighting], non-believing and pagan. Instead of God, Church and the saints, the cults of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and the Party appeared.
    According to various calculations, during the 74 years of Communist rule, from 60,000,000 up to 100,000,000 persons were killed. As it was mentioned above, spiritual genocide was being performed on all the peoples of the USSR and especially the Russian people. Out of a believing person "the new Soviet man" was being created.

8. Enforcing Atheism
In order to re-educate the Russian man propaganda was established which was repeated day and night in all the schools, places of work, in books, newspapers, magazines, radio, on TV, in the army, in children's organizations. The same thing was constantly repeated: there is no God, the Church robs the people, priests are thieves, religion is darkness and opium of the people. All that was sacred was laughed at and erased from the memory of the people.
    The government promoted the spreading of non-Orthodox faiths, non-Christian sects, fortune-telling, paganism all in order to distract from the true Orthodox faith.

9. Situation inside the Church
The Russian Church at first was completely physically destroyed. Then when it became clear that the Church could not be eradicated from the people's memory she was again organized, but now in the service of the godless government. The clergy had to submit to authorities, which were trying to undermine the Church from the inside. Besides, informers and spies were present everywhere.

10. Catacomb Church
Since the Church was in the hands of the godless and militantly atheistic authorities, some priests went underground. They held ordinary secular positions, and secretly performed Church services, baptisms, weddings, funerals etc. This underground Church is called the Catacomb Church. (Catacombs were underground caves in Rome, in which Christians hid, during the persecution of Christians, in the first 300 years of Christianity). Very little is known about the Catacomb Church in the USSR. It is known that she existed and that she still exists.

11. "Sergianstvo"
In 1927 Metropolitan Sergy was released from prison and he had to publish the Declaration in which, on behalf of the Church, he expressed full agreement with the government policy towards the Church. It was a strange pact because it promised that the Church will serve the godless government which is trying to destroy it. This movement and the loyalty of the Church to the godless authorities is known as "Sergianstvo".

12. World War II
The Second World War affected the whole world. In the USSR, in order to attract the people towards the fight against the Germans, some freedom was given to the Church, which at times was decreased and at other times increased. Then the authorities collected from the concentration camps the surviving bishops and organized the Synod which chose Metropolitan Sergy as the Patriarch. It remains to be seen how canonical was this act.

13. Situation after the War
After Patriarch Sergy came Alexey, then Pimen, and now Alexey II. Gradually new, young and fresh individuals are appearing among the clergy. The authorities sometimes allowed, and sometimes limited the activity of the Church, everything depended on what was required by the authorities at that particular moment.

14. Canonization of New Martyrs of Russia
One of the more important spiritual events took place when the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad on November 1, 1981 -- according to a long established custom in the Orthodox Church -- glorified (or canonized, that is announced them to be saints) the "Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia". All those who died for the Orthodox faith during the Godless Period. It was decided to designate as the remembrance day the nearest Sunday to January, 25/February 7th, since on that day, 63 years ago (1918), the first New Martyr was murdered, Saint Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and Galitziya. He was the first one in a long line of those killed and martyred for the Orthodox faith. The canonization was meant to be the beginning of the repentance for the participation in the affairs of the atheists and has a strong spiritual and moral significance. The Lord God heard the prayers of the believers and in 1991 -- exactly after 10 (ten) years -- the godless government fell.

15. Gorbachev's "Perestroika" and the Fall of Communism
During Gorbachev's "perestroika" the Church gradually receives more and more freedom. The Soviet satellites -- one by one -- overthrow the Communist governments. In 1988, the millenium of the baptism of Russia is celebrated abroad and in the USSR, which gives a big push to the revival of spiritual forces among the Russian people. In 1989 the famous Berlin wall falls. In 1991 -- 70 years (1921) after the decision by the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad to read "The Prayer for the Salvation of Russia" during each Liturgy and 10 years (1981) after the canonization of the New Russian Martyrs -- the godless government fell. The new government renounced state atheism and the terrible Godless Period in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church came to an end. The deep spiritual wounds inflicted on the body of the Church and the believers will require a long time to heal.

September 19/October 2, 1995

CONTENTS
BACK
AHEAD

Questions
(For students of School at the Church of all Russian Saints, Burlingame, CA)
1. How and when did the February coup happen?
2. When did the "Reigning" icon of the Mother of God appear and how does it look? 3. How and why was the Patriarchate reinstated?
4. How and when did the October coup happen?
5. What happened to the army and how did the Civil War start?
6. What happened to Emperor Nikolay II?
7. How was the Church persecuted?
8. How was atheism introduced?
9. What is the Catacomb Church?
10. What is "Sergianstvo"?
11. What happened to the Church during the Second World War?
12. What happened to the Church after the war?
13. How is the Church gradually renewed?
14. Who are the New Martyrs and how were they canonized?
15. How did the fall of Communism affect the Church?

Notes
[П1] Notes in square brackets were not part of the original Russian text. They are various translations, notes in Cyrillic and others.
[П2] Russian Alphabet (SE-03)