YAKUNIN V.N. State-Church Relations and the Religious Situation in a Provincial Town in 1997–2003 (On the Example of Tolyatti)
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.15688/jvolsu4.2021.4.5
Vadim N. Yakunin
Doctor of Sciences (History), Professor,
Department of Theology, Philosophy and History, Volga State Orthodox Institute,
Yubileynaya St, 4а, 445024 Tolyatti, Russian Federation
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0464-2938
Abstract. Introduction. The goal of the article is to investigate the nature and assess the results of statechurch relations in Tolyatti after the implementation of the Federal Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations” of September 26, 1997.
Materials and Methods. In order to implement the goal of the research, we used the materials of the municipal public institution “Tolyatti Archive” (orders and resolutions of the mayor of Tolyatti), data from periodicals, memoirs of contemporaries, materials of the current archive of the Samara diocesan administration closed to the public (reports of the ruling Bishop of the Samara diocese to the Moscow Patriarchate), materials from the author’s personal archive: reports of the assistant governors of Samara Oblast on religious issues reports of both secular and ecclesiastical officials on the religious situation in Samara Oblast and Tolyatti, other official and unofficial documents, many of which, due to their specificity, do not end up in Church or secular archives (correspondence between the heads of local religious organizations with Tolyatti Duma and City Hall officials; protocols of City Hall meetings on religious issues and the protocols of meetings in the religious organizations, which were conducted by the author). The research methodology includes the method of document analysis.
Analysis. The construction of churches, the development of educational institutions, the opening of a monastery, guardianship and fraternities, and the publication of religious periodicals continued in 1997–2003. For Tolyatti’s clergy and believers, the preparation and celebration of the 2000th anniversary of the Nativity of Christ was an opportunity to express themselves in the media, increase the number of parishes and ask the authorities for assistance in solving various life issues including financial assistance. The Orthodox clergy also hoped to solve the problem of various religious organizations and sects functioning on the territory of Tolyatti, which they considered their canonical territory, with the help of the authorities.
Results. With the celebration of the 2000th anniversary of Christianity, Orthodox religious organizations strengthened their position in society, established a dialogue with business and government, and gained advantages over other religious organizations in all matters. It was connected with both the allocation of land for temples and their subsequent financing.
Key words: temples, cathedrals, churches, monasteries, clergy, bishops, charity.
Citation. Yakunin V.N. State-Church Relations and the Religious Situation in a Provincial Town in 1997–2003 (On the Example of Tolyatti). Vestnik Volgogradskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya 4. Istoriya. Regionovedenie. Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniya [Science Journal of Volgograd State University. History. Area Studies. International Relations], 2021, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 54-65. (in Russian). DOI: https://doi.org/10.15688/jvolsu4.2021.4.5.
State-Church Relations and the Religious Situation in a Provincial Town in 1997–2003 (On the Example of Tolyatti) by Yakunin V.N. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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