Synod is the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. Synod establishment

14.10.2019

In the Orthodox East, by the 15th century, the formation of the institution of a permanent council of bishops under the primates of the local Churches, called in Constantinople Σύνοδος ενδημούσα (“permanently resident cathedral”) or “small synods” in other Churches, was completed.

By their resolutions, under the chairmanship of the Patriarchs, decisions were made on the most important issues. In Russia, the establishment of the Synod is associated with the reign of Peter I. Among the transformations of Peter I, the most important in its consequences was the reform of church administration.

Reform of Peter I

Initially, Peter was not going to change the established church order. However, the further the first Russian emperor advanced in carrying out state reform, the less he had the desire to share power with another person, even a spiritual one. To the very Orthodox faith Peter I was rather indifferent.

Patriarch Adrian died in 1700. Peter immediately took advantage of this circumstance. He does not see any worthless candidates for the Patriarchate among the representatives of the church hierarchy.

The patriarchal throne remained vacant, and the Locum Tenens Metropolitan of Ryazan Stefan Yavorsky was appointed to manage the diocese of the Patriarch. The locum tenens were entrusted with managing only the affairs of faith: "about the schism, about the opposition of the church, about heresies"

On January 24, 1701, the Monastic Order was restored, under whose jurisdiction the Patriarchal court, bishops' houses, monastic lands and farms were transferred. Boyar Ivan Alekseevich Musin-Pushkin was placed at the head of the order.

In all important cases, the Locum Tenens had to consult with other bishops, whom he was asked to alternately summon to Moscow. The results of all meetings were to be submitted by the Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne for approval to the sovereign. This meeting of regular bishops from the dioceses was called, as before, the Consecrated Cathedral. This Consecrated Cathedral in spiritual matters, and the boyar Musin-Pushkin with his Monastic Order in others, significantly limited the power of the Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne in governing the church.

Since 1711, instead of the old Boyar Duma, the Governing Senate began to operate. From now on, all administrations, both spiritual and temporal, had to obey the Decrees of the Senate as Royal Decrees. The Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne could no longer appoint a bishop without the Senate. The Senate begins to build churches on its own and itself orders bishops to appoint priests. The Senate appoints abbots and abbesses to monasteries.

In 1718, the Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne, temporarily residing in St. Petersburg, received the Decree of His Majesty - "to live in St. Petersburg permanently and the bishops to come to St. Petersburg in turn, against the way they came to Moscow." Such management was clearly temporary. However, it took about twenty years before Peter put his ideas into practice. For their implementation, he needed a like-minded person in the church environment. The process of the birth of church reform proceeded in complete secrecy from the Church and its hierarchy.

Feofan Prokopovich

The key figure in the organization of the Theological College was the Little Russian theologian, rector of the Kiev-Mohyla Academy Feofan Prokopovich, whom Peter met back in 1706, when he spoke a welcoming speech to the sovereign during the laying of the Pechersk fortress in Kyiv. In 1711, Feofan was under Peter in the Prut campaign. On June 1, 1718, he was named bishop of Pskov, and the next day he was consecrated to the rank of bishop in the presence of the sovereign. Soon Prokopovich was entrusted with drawing up a project for the creation of the Theological College.

By 1721, Feofan Prokopovich completed the drafting of the Spiritual Regulations - the document that determined the existence of the Spiritual College. Theophan openly stated the reasons for replacing the Patriarchate with a spiritual college in the "Spiritual Regulations":

“So that the common people would not be tempted to see in the patriarch some kind of second person in the state, almost equal to the first, and even surpassing it ...”

This document was submitted by Peter for discussion in the Senate and only then brought to attention. Church Council of the six bishops who ended up in St. Petersburg. Under pressure from the secular authorities, they signed the document and assured that everything "had been done pretty well." During the year, the signatures of those bishops who did not participate in the Acts of the Council, as well as the abbots of the most important monasteries, were collected. Often, government officials used force to obtain the required consent.

Holy Governing Synod

After the establishment of the Theological College, the question arose: how to make a prayerful proclamation of the new church government? The Latin word "collegium" in combination with "Holy" sounded dissonant, so it was proposed different variants: "assembly", "cathedral". Finally, they settled on an acceptable Greek word "synod" - the Holy Governing Synod. Synod or cathedral (from the Greek Σύνοδος - “meeting”, “cathedral”; lat. consilium - council, council). In order to observe the canonicity of the new spiritual government, Peter turned to Patriarch Jeremiah of Constantinople for a blessing. The patriarch's response was as follows:

“Our measure ... confirms and consolidates that the Synod established by the most pious autocrat Peter Alekseevich is and is called our brother in Christ ...”

Similar letters were received from other Eastern patriarchs. Thus, the Synod was recognized as a permanent Council, equal in power to the Patriarchs, and therefore bearing the title of Most Holy.

On January 25, 1721, Peter signed a manifesto on the establishment of the Theological Board, which soon received the new name of the Holy Governing Synod. On February 14, 1721, the grand opening of the new church administration took place.

Composition and structure of the Holy Governing Synod

The patriarchal orders were transferred to the jurisdiction of the Synod: the spiritual, state and palace orders, renamed into synodal orders, the monastery order, the order of church affairs, the office of schismatic affairs and the printing office. In St. Petersburg, a Tiun office (Tiunskaya Izba) was established; in Moscow - the spiritual dicastery, the office of the synodal government, the synodal office, the order of inquisitorial affairs, the office of schismatic affairs.

The composition of the Holy Synod was determined according to the regulations in 12 "governing persons", of which three certainly had to bear the rank of bishop. As in civil colleges, the Synod had one president, two vice-presidents, four advisers and five assessors.

In 1726, these foreign titles, so out of touch with the clergy of the persons sitting in the Synod, were replaced by the words: first-present member, members of the Synod, and those present in the Synod. According to the regulations, the President, who is subsequently first present, has a voice equal to that of the other members of the board. Metropolitan Stefan was appointed President of the Synod.

A man devoted to Peter, Theodosius, bishop of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, was appointed vice-president. In terms of the structure of the office and office work, the Synod resembled the Senate and collegiums, with all the ranks and customs established in these institutions. Peter also took care of the organization of supervision over the activities of the Synod. On May 11, 1722, a special Chief Procurator was ordered to be present at the Synod.

Colonel Ivan Vasilyevich Boltin was appointed the first Chief Procurator of the Synod. The main duty of the chief prosecutor was to conduct all relations between the Synod and the civil authorities and vote against the decisions of the Synod when they were not consistent with the laws and decrees of Peter. The Senate gave the Chief Prosecutor a special instruction, which was almost a complete copy of the instruction to the Prosecutor General of the Senate.

The chief procurator was subject to the court only of the sovereign. At first, the power of the chief prosecutor was exclusively observant, but little by little the chief prosecutor becomes the arbiter of the fate of the Synod and its leader in practice.

Until 1901, the members of the Synod and those present in the Synod, upon taking office, had to take an oath, which, in particular, read:

I confess with an oath to the extreme Judge of the Spiritual sowing of the Collegium of being the Samago All-Russian Monarch Sovereign of our most merciful

As a result of the Petrine reform, the Church completely lost its independence from secular authorities. All resolutions of the Synod until 1917 were stamped: "By decree of His Imperial Majesty." In state papers, church authorities began to be referred to, along with other departments, such as military, financial, judicial, as the "Department of the Orthodox Confession."

Alexander A. Sokolovsky

), is the governing body of the Russian Orthodox Church in the period between Bishops' Councils.

The Holy Synod is responsible to the Council of Bishops and, through the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, submits to it a report on its activities during the inter-council period.

The Holy Synod consists of the Chairman - the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (Locum Tenens), seven permanent and five temporary members - diocesan bishops.

Permanent members are: in the department - Metropolitans of Kyiv and all Ukraine; St. Petersburg and Ladoga; Krutitsky and Kolomensky; Minsk and Slutsky, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus; Chisinau and all Moldova; ex officio - chairman of the Department for External Church Relations and manager of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Temporary members are called to attend one session, according to the seniority of the episcopal consecration, one from each group into which the dioceses are divided. The call of a bishop to the Holy Synod cannot follow until the expiration of the two-year term of his administration of the given diocese.

Permanent members of the Synod by department and ex officio

- Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine
- Metropolitan of Krutitsy and Kolomna (Moscow region);
- Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of Belarus;
- Metropolitan of Chisinau and all Moldova;
- chairman of the Department for External Church Relations;
- manager of affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Permanent Members (personal composition) of the Holy Synod at the present time

Vladimir (Sabodan) - Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine
Yuvenaly (Poyarkov) - Metropolitan of Krutitsy and Kolomna
Vladimir (Kotlyarov) - Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga
Filaret (Vakhromeev) - Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus
Vladimir (Kantaryan) - Metropolitan of Chisinau and all Moldova
Varsonofy (Sudakov) - Archbishop of Saransk and Mordovia, acting. manager of affairs of the Moscow Patriarchy
Hilarion (Alfeev) - Archbishop of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate

Commissions and departments

The following Synodal departments are accountable to the Holy Synod:

Publishing Council;
Study Committee;
Department of Catechism and Religious Education;
Department of Charity and Social Service;
Missionary Department;
Department for Cooperation with the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement Institutions;
Department of Youth Affairs;
Department for Relations between the Church and Society;
Information department.

Also under the Synod there are the following institutions:

Patriarchal Synodal Biblical Commission;
Synodal Theological Commission;
Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints;
Synodal Liturgical Commission;
Synodal Commission for Monasteries;
Synodal Commission for Economic and Humanitarian Affairs;
Synodal library named after His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II.

During the synodal period (-)

As such, he was recognized by the Eastern Patriarchs and other autocephalous Churches. The members of the Holy Synod were appointed by the emperor; Emperor's representative in the Holy Synod was Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod.

Establishment and functions

The Patriarchal orders were transferred to the jurisdiction of the Synod: Spiritual, Treasury and Palace, renamed into synodal, the Monastic order, the order of church affairs, the office of schismatic affairs and the printing office. In St. Petersburg, a Tiun office (Tiunskaya Izba) was established; in Moscow - the spiritual dicastery, the office of the synodal government, the synodal office, the order of inquisitorial affairs, the office of schismatic affairs.

All institutions of the Synod were closed during the first two decades of its existence, except for the Synodal Chancellery, the Moscow Synodal Office and the printing office, which lasted until.

Chief Prosecutor of the Synod

The Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Governing Synod is a secular official appointed by the Russian Emperor (in 1917 they were appointed by the Provisional Government) and who was his representative in the Holy Synod.

Compound

Initially, according to the "Spiritual Regulations", Holy Synod consisted of 11 members: president, 2 vice-presidents, 4 advisers and 4 assessors; it included bishops, abbots of monasteries and white clergy.

Last years

After the death of the leading member of the Synod Anthony (Vadkovsky) and the appointment of Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) to the St. Petersburg cathedra, the political situation around the Synod became much more aggravated, which was due to G. Rasputin's intrusion into the affairs of church administration. In November, by the Highest Rescript, Metropolitan Vladimir was transferred to Kyiv, albeit with the preservation of the title of the first member. The transfer of Vladimir and the appointment of Metropolitan Pitirim (Oknov) was painfully perceived in the church hierarchy and in society, which viewed Metropolitan Pitirim as a "rasputinist." As a result, as Prince N. D. Zhevakhov wrote, “the principle of the inviolability of hierarchs was violated, and this was enough for the Synod to find itself almost in the vanguard of that opposition to the Throne, which used the aforementioned act for general revolutionary purposes, as a result of which both hierarchs, Metropolitans Pitirim and Macarius, were declared “Rasputinists.”

The main task of the Synod was the preparation of the All-Russian Local Council.

Notes

Literature

Kedrov N.I. Spiritual regulation in connection with the transformative activity of Peter the Great. Moscow, 1886.
Tikhomirov P.V. The Canonical Dignity of Peter the Great's Reforms on Church Administration. - Theological Bulletin, 1904, No. 1 and 2.
Prot. A. M. Ivantsov-Platonov. On Russian Church Administration. SPb., 1898.
Tikhomirov L. A. Monarchic statehood. Part III, Ch. 35: Bureaucracy in the Church.
Prot. V. G. Pevtsov. Lectures on Church Law. SPb., 1914.
Prot. Georgy Florovsky. Ways of Russian theology. Paris, 1937.
I. K. Smolich Chapter II. Church and State From History of the Russian Church. 1700-1917 (Geschichte der Russische Kirche). Leiden, 1964, in 8 books.

Links

A. G. Zakrzhevsky. The Holy Synod and Russian Bishops in the First Decades of the “Church Government” in Russia.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .

Holy Governing Synod
Holy Governing Synod

See what the "Holy Synod" is in other dictionaries:

Holy Synod- - The Holy Synod was established in 1721. The reasons for replacing the patriarchal government with the synodal one are indicated in the Spiritual Regulations and are, among other things, as follows: 1) the truth can be found out much better by several persons than by one; 2)… … Complete Orthodox Theological Encyclopedic Dictionary

Holy Synod- HOLY, oh, her. Component the titles of some patriarchs, as well as the Pope. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

HOLY SYNOD- (Greek synodos assembly) one of the highest state bodies in Russia in 1721-1917. He was in charge of the affairs of the Orthodox Church (interpretation of religious dogmas, observance of rituals, issues of spiritual censorship and enlightenment, the fight against heretics and ... ... Legal Encyclopedia

Holy Synod- Holy Synod, Holy Synod(Greek Σύνοδος "assembly", "cathedral"), according to the current Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church, the highest "governing body of the Russian Orthodox Church in the period between Bishops' Councils." Contents ... Wikipedia

Holy Synod- see Synod ... encyclopedic Dictionary F. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

HOLY SYNOD- (Greek synodos assembly) one of the highest state bodies in Russia in 1721-1917. was in charge Orthodox Church(interpretation of religious dogmas, observance of rituals, issues of spiritual censorship and education, the fight against heretics and ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of Economics and Law

The Holy Synod is in the past supreme body administration of the affairs of the Orthodox Church. Active from 1721 to 1918. In the Russian Orthodox Church in 1917 - 1918, the patriarchate was adopted. At the moment, this body plays only a secondary role in the affairs of the church.

Early Church

The Russian Orthodox Church was founded in 988.

The clergy adopted the original hierarchical structure in Constantinople. Over the next 9 centuries, the Russian Church was largely dependent on Byzantium. Between 988 and 988, a metropolitan system was practiced. Further, from 1589 to 1720, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church was the patriarch. And from 1721 to 1918 the Church was governed by the Synod. Currently, the sole ruler of the Russian Orthodox Church is Patriarch Kirill. Today the Synod is just an advisory body.

Rules of the Universal Church

By general rules The Synod of World Orthodoxy may have judicial, legislative, administrative, supervisory and administrative powers. Interaction with the state is carried out through a person appointed by the secular government. For effective work Synod created the following bodies:

Synodal Office.
Spiritual and educational committee.
Office of the Synodal Printing Houses.
Office of the Chief Prosecutor.
Spiritual School Council.
Economic management.

The ROC is divided into dioceses, the limits of which coincide with the boundaries of the regions of the state. The resolutions of the synod are obligatory for the clergy and are recommended for the parishioners. For their adoption, a special meeting of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church is held (2 times a year).

Creation of the Spiritual Regulations

The spiritual regulations were created by order of Peter I by Metropolitan Feofan Prokopovich. This document reflects all the ancient church rules. Having met resistance to the ongoing reforms from the clergy, this Russian Emperor became the initiator of the abolition of patriarchal power and the creation of the Synod. There is no doubt that it was after this, and also after the introduction of the position of chief prosecutor, that the ROC lost its independence from the state.

Official reasons for the adoption of synodal government by the church

The prerequisites for which this particular form of government was once adopted in the Russian Orthodox Church (by the command of Peter I),

indicated in the Spiritual Regulations and consisted of the following:

Several spiritual persons can establish the truth much faster and better than one.
The decisions of the conciliar power will have much more weight and authority than the decisions of one person.
In case of illness or death of the sole ruler, the affairs will not be stopped.
Several individuals can make a much more impartial decision than one.
It is much more difficult for the authorities to influence a large number of clergy than on the sole ruler of the church.
In one person such power can arouse pride. At the same time, it will be difficult for ordinary people to separate the church from the monarchy.
The Holy Synod can always condemn the illegal actions of one of its members. To analyze the wrong decisions of the patriarch, you need to call the Eastern clergy. And it's expensive and time consuming.
A synod is first of all a kind of school in which more experienced members can train newcomers in the management of the church. Thus, work efficiency is increased.

The main feature of the Russian Synod

A characteristic feature of the newly created Russian Synod was that it was recognized as hierarchically equal by the Eastern Patriarchs. Similar bodies in other Orthodox states played only a secondary role with a sole dominant person. Only the Greek Synod had the same power within the church of its country as the Russian one. The Houses of God of these two states have always had much in common in their structure. The Eastern Patriarchs called the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church "beloved brother in the Lord", that is, they recognized his power as equal to their own.

The historical composition of the Synod

Initially, this governing body consisted of:

President (Stefan Yavorsky - Metropolitan of Ryazan);
Vice-presidents in the amount of two people;
Advisers and assessors (4 people each).

The members of the Synod were elected from among the archimandrites, bishops, city archpriests and abbots. The church has adopted rules that protect freedom of expression. So, the abbots and archpriests with the bishops standing above them should not have taken part in the work of the Synod at the same time. After his death, the position of chairman was abolished. From that moment on, all members of the Synod were equal in rights. Over time, the composition of this body periodically changed. So, in 1763 it consisted of 6 people (3 bishops, 2 archimandrites and 1 archpriest). In 1819 - 7 people.

Almost immediately after the decision to establish the Synod was made, the monarch ordered the membership of an observing secular person in this body. This representative of the state was elected from respectable officers. The position given to him was called "Ober-Procurator of the Synod". According to the instructions approved by the monarch, this man was "the eye of the Sovereign and an attorney for state affairs." In 1726, the Synod was divided into two parts - spiritual and secular economic.

A Brief History of Synodal Administration from 1721 to 1918

During the first years of government big influence Bishop Feofan had the decision of the Synod. Not a single church book could be published without his approval.

This man was friends with Bismarck and Osterman, and all the bishops, one way or another, were dependent on him. Feofan achieved such power after the fall of the Great Russian party in the Synod. At that time Soviet authority worried not better times. The confrontation between Anna Ioannovna and the daughters of Peter the Great caused persecution of those who sympathized with the latter. Once, all the members of the Synod, except for Feofan, were simply dismissed on a denunciation, and others, much more loyal to him, were appointed in their place. Of course, after that he achieved unprecedented power. Feofan died in 1736.

In the end, Elizabeth nevertheless ascended the throne. After that, all the clergy exiled in the time of Theophanes were returned from exile. The period of her reign was one of the best for the Russian Orthodox Synod. However, the Empress did not restore the patriarchate. Moreover, she appointed the especially intolerant Chief Prosecutor Y. Shakhovsky, who was reputed to be a zealous zealot of state affairs.

At times Peter III The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church was forced to endure German influence, which, however, ended with the ascension to the throne of Catherine II. This queen did not introduce any special innovations to the Synod. The only thing she did was close the savings college. Thus, the Synod again became united.

Under Alexander I, Prince A. N. Golitsyn, who in his youth had a reputation as a patron, became chief prosecutor different kind mystical sects. As a practical person, he was even considered useful to the Synod, especially at first. Filaret, elevated by the emperor to the rank of metropolitan in 1826, became a prominent church figure from the time of Nicholas I. From 1842, this clergyman took an active part in the work of the Synod.

"Dark Times" of the Synod of the beginning of the 20th century

The main reason for the return to the patriarchate in 1917-18. G. Rasputin interfered in the management of the church and aggravated the political situation around this body.

The synod is the inviolability of the hierarchs. The events connected with the death of the leading member of this body, Anthony, and the appointment of Metropolitan Vladimir in his place, and later Pitirim, led to the intensification of passions unacceptable in the highest church management and the creation of a heavy atmosphere of distrust. most of the clergy considered "Rasputin".

Considering that by the end of 1916 many other members of the Synod were followers of this royal henchman (for example, the chief prosecutor Raev, the head of the office Guryev and his assistant Mudrolyubov), the church began to look like almost the main opposition to the royal throne. Members of the governing body who did not belong to the select circle of "Rasputinites" were afraid to once again express their opinion, knowing that it would be immediately transferred to Tsarskoe Selo. Managed affairs already, in fact, not the Synod of the Orthodox Church, but G. Rasputin alone.

Return to patriarchal rule

After the revolution in February 1917, the Provisional Government, in order to correct this situation, issued a decree dismissing all members of this body and convening new ones for the summer session.

On August 5, 1917, the position of Chief Prosecutor was abolished and the Ministry of Religions was established. This body issued decrees on behalf of the Synod until January 18, 1918. On February 14, 1918, the last decree of the Council was published. According to this document, the powers of the Holy Synod were transferred to the patriarch. This body itself became collegiate.

Features of the structure and powers of the modern Synod

Today the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church is an advisory body under the patriarch. It consists of permanent and temporary members. The latter are called to meetings from their dioceses and are dismissed in the same way without being awarded the title of a member of the Synod. Today, this body has the right to supplement the Spiritual Regulations with legalizations and definitions, having previously sent them for approval to the Patriarch.

Chairman and permanent members

Today, the head of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church (occupies the position of chairman) is Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev.

Metropolitans are its permanent members:

Kyiv and all Ukraine Vladimir.
Ladoga and St. Petersburg Vladimir.
Slutsky and Minsk Filaret.
All Moldova and Chisinau Vladimir.
Kolomensky and Krutitsky Yuvenaly.
Kazakh and Astana Alexander.
Central Asian Vincent.
Metropolitan Barsanuphiy of Mordovian and Saransk, Managing Director of the Patriarchy of Moscow.
Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Department of the Patriarchate of Moscow.

Location

Immediately after its establishment, the Synod was located in St. Petersburg on City Island. After some time, meetings began to be held in In 1835, the Synod moved to Senate Square. From time to time meetings were transferred to Moscow. For example, during the coronation of monarchs. In August 1917 the Synod finally moved to Moscow. Prior to that, there was only the Synodal Office.

In 1922 the patriarch was arrested. The first meeting of the Synod was held only five years later, in 1927. Then the legalization of the ROC was achieved by Metropolitan Sergius of Nizhny Novgorod.

He organized a temporary Patriarchal Synod with him. However, in the spring of 1935, this body was again dissolved at the initiative of the authorities.

Permanent Synod

In 1943, a permanent Synod was elected, whose meetings began to be held in house No. 5 provided by I. Stalin in Chisty Lane. From time to time they were transferred to the Patriarch's chambers in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Since 2009, meetings have been held at various locations chosen by the head of the Church. In 2011, in December, the Synodal Residence of the Patriarch was opened and consecrated in the reconstructed St. Danilov Monastery. It was here that the last meeting, which opened on October 2, 2013, was held.

Last session

At the last meeting (held in October 2013), much attention was paid to the celebration of the 1025th anniversary of the baptism of Russia. Quite important for the church is the decision of the Synod on the need to continue the tradition of holding ceremonial events for each anniversary in cooperation with state bodies. authorities. Also at the meeting, questions were considered on the establishment of new dioceses in different regions country and on the appointment of clerics to new positions. In addition, the clergy adopted the Regulations on programs related to the education of youth, as well as on missionary and social activities.

The modern Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, although not a governing body, still plays an important role in the life of the church. Its decrees and decisions are binding on all dioceses. There is currently no position of Chief Prosecutor. As everyone knows, the church is separated from the state. And therefore, it has no special influence on politics, both internal and external, despite the patriarchal rule and modern independence. That is, it is not a government agency.

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The query "Theological College" is redirected here. This topic needs a separate article. This article is about the body of church and state administration of the Russian Church in 1721-1917. For the current governing body of the Russian Orthodox Church, see the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.

(Holy Governing Council (Russian doref.)) - the highest body of church and state administration of the Russian Church in the synodal period (1721-1917).

1 Legal status
2 Functions
3 History
- 3.1 Last years (1912-1918)
4 Composition
5 Chief Procurator of the Synod
6 Preeminent members
7 See also
8 Notes
9 Links

Legal status

According to the Basic Laws Russian Empire, the Synod was defined as "a conciliar government, which has all kinds of supreme power in the Russian Orthodox Church and is in relations with Orthodox churches abroad, through which the supreme autocratic power, which established it, operates in church administration."

As such, he was recognized by the eastern patriarchs and other autocephalous churches. The members of the Most Holy Governing Synod were appointed by the emperor. The Emperor's representative in the Synod was Chief Prosecutor Holy Synod.

Upon the abolition by Peter I (1701) of the patriarchal administration of the church, from 1721 until August 1917 (nominally existed until February 1 (14), 1918) established by him was the highest state body of church-administrative authority in the Russian Empire, replacing the patriarch in parts of general church functions and external relations, as well as councils of all bishops of the local church, that is, the Local Council: 236.

The building of the Senate and Synod in St. Petersburg

The Governing Synod acted on behalf of the Emperor, whose orders on church matters were final and binding on the Synod:237.

Functions

The Governing Synod was the highest administrative and judicial body of the Russian Church. He had the right (with the consent of the supreme authority) to open new cathedras, elect and appoint bishops, establish church holidays and ceremonies, canonize saints, and censor works of theological, church-historical and canonical content. He owned the right of the court of first instance in relation to bishops accused of committing anti-canonical acts, and the Synod also had the right to make final decisions on divorce cases, cases of defrocking clerics, and anathematizing the laity; questions of the spiritual enlightenment of the people were also within the jurisdiction of the Synod:238.

Story

On October 16, 1700, Patriarch Adrian died. Tsar Peter I appointed the educated Little Russian Metropolitan of Ryazan Stefan (Yavorsky) exarch, that is, guardian of the patriarchal throne. Peter withdrew personnel and administrative matters from his competence. In 1701, the Monastic order, abolished in 1667, was restored, and the management of all church estates was transferred to its jurisdiction.

In 1718, Peter I expressed the opinion that "for better governance in the future, it seems to be convenient for the spiritual college"; Peter instructed Bishop Feofan Prokopovich of Pskov to draw up a charter for the future collegium, which was called the Spiritual Regulations.

During 1720, the signing of the Regulations took place by the bishops and archimandrites of the sedate monasteries; the last, reluctantly, was signed by the exarch, Metropolitan Stefan (Yavorsky).

On January 25, 1721, a Manifesto was issued on the establishment of the Theological College. Stefan Yavorsky became the President of the Synod. In the same year, Peter I turned to the Patriarch of Constantinople Jeremiah III with a petition for the recognition of the Holy Synod by the Eastern Patriarchs. In September 1723, the Patriarchs of Constantinople and Antioch recognized the Holy Synod as their “brother in Christ” with equal patriarchal dignity by a special letter.

On February 14, 1721, the Theological College, which received the name of the Holy Governing Synod, was officially opened.

Under Catherine I, the Synod ceased to be called "Governmental" for some time, and received the name "Spiritual":239.

Until 1901, the members of the Synod and those present in the Synod, upon taking office, had to take an oath, which, in particular, read:

I confess, with an oath, to the extreme Judge of the Spiritual Council of the Life of the All-Russian Monarch of our most merciful Sovereign.

Until September 1, 1742, the Synod was also the diocesan authority for the former Patriarchal Region, renamed Synodal.

The patriarchal orders were transferred to the jurisdiction of the Synod: the spiritual, state and palace orders, renamed into synodal orders, the monastery order, the order of church affairs, the office of schismatic affairs and the printing office. Petersburg, the Tiun office (Tiunskaya Izba) was established; in Moscow - the spiritual dicastery, the office of the synodal government, the synodal office, the order of inquisitorial affairs, the office of schismatic affairs.

All institutions of the Synod were closed during the first two decades of its existence, except for the synodal office, the Moscow synodal office and the printing office, which lasted until 1917.

Last years (1912-1918)

After the death of the leading member of the Synod Anthony (Vadkovsky) in 1912 and the appointment of Metropolitan Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) to the St. Petersburg cathedra, the political situation around the Synod became much more aggravated, which was due to the intrusion of G. Rasputin into the affairs of church administration. In November 1915, Metropolitan Vladimir was transferred to Kyiv by the Highest Rescript, although he retained the title of the first member. The transfer of Vladimir and the appointment of Metropolitan Pitirim (Oknov) in his place was painfully perceived in the church hierarchy and in society, which viewed Metropolitan Pitirim as a “Rasputinist”. As a result, as Prince Nikolai Zhevakhov wrote, “the principle of the inviolability of hierarchs was violated, and this was enough for the Synod to find itself almost in the vanguard of that opposition to the throne, which used the aforementioned act for common revolutionary purposes, as a result of which both hierarchs, metropolitans Pitirim and Macarius were declared "Rasputinists".

Former member of the Synod in the pre-revolutionary years, Protopresbyter Georgy Shavelsky, while in exile, assessed the oldest members of the Synod of that time and the general situation in it:<…>in a certain respect characterized the state of our hierarchy in the pre-revolutionary period.<…>The synod was dominated by a heavy atmosphere of distrust. The members of the Synod were afraid of each other, and not without reason: every word openly spoken within the walls of the Synod by Rasputin's opponents was immediately transmitted to Tsarskoye Selo.

At the end of 1915, the discussion in the Synod of the “Varnavin case” (see John of Tobolsk # Tobolsk scandal) acquired a scandalous character, as a result of which A. D. Samarin was forced to resign from the post of chief prosecutor. About the situation in church administration by the end of the reign of Nicholas II, Protopresbyter Shavelsky wrote: “At the end of 1916, Rasputin’s henchmen already actually held control in their hands. Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod Raev, his comrade Zhevakhov, head of the office of the Holy Synod Guryev and his assistant Mudrolyubov were Rasputinites. Metropolitans Pitirim and Macarius professed the same faith. Whole line diocesan and vicar bishops were Rasputin's clients."

On March 1, 1916, according to the report of the Chief Procurator of the Volzhin Synod, the emperor “was pleased to omnipotently command that in the future the reports of the Chief Procurator to His Imperial Majesty on matters relating to the internal structure of church life and the essence of church administration should be made in the presence of the primordial member of the Holy Synod, for the purpose of their comprehensive canonical coverage. The conservative newspaper Moskovskiya Vedomosti, calling the Supreme Command of March 1 “a great act of trust,” wrote: “It is reported from Petrograd that in church circles and in the Synod the great act of royal trust is experienced as a bright holiday, that A. N. Volzhin and Metropolitan Vladimir receive greetings and expressions of gratitude from everywhere.

In April 1917, a member of the State Council, a member of the Council of the Russian Assembly, Professor-Archpriest Timofey Butkevich wrote in the editorial of the official publication of the Holy Synod "Tserkovny Vestnik" about the state of the top management of the Russian Church in last years reign of Nicholas II:<…>The influence of Rasputin on the tsar in the life of the Orthodox Church was especially hard.<…>And the church was managed, in fact, by Rasputin. He appointed chief prosecutors of the Holy Synod from among those who licked his hands. He elevated his like-minded people to metropolitan (m. m. Pitirim and Macarius) and archiepiscopal sees.<…>»

After the fall of the monarchy, on April 14, 1917, the Provisional Government issued a decree dismissing all members of the Synod, with the exception of Archbishop Sergius (Stragorodsky), and calling new members to the summer session. The meaning of the dissolution was to remove from the Synod persons who were then perceived by society as Rasputin's proteges: Moscow Metropolitan Macarius (Nevsky) and Petrograd Pitirim (Oknov). The decree was read to the Synod by Chief Procurator V. N. Lvov on April 15 (O.S.); Archbishop Sergius (Stragorodsky) agreed to enter the new composition of the Synod, "although he promised his brother-bishops that he would not go to the new composition of the Synod formed by Lvov."

By the decision of the Holy Synod of April 29, 1917, No. 2579, a number of questions were withdrawn from the Synod’s records “for final permission to the diocesan administrations”: on the removal of the priesthood and monasticism upon petition, on the establishment of new parishes at local funds, on the dissolution of marriages due to the inability of one of the spouses, on the recognition of marriages as illegal and invalid, on the dissolution of marriages for adultery - with the consent of both parties, and a number of others that were previously within the competence of the Synod. on the same day, the Synod decided to form a pre-conciliar council to prepare issues to be considered at the "Church Constituent Assembly"; the main task was the preparation of the all-Russian local council.

On July 25, 1917, V. N. Lvov was replaced as chief prosecutor by A. V. Kartashev, the last to hold the post of chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod.

On August 5, 1917, the Ministry of Religions was established, headed by Kartashev; the chief prosecutor's office was abolished.

On February 1 (14), 1918, in accordance with the decision of the Council of January 31, the powers of the Holy Synod were transferred to the patriarch and collegiate bodies - the Holy Synod and the Supreme church council. Determinations on behalf of the Holy Synod were published until January 18 (O.S.), 1918.

It was liquidated de jure as a state body by a decree of the Council of People's Commissars of January 20 (O.S.) 1918 "On Freedom of Conscience, Church and Religious Societies" (On the separation of church from state and school from church).

Compound

Initially, according to the Spiritual Regulations, the Synod consisted of 11 members: the president, 2 vice-presidents, 4 advisers and 4 assessors; it included bishops, abbots of monasteries and white clergy.

Since 1726, the president of the Synod was called the first member, and the rest - members of the Holy Synod and simply present.

In later times, the nomenclature of the Synod changed many times. At the beginning of the 20th century, a member of the Synod was a title awarded for life, even if the person was never called to sit in the Synod. At the same time, the metropolitans of St. Petersburg, Kyiv, Moscow, and the exarch of Georgia were, as a rule, permanent members of the Synod, and the metropolitan of St. Petersburg of them was almost always the first member of the Synod:239.

Chief Prosecutor of the Synod

Main article: Chief Prosecutor

The Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Governing Synod is a secular official appointed by the Russian emperor (in 1917 they were appointed by the Provisional Government) and who was his representative in the Holy Synod. The powers and role differed in different periods, but in general, in the XVIII-XIX centuries there was a tendency to strengthen the role of the chief prosecutor.

First Members

Stefan (Yavorsky), President of the Synod (February 14, 1721 - November 27, 1722), Metropolitan of Ryazan
- Theodosius (Yanovsky), First Vice-President of the Synod (November 27, 1722 - April 27, 1725), Archbishop of Novgorod
- Feofan (Prokopovich), First Vice-President of the Synod (1725 - July 15, 1726), Archbishop of Novgorod
Feofan (Prokopovich) (July 15, 1726 - September 8, 1736), Archbishop of Novgorod
- By 1738, only one bishop sat in the Synod, besides him there were archimandrites and archpriests
Ambrose (Yushkevich) (May 29, 1740 - May 17, 1745), Archbishop of Novgorod
Stefan (Kalinovsky) (August 18, 1745 - September 16, 1753), Archbishop of Novgorod
Platon (Malinovsky) (1753 - June 14, 1754), Archbishop of Moscow
Sylvester (Kulyabka) (1754-1757), Archbishop of St. Petersburg
Dimitry (Sechenov) (October 22, 1757 - December 14, 1767), Archbishop of Novgorod (from 1762 - Metropolitan)
Gabriel (Kremenetsky) (1767-1770), Archbishop of St. Petersburg
Gabriel (Petrov) (1775 - October 16, 1799), Archbishop of Novgorod (from 1783 - Metropolitan)
Ambrose (Podobedov) (October 16, 1799 - March 26, 1818), Archbishop of St. Petersburg (since 1801 - Archbishop of Novgorod)
Mikhail (Desnitsky) (1818 - March 24, 1821), Metropolitan of St. Petersburg (since June 1818 - Metropolitan of Novgorod)
Seraphim (Glagolevsky) (March 26, 1821 - January 17, 1843), Metropolitan of Novgorod
Anthony (Rafalsky) (January 17, 1843 - November 4, 1848), Metropolitan of Novgorod
Nikanor (Klementievsky) (November 20, 1848 - September 17, 1856), Metropolitan of Novgorod
Grigory (Postnikov) (October 1, 1856 - June 17, 1860), Metropolitan of St. Petersburg
Isidore (Nikolsky) (July 1, 1860 - September 7, 1892), Metropolitan of Novgorod
Pallady (Raev-Pisarev) (October 18, 1892 - December 5, 1898), Metropolitan of St. Petersburg
Ioanniky (Rudnev) (December 25, 1898 - June 7, 1900), Metropolitan of Kyiv
Anthony (Vadkovsky) (June 9, 1900 - November 2, 1912), Metropolitan of St. Petersburg
Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky) (November 23, 1912 - March 6, 1917), Metropolitan of St. Petersburg (from 1915 - Metropolitan of Kyiv)
Platon (Rozhdestvensky) (April 14, 1917 - November 21, 1917), Archbishop of Kartal and Kakheti, Exarch of Georgia (since August 1917 - Metropolitan of Tiflis and Baku, Exarch of the Caucasus)

Notes

St. Zach. Main vol. 1, part 1, art. 43
1 2 3 4 5 Tsypin V.A. Canon law. - Ed. 2nd. - M.: MIPT, 1996. - 442 p.
Memoirs of Comrade Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod, Prince N. D. Zhevakhov, Vol. 2, Chapter 51 The attitude of Russian tsars to the church. Archived from the original on November 28, 2012.
GI Shavelsky Russian Church before the Revolution. Moscow: Artos-Media, 2005 (written in the mid-1930s), pp. 78, 87.
XIX. Church affairs. The Tobolsk scandal.. Archived from the original on November 28, 2012. Chapter from the book "Memoirs of the last protopresbyter of the Russian army and navy" by Georgy Shavelsky.
Shavelsky G.I. Russian Church before the Revolution. Moscow: Artos-Media, 2005, p. 486 (original spelling).
Cit. by: "Government Bulletin". March 5 (18), 1916, No. 52, p. 2.
Great act of trust. // Moscow News. March 6 (19), 1916, No. 54, p. 1.
The Orthodox Church and the coup d'état. // "Church Bulletin, published by the Missionary Council under the Holy Synod." 1917, April - May 14, No. 9-17, stb. 181-182.
"Church Gazette published under the Holy Governing Son". April 22, 1917, No. 16-17, p. 83 (general annual pagination).
Gubonin M.E. Contemporaries about Patriarch Tikhon. M., 2007, Vol. II, p. 220 (Note).
"Bulletin of the Provisional Government". 3 (May 16), 1917, No. 46 (92), p. 1.
"Church Gazette". 1918, No. 3-4 (January 31), p. 22.
Moscow Church Gazette. 1918, No. 3, p. 1.
Statehood of Russia. M., 2001, book. 4, p. 108.
On the separation of the church from the state and the school from the church (Decree of the Council of People's Commissars). Archived from the original on November 28, 2012.
Culture of the Leningrad region

Holy Governing Synod Information About

), is the governing body of the Russian Orthodox Church in the period between Bishops' Councils.

The Holy Synod is responsible to the Council of Bishops and, through the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, submits to it a report on its activities during the inter-council period.

The Holy Synod consists of the Chairman - the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (Locum Tenens), seven permanent and five temporary members - diocesan bishops.

Permanent members of the Synod by department and ex officio

- Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine
- Metropolitan of Krutitsy and Kolomna (Moscow region);
- Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of Belarus;
- Metropolitan of Chisinau and all Moldova;
- chairman of the Department for External Church Relations;
- manager of affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate.