Background
A series of reforms byRoad to the Synod
When the conservative Patriarch Adrian died in 1700, Peter left the position unfilled and instead Archbishop Stephen Yavorsky, a supporter of reform, administered the church for roughly twenty years. In 1721 the church officially came under the cloak of the Russian national government with the Spiritual Order, which was ostensibly written primarily by Archbishop Theophan Prokopovich. After Patriarch Adrian died, Peter, through the inspiration and encouragement of his official A.A. Kurbatov, decided to abolish the patriarchal Razryadnyi Prikaz (rank prikaz), which was in charge of civil and military administration, and redirected all matters to the appropriate prikaz, an administrative or judicial office. This event and others demonstrated that little by little, Peter’s administration rendered each church division powerless and their duties transferred to paralleled governmental departments. Some scholars argue, though, that Peter did not intend to abolish the Patriarchate when he began altering the administrative structure of the church. Delaying choosing a new patriarch proved economically advantageous; by restricting ecclesiastic land ownership and other financial luxuries of the clergy, the state saved money. This gave Peter further incentive to abolish the Patriarchy. In 1711, reform allotted the Senate jurisdiction over all peoples, including ecclesiastical subjects. This meant that the state now had authority over issues that had been previously reserved for church authorities. With this power came the ability, in certain situations, for the state to determine clerics for administration in religious positions. In 1716 Peter formulated an oath for the bishops-elect ofPeter's attitude towards the Church
Peter was determined to westernize Russia during his reign, and the church was an integral part of his campaign. As mentioned earlier, the new structure of the church in many ways resembled that which was current in European countries with established churches, such as Sweden and Germany. In a broader sense, though, Peter was attempting to modernize Russia through secularization, which was a vital step in the course of European political modernization during this time. Secularization, in this instance, meant the institutionalization and expansion of the state’s wealth and authority coupled with the dwindling power of the church. The church was made politically subject to the government, instead of the traditional relationship between church and state, in which rulers, such as Ivan IV, felt in some ways subject to the approval of the Orthodox Church in order to remain a legitimate sovereign. Peter used the Synod to find and punish dissident Russians. An addition in 1722 to the Ecclesiastic Regulation, which replaced the patriarch as the church head, required clerics to report any seditious confessions. Before the creation of the Most Holy Synod, Peter was concerned personally with improvements in the church. He was particularly interested in improving the education of the clerics, since many were illiterate and unable to administer sacraments. At the time Peter established the synod, he also issued the Spiritual Order, mentioned above. One key aspect of this edict was that it disregarded or denied the divinity of the church and characterized it as a state institution.Formation
The Holy Synod replaced the job of the patriarch with ten, and later twelve, clerics. The chief procurator (Ober-Prokuror), the first of whom was Colonel I. V. Boltin, oversaw the synod in order to verify the legality of their actions and the prompt and orderly fulfillment of their responsibilities. Peter required priests to report traitorous confessions, but he did not push his ability to control to the limit; for example, he refrained from secularizing church lands. Under the synod, the church became more tolerant of various denominations, even extending this policy to the Old Believers for a period of time. Intermarriage between Orthodox and Western Christians was permitted starting in the year of the Synod’s formation. The synod was intended, presumably, to mirror the church-state relationship in theDuties
The synod functioned under the Ecclesiastical Regulation statute with the goal of administrating and reforming the church. The statute stated that the eleven members of the college were to be of varying classes and ranks. One president, two vice-presidents, four councilors and four assessors comprised the council and each member would get one vote when determining a dispute. Formed as a reaction to Peter’s views of Russia as compared to Western Europe, the synod was a concentration of clerics who had received extensive formal higher education. It worked to gain as much of the disputed church property as possible, and after assuming control of the patriarchal domain the synod was accountable for the lives of 6000 people. It was to be revered absolutely in all things and possessed “patriarchal power, honour, and authority”. The primary duties of the synod were to supervise the direction of the Orthodox faith, instruct people on religious matters, celebrate feasts and determine questions of order and ritual. As mentioned before, the synod also suppressed heretics, judged miracles and relics and prevented Russian citizens from practicing witchcraft. The synod was in control of church property and was thus responsible for the creation of monasteries and churches.The Catholic Encyclopedia volume 7, entry by Adrian Fortescue, publisher: Robert Appleton Company, 1910.Prime Members (Chairmen)
* 1721-1722 Stefan (Yavorsky), Metropolitan of Ryazan * 1722-1725 (acting) Feodosiy (Yanovsky), Archbishop of Novgorod * 1725-1726 (acting) Theophan (Prokopovich), Archbishop of Novgorod * 1726-1736 Feofan (Prokopovich), Archbishop of Novgorod **1736-1740 none * 1740-1745 Amvrosiy (Yushkevich), Archbishop of Novgorod * 1745-1753 Stefan (Kalinovsky), Archbishop of Novgorod * 1753-1754 Platon (Malinovsky), Archbishop of Moscow * 1754-1757 Silvestr (Kulyabka), Archbishop of Saint-Petersburg * 1757-1767 Dmitriy (Sechenov), Archbishop of Novgorod (since 1762 – Metropolitan) * 1767-1770 Gavriil (Kremenetsky), Archbishop of Saint-Petersburg * 1775-1799 Gavriil (Petrov), Archbishop of Novgorod (since 1783 – Metropolitan) * 1799-1818 Amvrosiy (Podobedov), Archbishop of Saint-Petersburg (since 1801 – Metropolitan of Novgorod) * 1818-1821 Mikhail (Desnitsky), Metropolitan of Saint-Petersburg (since 1818 – of Novgorod) * 1821-1843 Serafim (Glagolevsky), Metropolitan of Novgorod * 1843-1848 Antoniy (Rafalsky), Metropolitan of Novgorod * 1848-1856 Nikanor (Klementievsky), Metropolitan of Novgorod * 1856-1860 Grigoriy (Postnikov), Metropolitan of Saint-Petersburg * 1860-1892 Isidor (Nikolsky), Metropolitan of Novgorod * 1892-1898 Palladius (Rayev), Metropolitan of Saint-Petersburg * 1898-1900 Ioannikiy (Rudnev), Metropolitan of Kyiv * 1900-1912 Antoniy (Vadkovsky), Metropolitan of Saint-Petersburg * 1912-1917 Vladimir (Bogoyavlensky), Metropolitan of Saint-Petersburg, (since 1915 – of Kyiv) * 1917-1917 Platon (Rozhdestvensky), Archbishop of Kartli and Kakheti (later – Metropolitan of Tbilisi and Baku)See also
* Holy Synod *References
Sources
* * Statesman's handbook for Russia. 1896. * Cracraft, James. "Diplomatic and Bureaucratic Revolutions, Revolutions and Resistance." The Revolution of Peter the Great. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2003. 60-65, 120-130. Print. * Cracraft, James. The Church Reform of Peter the Great. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1971. Print. * Krindatch, Alexey. "Changing relationships between Religion, the State, and Society in Russia." GeoJournal 67.4 (2006): 267-282. Print. * Riasanovsky, Nicholas Valentine, and Mark D. Steinberg. “The Reign of Peter the Great.” A History of Russia. Vol. I. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. 211-29. Print. * The Catholic Encyclopedia volume 7, entry by Adrian Fortescue, publisher: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. {{Authority control Russian Orthodox Church in Russia Russian Empire Religious organizations established in 1721 1918 disestablishments in Russia Religious organizations disestablished in 1918 Government of the Russian Empire Governing assemblies of religious organizations 1721 establishments in Russia History of the Russian Orthodox Church