Fedoseevtsy, also Fedoseyans (федосеевцы, феодосиевцы in

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

), sometimes anglicised as Theodosians, comprise a dissident

religious movement Various sociological classifications of religious movements have been proposed by scholars. In the sociology of religion, the most widely used classification is the church-sect typology. The typology is differently construed by different socio ...

formed in

Imperial Russia Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * ...

. They have become one of the denominations among the

Bespopovtsy Bespopovtsy ( rus, беспоповцы, p=bʲɪspɐˈpoftsɨ, t=priestless ones), often called Priestless Old Believers in English, are one of the two major groups of Old Believers. Unlike the Popovtsy ("priested"), the Bespopovtsy reject pries ...

(the priestless

Old Believers Old Believers or Old Ritualists ( Russian: староверы, ''starovery'' or старообрядцы, ''staroobryadtsy'') is the common term for several religious groups, which maintain the old liturgical and ritual practices of the Russian ...

). The Fedoseevtsy movement, founded by an ex-

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

(1661-1711), originated amidst Old Believers (mostly

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasan ...

s and

posad A posad ( Russian and ) was a type of settlement in East Slavic lands between the 10th to 15th centuries, it was often surrounded by ramparts and a moat, adjoining a town or a kremlin, but outside of it, or adjoining a monastery. The posad wa ...

people) in Northwest

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. The Fedoseevtsy disapproved of a certain group within the Bespopovtsy, namely the

Pomortsy The Pomorian Old Orthodox Church (), also known as the Pomorian Church, Danilovtsy, Danilov's confession, or simply as Pomorians, is a branch of the priestless faction of the Old Believers, born of a schism within the Russian Orthodox Church at th ...

, who had been diverging from the strict principles of the Old Believers and had adopted the custom of praying for the

Tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

(моление за царя). Initially, the Fedoseevtsy were irreconcilable towards serfdom in Russia and observed strict

asceticism Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing Spirituality, spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world ...

, negating the institution of

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

. In the late-18th century, the Fedoseevtsy centered on a group led by (1731-1809) with their all-Russian "headquarters" at the

Preobrazhenskoye cemetery Preobrazhenskoye Cemetery (, lit. Transfiguration of Jesus, Transfiguration Cemetery) is a cemetery in the eastern part of Moscow long associated with Old Believers. It was inaugurated by a Fedoseevtsy merchant in 1777 as a Pandemic, plague quaran ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. With the development of

social inequality Social inequality occurs when resources within a society are distributed unevenly, often as a result of inequitable allocation practices that create distinct unequal patterns based on socially defined categories of people. Differences in acce ...

among the Fedoseevtsy, their

doctrine Doctrine (from , meaning 'teaching, instruction') is a codification (law), codification of beliefs or a body of teacher, teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a ...

gradually began to lose its elements of social protest. In 1848 they adopted the custom of praying for the Tsar. In the second half of the 19th century, a group of the so-called "newlyweds" (новожёны) detached itself from the Fedoseevtsy movement, acknowledging the institution of marriage. The Old-Pomorian Old-Orthodox Church of Fedoseyan Confession was established in 2014.

External links

Old Believer movement {{orthodoxy-stub

Further reading

External links