The Church does not single out any profession as much as military service. The reason is clear: the military, and representatives of law enforcement agencies in general, devote not only their strength and knowledge to their work, but, if necessary, their very life. Such a sacrifice requires religious understanding.
TO 19th century In Russia, the institution of military clergy emerged. He united the priesthood, which looked after the army and navy, into an independent church-administrative structure. Several years ago, the state and the Church took a step towards reviving this institution: full-time military chaplains again appeared in the army. In St. Petersburg, the work of the Church with the army and navy is coordinated by the department for interaction with the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies of the St. Petersburg diocese, which celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2015.
Priests " special purpose“appear in Russia in the middle of the 17th century, under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, when the standing army that had arisen two centuries earlier began to rapidly increase.
The development of the military clergy was further promoted by Peter I, who created a regular army and navy in Russia, and with them a full-time regimental and naval clergy. During hostilities, the first was subordinate to the field chief priest appointed in the army (usually from the “white” clergy), the second to the naval chief hieromonk. However, in peacetime, military priests were under the control of the bishops of the diocese to which the regiment or crew of the ship was assigned. Double subordination was ineffective, and in 1800 Paul I concentrated all control of the military clergy in the hands of the chief priest of the army and navy. The newly created position was filled by Archpriest Pavel Ozeretskovsky, with whose name the beginning of the institution of military clergy is associated.
Military priests went through with honor all the battles of the 19th century that befell Russia in abundance. By the end of the century, the protracted process of forming a spiritual department was completed. The main power in it again began to belong to one person - the protopresbyter of the army and navy. Further, the vertical control looked like this: the main priests of the districts - the main priests of the armies - divisional, brigade, garrison deans - regimental, hospital and prison priests. As a church administrator, the protopresbyter of the army and navy was comparable in position to the diocesan bishop, but had more rights. The first to occupy this high post was Archpriest Alexander Alekseevich Zhelobovsky.
Military priests conducted services and monitored their attendance (by order of the troops, all personnel had to take communion at least once a year). They performed funeral services for their fallen fellow soldiers, informed their relatives of their deaths, and monitored the condition of military cemeteries, which as a result were the most well-groomed. During the battle, priests at the forward dressing station helped bandage the wounded. In peacetime, they taught the Law of God, held spiritual conversations with those who wished, monitored the improvement of churches, organized libraries, and parochial schools for illiterate soldiers. In the strict army hierarchy, the position of a regimental chaplain was equal to that of a captain. The soldiers were obliged to salute him, but at the same time the priest remained an accessible and close person to them.
Today, the military deanery district includes 17 parishes, 43 churches (of which 15 are assigned) and 11 chapels at military and law enforcement institutions in St. Petersburg and Leningrad region. To coordinate work with law enforcement agencies, which was previously carried out separately at the level of individual parishes, a special one was created under the St. Petersburg diocese ten years ago. Since the founding of the department, the position of head of the department for interaction with the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies and dean of “military” churches has been held by Archpriest Alexander - since April 2013, Hieromonk Alexy - and since April 2014. In May 2014, he was appointed deputy chairman of the superior Synodal Department.
The military deanery of the St. Petersburg diocese is under the jurisdiction of 31 churches and 14 chapels, including those being restored and those being designed.
Full-time clergy - 28 clergy: 23 priests and five deacons. The deanery supports 11 military universities.
In 2009, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill decided to introduce full-time military clergy into the Armed Forces. In our military district, he became the first full-time army chaplain, with the title of “educational assistant to the commander of the 95th command brigade of the Western Military District.” Like the pre-revolutionary shepherds, Father Anatoly conducts services, conducts conversations, and goes with his unit for teachings. What is its contingent?
“This is a unique case,” Father Anatoly shares his three years of experience in the army. — Many soldiers in the army see a priest for the first time. And little by little they begin to understand that he is the same person. They begin to slowly become interested in issues of faith. Only a few recruits come churched. They leave - much more. Everyone comes with different moods. And I must set them up to carry out military duty, explain that no one will help us except themselves and the Lord God. And the guys understand this.
Cooperation between the Church and the Ministry of Emergency Situations began with a sad reason.
“In 1991, a fire at the Leningrad Hotel killed nine employees,” says a colonel of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, who spent many years in the fire department, talking about the work of his sector. — Major General Leonid Isachenko, who was then the head of the department, invited a priest and initiated the construction of a temple-chapel of the icon Mother of God « Burning bush" For eight years we have been conducting an hour of spiritual culture with the operational management of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in St. Petersburg. We talk with senior management and personnel, watch films, organize pilgrimage trips.
The “military” department also operates the St. Macarius theological and pedagogical courses, to which Orthodox Christians are invited who want to become catechists - assistants to the “military” priests. The training program lasts a year, course graduates are involved in educational service in various educational institutions and military units of the army and navy.
Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Kotkov, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, professor, author of the books “Military Clergy of Russia” and “Military Temples and Clergy of Russia”:
“The feat of the military priests has not been fully appreciated. The archives of the office of the Protopresbyter of the Army and Navy are located in St. Petersburg. I take many cases and see that no one has looked at them before me. And they contain colossal experience of the work of the military clergy, which must be studied today, when the understanding has again arisen that military power, combined with spiritual height, is an irresistible force.
“The level of patriotic education in schools has now dropped significantly,” says the deputy chairman of the “military” department. — The hours of Russian history, literature, and the Russian language have been reduced. If in pre-revolutionary Russia children studied the Law of God from school and organically absorbed faith from birth, today they join the army not only as non-believers, but they don’t even really know the history of their country. How then can we cultivate the spirit of patriotism?
A program for the spiritual and patriotic education of youth, prepared by the “military” department, helps fill the gaps and “win back” young people from social networks and computer “shooters.” All churches of the military deanery have Sunday schools, and many have military-patriotic clubs. For example, teenagers are studying a course of basic military training that is forgotten today in secondary schools.
Large-scale projects for children and youth have become the hallmark of the department. This is a martial arts tournament included in the competition grid of the Ministry of Defense, dedicated to the memory of the warrior Yevgeny Rodionov, at which the mother of the hero-martyr Lyubov Vasilievna is always present; All-Russian gathering of military-patriotic and Cossack youth organizations named after the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky, where teams compete in knowledge of history, combat, medical, and combat training. The children's historical forum “Alexandrovsky Flag” also attracts hundreds of participants from all over Russia.
“I’ll answer from my own experience,” says Hieromonk Leonid (Mankov). “I came to the gym when I was nine years old, and the first sport I became interested in was karate. Then he practiced hand-to-hand combat and competed. And this was very useful to me in the army, in “hot spots”.
Military shepherds look after the martial arts clubs “Alexander Nevsky”, “Fight Spirit” and the “Union of Mixed Martial Arts MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) of Russia”, the president of which is the famous athlete Fedor Emelianenko. They are friends with many famous coaches and athletes and regularly attend competitions.
Athletes are also confident in the need for such cooperation:
“A priest can help cope with many problems within a men’s team,” says Russian champion in hand-to-hand combat, Russian and European champion in jiu-jitsu, two-time Russian champion and world champion in combat sambo Mikhail Zayats. “There is a serious struggle going on here, not only externally, but also internally. When a martial artist achieves a high result, there is a risk of “star fever”, the danger of putting oneself above everyone else. Spiritual nourishment helps not to fall into this sin, but to remain, first of all, human under any circumstances.
But perhaps it is precisely this epithet - “strong in spirit” - that is best suited both for the staff of the “military” department and for those who choose to serve as a military shepherd.
The last dean of the military clergy of the St. Petersburg diocese before the 1917 revolution was Alexei Andreevich Stavrovsky (from 1892 to 1918), who was shot in the fall of 1918 in Kronstadt and in 2001 canonized as a new martyr of the Russian Church.
This is how, in an almost informal atmosphere, Father Savva meets with his flock. The soldiers of the Presidential Regiment are the elite of our army, but communication with a priest is not an obligation or a military duty for them. The authorities complied with their wishes and allowed meetings with the priest in their free time.
Abbot Savva
Sometimes a soldier just wants to stand with the priest. He is silent, smiles and that's it. "What do you want?" – I ask him. “Just stand there, father. It’s so good,” he says, “with you.”
Hegumen Savva can be called an active regimental priest. About ten years ago, he began to confess and give communion to soldiers and officers of the 15th regiment of the Taman Division. In the fall of 1999, the priest’s spiritual children went on a combat mission to Chechnya.
A priest cannot stay at home and drink coffee. He must go with them. On one of the trains, together with the regiment commander - we were traveling in the same compartment - I sat down and drove off. I had such a desire, unfortunately, it did not come true: I left with the regiment, but I will come with the regiment.
But even after leaving on business, the priest did not forget his flock and more than once visited soldiers in a hot spot. A little time passed, and he was invited to join the guys from the Presidential Regiment. Conversations, excursions, presence at church services - everything that the Orthodox soldiers wanted, they got.
“In the army there should be a priest for every soldier. It’s also important that you can turn to someone in a difficult moment,” the guys say.
Reviving the traditions of army chaplains is a necessary matter, says Abbot Savva. And he adds: the constant presence of a spiritual father next to the soldiers would help avoid many of the problems of the modern army. Including hazing.
correspondent - Vladislav Nikitin, cameraman - Vadim Tukhareli
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Believers call Easter the celebration of all celebrations. For them, the Resurrection of Christ is the main holiday Orthodox calendar. For the sixth time in a row, the modern Russian army celebrates Easter, overshadowed by military priests who appeared in units and formations after a ninety-year break.
At the origins of tradition
The idea of reviving the institution of military priests in the Russian army arose among the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) back in the mid-nineties. It did not receive much development, but secular leaders generally assessed the initiative of the Russian Orthodox Church positively. The favorable attitude of society towards church rituals and the fact that after the liquidation of the staff of political workers, the education of personnel lost a clear ideological core. The post-communist elite was never able to formulate a new, bright national idea. Her search led many to a long-familiar religious perception of life.
The initiative of the Russian Orthodox Church floundered mainly because the main thing in this story was missing - the military priests themselves. The priest of an ordinary parish was not suitable for the role of, for example, the confessor of desperate paratroopers. Here there must be a person from their midst, respected not only for the wisdom of the religious sacrament, but also for military valor, at least for the obvious readiness for a feat of arms.
This is how the military priest Cyprian-Peresvet became. He himself formulated his biography as follows: first he was a warrior, then a cripple, then he became a priest, then a military priest. However, Cyprian dates his life only from 1991, when he took monastic vows in Suzdal. Three years later he was ordained a priest. The Siberian Cossacks, reviving the familiar Yenisei district, elected Cyprian as a military priest. The story of this ascetic of God deserves special mention. detailed story. He passed both Chechen wars, was captured by Khattab, stood at the firing line, survived after being wounded. It was in Chechnya that the soldiers of the Sofrino brigade named Cyprian Peresvet for his courage and military patience. He also had his own call sign “YAK-15” so that the soldiers would know: the priest was next to them. Supports them with soul and prayer. Chechen comrades called Cyprian-Peresvet their Brother, the Sofrintsy called Batya.
After the war, in June 2005 in St. Petersburg, Cyprian would take monastic vows into the Great Schema, becoming the elder schema-abbot Isaac, but in memory Russian soldiers he will remain the first military priest of modern times.
And before him - the great and blessed history of the Russian military clergy. For me and, probably, for the Sofrintsy, it begins in 1380, when the Monk Sergius, abbot of the Russian land and the Wonderworker of Radonezh, blessed Prince Dmitry for the battle for the liberation of Rus' from the Tatar yoke. He gave him his monks to help him - Rodion Oslyabya and Alexander Peresvet. It is Peresvet who will then go out onto the Kulikovo field to duel with the Tatar hero Chelubey. The battle will begin with their mortal combat. Russian army will defeat the horde of Mamai. People will associate this victory with the blessing of St. Sergius. The monk Peresvet, who fell in single combat, will be canonized. And we will call the day of the Battle of Kulikovo - September 21 (September 8 according to the Julian calendar) the Day of Military Glory of Russia.
There are more than six centuries between the two Peresvets. This time included a lot - arduous service to God and the Fatherland, pastoral exploits, grandiose battles and great upheavals.
According to military regulations
Like everything else in the Russian army, military spiritual service first acquired its organizational structure in the Military Regulations of Peter I of 1716. The reformer emperor considered it necessary to have a priest in every regiment, on every ship. The naval clergy were predominantly hieromonks. They were headed by the chief hieromonk of the fleet. Clergy ground forces was subordinate to the field chief priest of the active army, and in peacetime - to the bishop of the diocese on whose territory the regiment was stationed.
By the end of the century, Catherine II placed a single chief priest of the army and navy at the head of the military and naval clergy. It was autonomous from the Synod, had the right of direct reporting to the Empress and the right of direct communication with the diocesan hierarchs. A regular salary was established for the military clergy. After twenty years of service, the priest was awarded a pension.
The structure received a military-style finished look and logical subordination, but was corrected over the course of a whole century. So, in June 1890, the Emperor Alexander III approved the Regulations on the management of churches and clergy of the military and naval departments. He established the title of “protopresbyter of the military and naval clergy.” All churches of regiments, fortresses, military hospitals and educational institutions fell under his jurisdiction (except for Siberia, in which “due to the range of distances,” the military clergy was subordinate to the diocesan bishops.)
The economy turned out to be solid. The department of the protopresbyter of the military and naval clergy included 12 cathedrals, 3 house churches, 806 regimental churches, 12 serfs, 24 hospital churches, 10 prison churches, 6 port churches, 34 churches at various institutions (407 churches in total), 106 archpriests, 337 priests, 2 protodeacon, 55 deacons, 68 psalm-readers (total - 569 clergy). The Office of the Protopresbyter published its own magazine, “Bulletin of the Military Clergy.”
The highest Regulations determined the service rights of the military clergy and maintenance salaries. The chief priest (protopresbyter) was equated to a lieutenant general, the chief priest of the General Staff, Guards or Grenadier Corps - to a major general, the archpriest - to a colonel, the rector of a military cathedral or temple, as well as the divisional dean - to a lieutenant colonel. The regimental priest (equal to the captain) received almost the full captain's ration: a salary of 366 rubles per year, the same amount of canteens, bonuses were provided for length of service, reaching (for 20 years of service) up to half the established salary. Equal military pay was observed for all clergy ranks.
Dry statistics give only a general idea of clergy in the Russian army. Life brings its bright colors into this picture. Between the two Peresvets there were wars, difficult battles. There were also their Heroes. Here is priest Vasily Vasilkovsky. His feat will be described in order for the Russian army No. 53 dated March 12, 1813 by Commander-in-Chief M.I. Kutuzov: “The 19th Jaeger Regiment, priest Vasilkovsky in the battle of Maly Yaroslavets, being in front of the riflemen with a cross, prudent instructions and personal With courage he encouraged the lower ranks to fight without fear for the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland, and was cruelly wounded in the head by a bullet. In the battle of Vitebsk he showed the same courage, where he received a bullet wound in the leg. I presented the initial testimony of such excellent actions, fearless in battle, and zealous service of Vasilkovsky to the Emperor, and His Majesty deigned to award him the Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George, 4th class.”
This was the first time in history that a military priest was awarded the Order of St. George. Father Vasily will be awarded the order on March 17, 1813. In the fall of the same year (November 24), he died on a trip abroad from his wounds. Vasily Vasilkovsky was only 35 years old.
Let's jump one century to another great war- The First World War. This is what the famous Russian military leader, General A.A., wrote about that time. Brusilov: “In those terrible counterattacks, black figures flashed among the soldiers’ tunics - regimental priests, tucking up their cassocks, walked with the soldiers in rough boots, encouraging the timid with simple gospel words and behavior... They remained there forever, in the fields of Galicia, without being separated from their flock.”
For heroism shown during the First World War, about 2,500 military priests will be awarded state awards and will be presented with 227 golden pectoral crosses on the St. George Ribbon. The Order of St. George will be awarded to 11 people (four posthumously).
The Institute of Military and Naval Clergy in the Russian Army was liquidated by order of the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs on January 16, 1918. 3,700 priests will be fired from the army. Many are then repressed as class alien elements...
Crosses on buttonholes
The efforts of the Church yielded results by the end of the 2000s. Sociological surveys initiated by priests in 2008-2009 showed that the number of believers in the army reaches 70 percent of the personnel. The then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was informed about this. With his assignment to the military department, a new time of spiritual service in the Russian army begins. The President signed this order on July 21, 2009. He obliged the Minister of Defense to make the necessary decisions aimed at introducing the institution of military clergy in the Russian Armed Forces.
Carrying out the president's instructions, the military will not copy the structures that existed in the tsarist army. They will start by creating a Directorate for working with religious servicemen within the Main Directorate of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for working with personnel. Its staff will include 242 positions of assistant commanders (chiefs) for work with religious military personnel, replaced by clergy of traditional religious associations of Russia. This will happen in January 2010.
For five years, it was not possible to fill all the proposed vacancies. Religious organizations even submitted an abundance of their candidates to the Department of Defense. But the bar for the military's demands turned out to be high. So far they have accepted only 132 clergymen to work in the troops on a regular basis - 129 Orthodox, two Muslims and one Buddhist. (I note, by the way, in the army Russian Empire They were also attentive to believers of all faiths. Several hundred chaplains served as chaplains to Catholic soldiers. Mullahs served in national-territorial formations, such as the “Wild Division”. Jews were allowed to attend territorial synagogues.)
High demands for priestly service probably grew out of the best examples of spiritual shepherding in the Russian army. Maybe even from those that I remembered today. At least the priests are being prepared for serious tests. Their robes will no longer unmask their priests, as happened in the battle formations of the unforgettable Brusilov breakthrough. The Ministry of Defense together with the Synodal Department of the Moscow Patriarchate for interaction with Armed forces and law enforcement agencies developed “Rules for wearing uniforms by military clergy.” They were approved by Patriarch Kirill.
According to the rules, military chaplains “when organizing work with religious military personnel in the context of military operations, during a state of emergency, liquidation of accidents, dangerous natural phenomena, catastrophes, natural and other disasters, during exercises, classes, combat duty (combat service)” they will wear not church vestments, but field military uniforms. Unlike the uniform of military personnel, it does not provide shoulder straps, sleeve and breastplates for the corresponding branch of the military. Only the buttonholes will decorate orthodox crosses dark color of the established pattern. When performing a divine service in the field, the priest must wear an epitrachelion, braces and a priestly cross over his uniform.
The basis for spiritual work in the troops and navy is also being seriously updated. Today, only in the territories under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense, more than 160 Orthodox churches and chapels. Military churches are being built in Severomorsk and Gadzhievo (Northern Fleet), at the air base in Kant (Kyrgyzstan), and in other garrisons. The Church of St. Archangel Michael in Sevastopol, the building of which was previously used as a branch of the Black Sea Fleet Museum, has again become a military temple. Defense Minister S.K. Shoigu decided to allocate rooms for prayer rooms in all formations and on rank 1 ships.
...For military spiritual service it is written new story. What will it be like? Definitely worthy! This is obligated by centuries-old traditions that have melted into the national character - the heroism, fortitude and courage of Russian soldiers, the diligence, patience and self-sacrifice of military priests. In the meantime, the great holiday of Easter is in military churches, and the collective communion of soldiers is like a new step in readiness to serve the Fatherland, the World and God.
Who are military chaplains? What “hot spots” do they serve in and how do they live? Archpriest Sergius Privalov, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Cooperation with the Armed Forces, spoke about the role military clergy play in conflict areas and how they help soldiers in the “Image” program in Constantinople.
What is special about military priests?
Veronica Ivashchenko: First, let me ask: what role do clergymen play in armed forces today? Russian forces?
Sergiy Privalov: The role has always been high. This role is to bring a spiritual component to serving the Fatherland.
Currently, a military priest is, on the one hand, the same priest as in the parish. But there is one, probably the most fundamental difference. He is ready to be with the military personnel. He is ready to be with those who defend our Fatherland, our Motherland, our original traditions, our spiritual life. And in this case, the clergyman becomes not only one of those who defend with weapons. But he brings a spiritual meaning to this armed defense.
Extra strength.
Not only additional spiritual strength, but, on the other hand, also a moral component. Because a clergyman is a person who has a calling from God. He introduces humanization and understanding into the military formation of the service to which military personnel are called. People with weapons - for them this is responsible obedience. And the use of this most advanced weapon today should be in clean hands, with a moral tuning fork in the soul of every person. And this, first of all, is characteristic of what a clergyman brings to the army.
Orthodox priests in Syria
Father Sergius, our military personnel are now participating in hostilities in Syria. Tell me, somehow in these difficult conditions they are spiritually nourished Orthodox priests?
Yes. Divine services are held almost daily. At the Khmeimim air base, a full-time military chaplain is present with the military personnel. Moreover, in big holidays, great holidays, the Russian Orthodox Church sends additional clergy and choristers to participate in services not only at the Khmeimim airbase, but also at the Tartus naval base.
In Khmeimim, just recently, the consecration of an Orthodox chapel in honor of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious took place. And the temple in Tartus should soon be consecrated in honor of the holy righteous warrior Fyodor Ushakov. Here are the bishops, both Tartu and the bishop who covers the Antiochian Patriarchate with an omophorion and, in particular, the air base in Khmeimim, blessed the construction of Orthodox church ecclesiastical buildings. And just recently we took part with Bishop Anthony of Akhtubinsky and Enotaevsky in the consecration of this chapel. The entire staff was present at the consecration.
That's why the priests are nearby. Priests inside military formations, they are together with military personnel, even in these so-called “hot spots”.
Our main weapon is prayer
Father Sergius, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill recently spoke about the ideal of a Christ-loving army, citing the example of the war in the Middle East. Is it really impossible to fight this very terrible enemy only with the help of weapons?
Certainly. That is why the Russian Orthodox Church prays. Our most important weapon is prayer. And the more followers there are Christian faith in the world, the purer, the more spiritual, the more peaceful humanity will become.
Therefore, the religion of love, Christianity, is a potential that people should resort to. They must compare other religions, and, first of all, those people who reject religion altogether and want to be the so-called. atheists. Or those who choose the path of pseudo-religion, terrorism. In this case, Christianity reveals the meaning and the basis to which one must resort in order to win the spiritual battle. In this case, prayer should be the natural state of the soul of an Orthodox warrior.
And perhaps this is why the demand for military chaplains is growing so much?
Of course, and especially in “hot spots”. When people feel that not only the force of arms is needed. You need confidence in your actions. You need confidence in the correctness of your service. Inside a military unit, formations. And the most important thing is that people, turning to Christ, receive this help. Many people put on Orthodox crosses for the first time. Many are baptized. Many come to confession and holy communion for the first time. This is, in fact, a joyful event for the clergy.
There are now about 170 full-time military chaplains
Tell me, how many military priests are there now?
There are currently about 170 military clergy. These are the ones who are regularly assigned. And more than 500 in various capacities, we call them freelance military clergy, serve in military units. He came periodically, performed divine services, and cared for his flock.
Tell me, can they be called chaplains, is this correct?
Well, in the Russian Orthodox Church the word "chaplain" is more associated with Catholicism or Protestantism. And in our everyday life they are sometimes called chaplains. Which may not be entirely correct, but there is a tendency to call military clergy the same as they are uniformly called in the West. But I think that every military clergyman, of course, does not change his spiritual inner content because of this.
Please tell us what are the requirements for their selection? Do they participate in military exercises with regular military personnel?
Firstly, the selection is quite tough. First of all, it concerns spiritual education. That is, we select those clergy who have enough high level both spiritual and secular education. The second criterion is skills to work in a military environment. That is, they must have experience in pastoral service and care for military units. And third, of course, is health. That is, a person must be ready for this service, he must express a desire to undergo the appropriate selection through the Ministry of Defense, in personnel bodies. And only after this, and on the recommendation of the ruling bishop of his diocese, is he considered by the Synodal Department for Cooperation with the Armed Forces. And this decision is approved by the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation.
By the way, what are the most pressing issues in your department right now?
I would not say that some issues are particularly acute and we are not able to solve them. That is, everything that is happening today is a solvable problem.
Of course, one of these problems is the personnel composition of military clergy. We have 268 full-time positions, and so far 170 have been appointed. Therefore, in distant regions, in the north, Far East, the full-time positions of military clergy are not yet fully staffed. And then an appropriate basis for spiritual enlightenment must be formed. That is, we really want the priest to be heard, so that the appropriate time and place are allocated where the priest talks about Christ, about the spiritual foundations of military service to the Fatherland. For this, we still need to go through a lot in the military environment, to ensure that we are understood, heard and given such an opportunity. Not only, as some say, with each soldier individually, but also with large units at the same time.
From officers to military chaplains
Father Sergius, many military priests were officers in the past, including you, right?
Right.
Please tell us, does it often happen that military men become priests?
Well, firstly, a person who himself has come to know Christ, he can no longer help but talk about him. If a person was previously in an officer position, then he understands that the next stage of his service is to carry the word of God already in the priesthood. But, again, among those whom he knows best and is best oriented in a given situation within military units.
And so here is the percentage of those who appeared earlier officers, or have completed military service, perhaps as contract soldiers, he is quite high. But this is not the only the right criterion selection of military chaplains. Because there are military clergy who have never even served in the army.
But at the same time, in spirit and with their love, they are so close to the military units and to those guys who serve in the troops that they have acquired such authority. They truly became fathers to these military guys. Therefore, here we need to look at the spiritual calling. And the Lord himself calls. And if so, then a person cannot help but serve his neighbor. And who needs it most? Of course, the military. Because for them Christ is protection. For them, Christ is their support. For them, the Savior is the goal of life. Because it is precisely when they are inside in such difficult conditions that they turn to God sincerely. And in this case, the priest should be nearby. He must support the children with his prayer, and, first of all, spiritually instruct them.
More and more believers among the military
How do priests influence the relationships between military personnel? Maybe the situation with hazing has changed, do they affect moral development?
Probably, the most important thing is that a person’s attitude to society, to the world, to himself and to religion, in principle, has changed. That is, the number of believers and who consciously say that they are Orthodox, you spoke about 78%, now the percentage is even higher, more than 79%.
And the most important thing is that the guys, the military personnel, are not afraid to profess their faith. They consciously cross themselves, go to churches, and participate in divine services. This is probably the most important thing that happened with the arrival or participation of clergy in military units.
The second is a change in the internal climate inside military units. Military discipline has changed, or even improved. I think that in many ways these questions, of course, are not only for priests, and it is their merit that hazing is coming to naught. Firstly, these are very correct and competent decisions of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergei Kuzhegetovich Shoigu. And hazing itself, which involves a two-year conscription, when some are senior and junior in relation to other military personnel - this artificial division led to conflicts.
Now this is not the case. All serve only one year. This time. And secondly, the tasks that the armed forces solve have become, first of all, combat ones. People are being prepared for war. And therefore they try to treat their service accordingly. Exercises, transfers, regroupings.
This all suggests that there is no time to engage in any kind of hazing. It is clear that anything can happen. But in better side the attitude of man to man within the military collective changes. Because they are now doing their duty. Sometimes away from their native land. And very often with the participation of serious events that require concentration, the brotherly shoulder of your colleague. All this, well, taken together, naturally improves the situation inside military units. And the priests are always nearby.+
That is, during field exercises, they go out with the military personnel, set up their tents, temple-tents, and try to pray with them. That is, this is, in fact, the real combat work of a military clergyman.
Orthodox clergy who were on the staff of the military department and looked after the army and navy.
The tradition of the participation of clergy in military campaigns developed in Rus' soon after the establishment of Christianity; the institution of military clergy was formed in the 18th century. The first document in which a military priest in Russian is mentioned. army - charter“Teaching and cunning of the military formation of infantry people” 1647. One of the chapters of the charter determines the salary of military ranks and the regimental priest. One of the earliest documents testifying to the presence of priests in the navy is a letter from Admiral K. I. Kruys in 1704, containing “Painting for officers, sailors... and other ranks of people who should be in Crimea for the perfect armament of seven galleys, one hundred brigantines." According to the "Rospis", 7 galleys required 7 priests, 100 brigantines - 3 priests.
The formation of the institution of military clergy is associated with the reforms of Peter I Alekseevich. In the “Military Regulations”, approved on March 30, 1716 (PSZ. T. 5. No. 3006), ch. “On the Clergy” determined the legal status of priests in the army, their responsibilities and main forms of activity. The “Military Charter” established the position of field chief priest; it was introduced in wartime among the ranks of the general staff under the field marshal or general commander of the army. The field chief priest managed all the regimental priests, conveyed orders from the commander regarding the time of worship and thanksgiving prayers, resolved conflict situations between military clergy, and punished the guilty.
In April 1717, by royal decree it was established “in Russian fleet keep 39 priests on ships and other military vessels,” initially these were white clergy. Since 1719, the practice of appointing monastics to the fleet was established (although sometimes clergymen from white clergy). Before the establishment of the Holy Synod, the right to determine hieromonks for service in the fleet belonged to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery and its rector, Archimandrite. Theodosius (Yanovsky; subsequently Archbishop of Novgorod). In the “Maritime Charter” (PSZ. T. 6. No. 3485), approved on January 13. 1720, the rights, duties and financial status of the naval clergy were determined, at the head of which during the summer navigation or military campaign was placed the “primary priest” (chief hieromonk), usually from the Revel squadron of the Baltic Fleet. The first chief hieromonk was Gabriel (Buzhinsky; later Bishop of Ryazan). Individual priests were appointed only to large vessels - ships and frigates. On March 15, 1721, an instruction was approved regulating the activities of ship priests (“Clause on Hieromonks in the Navy”). Based on the “Points,” a special oath was developed for the military and naval clergy, which differed from the oath of parish priests.
Regimental priests and naval hieromonks were obliged to conduct divine services, perform religious services, administer the Holy Mysteries to the seriously ill, assist doctors, and also “watch diligently” over the behavior of the troops, and supervision of confession and communion of the military was one of the main responsibilities, but there was a firm warning: “Don’t get involved in any more business, let alone start something out of your own will and passion.”
In 1721, the appointment of clergy to the army and navy came under the jurisdiction of the Holy Synod, which ordered bishops to appoint from their dioceses required number hieromonks to staff the V., etc. In peacetime, it was subordinate to the diocesan bishops. On May 7, 1722, the Synod appointed Archimandrite temporary chief hieromonk at the head of the clergy who were setting off on the Persian campaign. Lawrence (Gorku; later Bishop of Vyatka). In the instructions of the Synod on June 13, 1797 (PSZ. T. 24. No. 18), in connection with the increase in the scope of duties of field chief priests, they were given the right to elect divisional deans to assist in the management of the clergy in wartime.
Imp. Pavel I Petrovich by decree of April 4. 1800 united the administration of the army and navy clergy under the leadership of the chief priest of the army and navy, whose position became permanent (existed in both war and peacetime). The chief priest of the army and navy was a member of the Holy Synod. After the death of Paul I, the circle of rights and responsibilities of the chief priest of the army and navy was several. reviewed times. In 1806, his department was placed in the same position as diocesan departments.
27 Jan In 1812, the “Institution for the management of a large active army” was adopted (PSZ. T. 32. No. 24975). The position of field chief priest was introduced into the ranks of the General Staff of each army, intermediate between the chief priest of the army and navy and the senior dean (the position was introduced in 1807). The field chief priest carried out his duties in peacetime and war; during the war, the clergy of hospitals located in areas declared under martial law, deans and clergy of the fleet connected with the army under the control of one commander-in-chief, and the clergy of churches in those places were subordinate to his department , where the main apartment was located when the army moved. Field chief priests were usually appointed by the Holy Synod on the recommendation of the chief priest of the army and navy and by the emperor. In each army, the position of senior dean was introduced - an intermediary between the military authorities, the field chief priest and the clergy of the army. In 1812, for individual corps, as part of the corps headquarters, the positions of corps priests (from 1821 corps deans) were established, who led the clergy entrusted to them with the rights of field chief priests of the army. Subordinate to the senior deans and corps priests were the army (divisional), guards and naval deans.
In 1815, imp. The decree established the position of Chief Priest of the General Staff (from 1830 Chief Priest of the Main Staff and a separate Guards Corps, from 1844 Chief Priest of the Guards and Grenadier Corps), which had equal rights with the position of Chief Priest of the Army and Navy. The Synod spoke out against the division of control of the military clergy. The appointment to both positions remained with the emperor, but he approved the chief priest of the army and navy from candidates nominated by the Holy Synod. Chief priests of the General Staff, then the Guards and Grenadier Corps in 1826-1887. also headed the court clergy in the rank of protopresbyters, were imp. confessors, rectors of the court cathedral of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg and the Annunciation Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin. Since 1853, chief priests received the right to appoint and dismiss regimental priests without prior permission from the Holy Synod. Since 1858, chief priests were called chief priests.
The first chief priest of the army and navy was Archpriest. Pavel Ozeretskovsky (1800-1807), who used under the emperor. Paul I had great influence and relative independence from the Synod. On May 9, 1800, all military ranks were ordered to refer spiritual matters to the chief priest, bypassing the consistory, for which an office was formed. In 1800, an army seminary was created, in which the children of the army clergy studied at public expense (closed in 1819).
In the 1st half. XIX century the salaries of the military clergy were increased, pensions and benefits were introduced for elderly and sick military priests, their widows and children. Among the chief priests of the Guards and Grenadier Corps, Protopr. Vasily Bazhanov (1849-1883). He started creation of a bank at the churches of his department, supplied them with books. In St. Petersburg he established the Nikolaev almshouse for elderly clergy of the spiritual department, as well as for their widows and orphans. By his order, houses were built for clergy in a number of regiments, and parish charitable societies and brotherhoods were organized at certain churches. In 1879, the Charitable Society for the Care of the Poor, the clergy department of the chief priest of the army and navy, was established; it was taken under the patronage of the leader. Kng. Maria Feodorovna (later empress). The society's funds supported shelters, Mariinsky in Kronstadt and Pokrovsky in St. Petersburg.
Known to many examples of courage shown by clergy during the Patriotic War of 1812. The first among the clergy to be a holder of the Order of St. George of the 4th degree was the priest of the 19th Jaeger Regiment Vasily Vasilkovsky, who participated in the battles of Vitebsk, Borodino, Maloyaroslavets, he was several. wounded once, but remained in service. Priest of the Moscow Grenadier Regiment, Fr. Myron of Orleans in the Battle of Borodino walked under heavy cannon fire ahead of the grenadier column and was wounded. In the 19th century the clergy took part in the Caucasian wars. In 1816, the position of corps priest of a separate Georgian corps was introduced (from 1840 chief priest of a separate Caucasian corps, from 1858 chief priest Caucasian Army), the position was abolished in 1890. A number of heroic deeds of field priests during the Crimean War of 1853-1856 are known. The priest of the Mogilev regiment, Archpriest, showed particular courage on the battlefield in March 1854. John Pyatibokov, who raised the soldiers to attack after the death of the officers, was among the first to climb the walls of the tour. fortifications and was shell-shocked. Prot. John was awarded the Order of St. George of the 4th degree and awarded the nobility with a charter. The state took care of the material support of priests during the war, and after its end - about the appointment of benefits for losses incurred, about the issuance of established salaries, pensions for a shortened period and awards for service in the army.
In con. XIX century The heyday of the institution of military clergy began. In 1888, all military and naval clergy were subordinated to the chief priest of the Guard, Grenadiers, Army and Navy. On July 24, 1887, the regulation on new service rights and salaries for the maintenance of the military clergy was approved (3 PSZ. T. 7. No. 4659); from 1889, the provisions extended to the naval clergy. According to the regulations, the chief priest of the guard, grenadier, army and navy was granted the rights of a lieutenant general, the chief priest of the Caucasian Military District - the rights of a major general, the full-time archpriest-dean - the rights of a colonel, the non-staff archpriest and dean-priest - the rights of a lieutenant colonel, the priest - the rights a captain or company commander, a deacon - the rights of a lieutenant, a full-time psalm-reader from the clergy - the rights of a lieutenant. Instead of the previously existing heterogeneous (very modest) salaries, a salary corresponding to officer ranks was established. The clergy of the military department of the European districts were given the right to periodic increases in their salaries for length of service, while the priests were prohibited from collecting payment for services from soldiers, which was previously practiced.
On June 12, 1890, the regulation “On the management of churches and clergy of the military and naval departments” was issued (3 PSZ. T. 10. No. 6924), in accordance with the Crimea, instead of the position of the chief priest of the guard, grenadier, army and navy, the position of protopresbyter was established V. etc. His candidacy was elected by the Synod on the proposal of the Minister of War and approved by the emperor. On matters of church administration, the protopresbyter received instructions from the Synod, on matters of the military department - from the Minister of War. He had the right to personal reports to the emperor, and was equal in rank to archbishop and lieutenant general. Under the protopresbyter there was a spiritual government, consisting of a presence and an office and corresponding to the consistory under the diocesan bishop. The positions of divisional and naval deans, appointed by the protopresbyter, and in peacetime subordinate to local bishops, were retained. The protopresbyter also appointed regimental and naval (from hieromonks and widowed priests) priests. In wartime, field chief priests were appointed in each army. The military clergy continued to be subordinate not only to the church, but also to the military authorities, which in some cases created difficulties, since the legal spheres were not clearly demarcated.
After the release of the “Regulations” of 1890, attention began to be given to Special attention deanery in performing divine services and the religious and moral education of the troops: sermons, extra-liturgical conversations and religious and moral readings, teaching the Law of God in regimental training teams. Military priests began to organize parochial schools not only for soldiers, but also for the local population. In wartime, they were charged with helping to bandage the wounded, performing funeral services for the dead and arranging their burial. In addition, like other clergy, they kept and kept documentation: inventories of regimental churches and their property, income and expenditure books, clergy records, confessional lists, metric books, etc., and compiled reports on the morale of the troops.
Since 1890, the journal has been published. “Bulletin of the Military Clergy” (in 1911-1917 “Bulletin of the Military and Naval Clergy”, in 1917 “Church and Social Thought” (Kyiv), in 2004 the publication was resumed). Since 1889, regular meetings of military pastors and audit trips of the protopresbyter of the army and navy to military districts were held. Since 1899, priestly positions in the military department were provided primarily to persons with an academic education. In 1891, the department of military clergy consisted of 569 clergy and clergy (Catholic chaplains, rabbis, Lutheran and evangelical preachers, mullahs, subordinate to the Department of Spiritual Affairs of Foreign Denominations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, also served in the army and navy).
During the Russian-Japanese wars of 1904-1905 The regulation “On the field control of Russian army troops in wartime” came into force on February 26. 1890 (3 PSZ. T. 10. No. 6609). In the Manchurian army, the post of field chief priest was introduced - the head of all clergy in the army and the rector of the church of the main apartment. The war was marked by the heroic service of both military and naval priests, some of whom died. Among the priests of this war, Mitrofan Srebryansky (later schema-archim. Venerable Sergius), who served with the 51st Chernigov Dragoon Regiment, is famous. Prot. Stefan Shcherbakovsky during the Battle of Tyurenchen on April 18. 1904, together with the 11th East Siberian Regiment, he went on the attack twice with a cross in his hands, was shell-shocked, despite his serious condition, and gave farewell to the dying soldiers. For his courage, he was awarded the Order of St. George 4th degree. Aug 1 1904, during a naval battle in the Korean Strait, the ship's chaplain of the cruiser "Rurik" Hierom. Alexy (Okoneshnikov) inspired the crew of the sinking cruiser. Jerome. Alexy, along with the surviving sailors, was captured, as a clergyman he was released, took the banner out of captivity and delivered a report about the death of the cruiser. Was awarded a gold pectoral cross on St. George's ribbon. The same award was awarded to the ship's priests for the Battle of Tsushima on May 14, 1905. Porfiry (cruiser "Oleg"), Hierom. Georgy (cruiser "Aurora").
After the end of the war, changes were made to the regulations “On the management of churches and clergy of the military and naval departments”; in wartime, the positions of the chief priest of the front armies and priests at army headquarters were introduced. In 1910, a funeral fund for employees of the military clergy department was established. In the same year, the Synod adopted a mobilization plan, which provided for the conscription of clergy during the period of mobilization of the army according to wartime states and in replacement of those who left during the fighting. Religious warehouses were to be created in the armies and navies. and propaganda literature.
On July 1-11, 1914, the 1st congress of the century was held in St. Petersburg. and etc., which was attended by 40 priests from the troops and 9 from the fleets. At the section meetings, in particular, the problems of relationships with the regimental authorities, the behavior of clergymen in the conditions of military operations were considered; during the battle, the priest’s place was determined at the forward dressing station. The congress developed and adopted a memo-instruction for the military chaplain.
During the First World War, a field office of protopresbyter V. was organized at the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. etc. and a warehouse for church literature. The mobilization schedule of 1910 began to take effect; thousands of parishes were called upon to recruit clergy to new regiments. Before the war, the department of the protopresbyter consisted of 730 priests; during the war, over 5 thousand priests served in the army; they not only performed their direct duties, but also taught soldiers to read and write, read them letters from their relatives, and helped compose reply letters. Chaplains, rabbis, and mullahs also served in military districts. In the circular 3 Nov. 1914 Protopr. Georgy Shavelsky turned to the Orthodox Church. priests with a call to “avoid, if possible, all religious disputes and denunciations of other faiths.” In 1916, new positions were established: army preachers for each army, chief priests of the Baltic and Black Sea fleets. In the same year, under the jurisdiction of Protopresbyter V. and M. D. the question of the Uniates in Galicia and Bukovina, occupied Russian troops. Protopr. George preferred to meet the spiritual needs of the Uniates and not demand that they join the Orthodox Church. Churches. By the definition of the Synod on January 13-20. In 1916, a commission was created “to satisfy the religious and moral needs of Russian prisoners of war”, which could send priests to Austria-Hungary and Germany.
During the war several bishops submitted petitions to take priestly places in the army and navy. The first of them was the Bishop of Dmitrov. Trifon (Turkestanov), who served in 1914-1916. regimental priest and divisional dean. Tauride ep. Demetrius (afterwards Anthony (Abashidze)) several. for months in 1914 he served as a ship's chaplain in the Black Sea Fleet.
One of the first in 1914, the priest of the 58th Prague Regiment, Parfeny Kholodny, was awarded a golden pectoral cross on the St. George ribbon for his courage. In 1914, the priest of the 294th Chernigov Infantry Regiment, Ioann Sokolov, saved the regimental banner from captivity. The feat of the priest of the 9th Kazan Dragoon Regiment Vasily Spichek, who raised the regiment to attack, is well known. The priest was awarded the Order of St. George 4th degree. The abbot had military awards. Nestor (Anisimov; later Metropolitan of Kirovograd), who voluntarily served at the front, organized and led a sanitary detachment. During the entire war, more than 30 military priests were killed or died from wounds, more than 400 were wounded and shell-shocked, and more than 100 were captured, which significantly exceeded the losses in previous wars.
High assessment of the activities of the military clergy in the first place world war gave in 1915 the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. book Nikolai Nikolaevich (“We must bow at the feet of the military clergy for their great job in the army" - op. by: Shavelsky. T. 2. P. 102). However, the influence of the clergy weakened in conditions when military priests, representing the state. apparatus, performed the role of spiritual superiors in the army, and especially with the approach of the revolution. Gene. A.I. Denikin wrote that “the clergy failed to cause a religious upsurge among the troops” (Denikin A.I. Essays on Russian Troubles: In 3 vols. M., 2003. Vol. 1. P. 105).
After the February Revolution of 1917, the military clergy continued to be active. 2nd All-Russian Congress in. and M.D., held in Mogilev on July 1-11, 1917, was welcomed by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, General. A. A. Brusilov. In the spirit of the times, the congress established the election of all military and spiritual positions. As a result of a secret vote on July 9, protopr. G. Shavelsky retained his post. 16 Jan In 1918, the institute of military clergy was abolished by order No. 39 of the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs (SU. 1918. No. 16. P. 249).
Military priests remained in the White Army. 27 Nov 1918 Denikin appointed G. Shavelsky protopresbyter of the Volunteer Army and Navy. In the troops of Admiral A.V. Kolchak there were more than 1 thousand military priests, the general. P. N. Wrangel - more than 500. March 31, 1920 Sevastopol bishop. Veniamin (Fedchenkov), at the request of Wrangel, accepted the position of manager in. and M.D. with the title of Bishop of the Army and Navy. He represented the Church in Wrangel's government, went to the front to perform services, and provided reception and accommodation for refugee clergy. After the capture of Crimea by the Red Army in November. 1920 bishop Veniamin, together with units of the Volunteer Army, emigrated to Istanbul and continued to patronize the Russians. military clergy in Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. On June 3, 1923, by decision of the foreign Synod of Bishops, he was relieved of his duties as manager of the church. and m.d.
In the 90s XX century The Russian Church again began to minister to military personnel. In 1995, for these purposes, the synodal Department of the Moscow Patriarchate for interaction with the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies was created. Gatherings of priests caring for military units have resumed (held in 2003, 2005).
Jerome. Savva (Molchanov)
In the 18th century areas on the outskirts of cities began to be allocated for the permanent deployment of military units. Barracks, outbuildings, and churches were built on this land. One of the first military churches was the Transfiguration of the All Guards Cathedral in St. Petersburg, founded on July 9, 1743 (architect D. A. Trezzini, rebuilt in 1829 after a fire by V. P. Stasov). Afterwards In the capital, a cathedral of all artillery was erected in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh (consecrated July 5, 1800), c. Vmch. St. George the Victorious in the General Staff building on Dvortsovaya Square. (February 1, 1822), etc. Initially, military churches did not have a unified system of subordination. 26 Sep. In 1826, a decree of the Synod followed, transferring them to the military-ecclesiastical department.
Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in St. Petersburg. Archit. V.P. Stasov. 1835 Photograph. Beginning XX century (Archive of the Central Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia")
Temples of the military clergy were divided into permanent and camp. The first were erected at regiments (or smaller military formations), garrisons, fortresses, military educational institutions, hospitals, prisons, and military cemeteries. Among the camp churches, land and ship churches stood out. The construction of churches was entrusted to the commission for the construction of barracks under the Military Council. In 1891, there were 407 military and naval churches.
In 1900, Minister of War A.N. Kuropatkin submitted a report to the emperor with a proposal to allocate funds for the construction of new churches at military units, to develop a type of military church focused on large capacity and efficiency. The model for military churches was approved on December 1. 1901. According to it, a separate building with a capacity of 900 people was to be built for the church. for a regimental church or 400 people. for battalion. For the needs of church construction, the military department allocated 200 thousand rubles in 1901, in 1902 and 1903. 450 thousand rubles each In total, 51 churches were built from 1901 to 1906. One of the first to be founded was the church of the 148th Caspian Infantry Regiment in the name of the Military Medical Center. Anastasia the Pattern Maker in New. Peterhof (consecrated June 5, 1903). In 1902-1913. The Kronstadt Naval Cathedral was erected in the name of St. St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is a grandiose temple-monument to Russian sailors. A prayer service for the start of construction was held on September 1. 1902 rights. prot. John of Kronstadt in the presence of the chief commander of the Kronstadt port, Vice Admiral S. O. Makarov. In 1913, there were 603 military churches, according to the maritime department - 30 coastal churches, 43 ship churches, including at a floating military prison in Sevastopol. Each military unit and each military educational institution had its own temple holiday and heavenly patron. In military churches, military banners, weapons and armor of famous military leaders were kept, and the memory of soldiers killed in battles was immortalized.
On July 15, 1854, in Sevastopol, according to the design of K. A. Ton, the Admiralty Cathedral in the name of Equal Apostles was founded. book Vladimir. Due to the outbreak of the Crimean War, work was interrupted; the lower church was consecrated in 1881, the upper one in 1888. The cathedral is the tomb of Russians. admirals M. P. Lazarev, V. A. Kornilova, V. I. Istomina, P. S. Nakhimova. From 1907 to 1918, its rector and dean of the coastal commands of the Black Sea Fleet was Sschmch. prot. Roman Bear. In the cathedral of the Life Guards of the Izmailovsky Regiment in the name of the Holy Trinity (founded in St. Petersburg on May 13, 1828, architect Stasov) trophy tours were kept. banners captured during the Russian tour. wars of 1877-1878 In 1886, a Column of Glory, cast from 108 rounds, was installed in front of the cathedral. guns. In 1911, in St. Petersburg, near the Naval Cadet Corps, the Church-monument to the Savior on Water was erected. On the walls were mounted boards with the names of sailors (from admiral to sailor) who died during the Russo-Japanese war. wars, and the names of ships. Near the iconostasis they installed the rescued banner of the Kwantung naval crew that defended Port Arthur.
Camping portable churches, as a rule, were spacious tents with a throne, an antimension, a folding iconostasis and an icon - the patroness of the part. During the Russian-Japanese wars of 1904-1905 At the headquarters of the commander of the Manchurian army, located in a special train, there was a church car - the residence of the field chief priest. In 1916, the Committee for the construction of mobile churches at the front was formed. Floating churches were erected on the Caspian and Black Seas. On the front line, worship was often held in the open air.
Divine services in the army and navy were held, as a rule, on Sundays and holidays, in the so-called highly solemn days: on the name days of members of the imp. family, on the anniversary of Russian victories. weapons and on holidays of military units and ships. Attendance at divine services was mandatory for all personnel of the Orthodox troops. confession, which was supported by special orders from the commanders of military units.
IN . M. Kotkov
Since 1797, representatives of the clergy began to be awarded orders for special merits by decrees of the emperor. Military clergy received the Order of St. Anna, equal to A. book Vladimir, St. George and golden pectoral crosses on the St. George ribbon. The last 2 awards were awarded only for military distinctions. In 1855, the military clergy received the right to attach swords to orders granted for distinction in combat situations, which had previously been the privilege of officers.
In accordance with imp. by decree of August 13. 1806, all submissions of military clergy for awards were made through military authorities. The spiritual authorities could only express their opinions. Clergymen were nominated for awards on the same basis as military personnel. In 1881, the highest representatives of the clan received the right to independently award subordinate clergy with skufia. and m.d.
Merits for which a military priest could receive most of the possible awards, no regulations were not specified. The exception was the statutes of the orders of St. Vladimir and St. Anna. In the statute of the Order of St. Anna, as amended in 1833, provided for the rewarding of clergy for “exhortations and examples for regiments in battles”, for preserving the health and morality of soldiers (if “for three years in a row there are no people guilty of violating military discipline and tranquility between residents, and the number the number of escapees will not exceed one person in a hundred"). The right to be awarded the Order of St. was extended to the priests of the military department. Vladimir 4th degree for 25 years of service while participating in military campaigns and 35 years along with officer ranks in peacetime. This practice was also extended to deacons, if they were worthy to receive the Order of St. before serving 35 years in the priesthood. Anna 3rd degree.
In wartime, the legally required time frame for receiving the next award (at least 3 years) was canceled. The presence of orders gave the right to promotion, receiving a higher salary, and the choice of daughters as wives. educational institutions at the expense of the capital of the orders. Orders were removed from a clergyman who was defrocked.
The number of awards given to the clergy, including the military, has grown steadily since the end. XVIII century until 1917 Until mid. XIX century orders, all degrees of which provided the right to hereditary nobility, were a rare award for a priest. After the Order of St. Anna's 2nd and 3rd degrees ceased to bring this advantage, and awards began to be practiced more widely. For example, in Russian-Japanese. during the war, individual clergy were awarded the Order of St. Anne of the 2nd and 3rd degrees and St. Vladimir 4th degree. The Order of St. remained more rare awards for military clergy. George and a golden pectoral cross on the St. George ribbon.
During the Russian-Japanese war, military priests received the Order of St. Anna 2nd degree with swords - approx. 70, without swords - approx. 30, 3rd degree with swords - approx. 70, without swords - approx. 80; St. Vladimir 3rd degree without swords - approx. 10, 4th degree with swords - approx. 25, without swords - approx. 25. During the First World War, until March 1917, military priests received the Order of St. Anna 1st degree with and without swords - approx. 10, 2nd degree with swords - more than 300, without swords - more than 200, 3rd degree with swords - more than 300, without swords - approx. 500; St. Vladimir 3rd degree with swords - more than 20, without swords - approx. 20, 4th degree with swords - more than 150, without swords - approx. 100. Order of St. George from the beginning XIX century by March 1917, 16 people were awarded. Until 1903, at least 170 people received the golden pectoral cross on the St. George ribbon for Russian-Japanese. war - 82 people, from 1914 to March 1917 - 244 people. OK. 10 clergy were awarded the Order of St. George and the soldier's St. George's Cross from March 1917 to March 1918. At least 13 people were awarded the Pectoral Cross on the St. George's Ribbon. in the armies of Kolchak, Denikin, Wrangel. For clergy awarded for distinction in the First World War and the Civil War, awards were approved by the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad of Mansvetov (1827-1832), Protopres. Vasily Ivanovich Kutnevich (1832-1865), archpriest. Mikhail Izmailovich Bogoslovsky (1865-1871), archpriest. Pyotr Evdokimovich Pokrovsky (1871-1888). Chief priests (chief priests) of the General Staff, Guards and Grenadier Corps: Archpriest. Alexy Topogritsky (1815-1826), archpriest. Nikolai Vasilievich Muzovsky (1826-1848), protoprep. Vasily Borisovich Bazhanov (1849-1883). Protopresbyters army and navy: Alexander Alekseevich Zhelobovsky (1888-1910), Evgeny Petrovich Akvilonov (1910-1911), Georgy Ivanovich Shavelsky (1911-1917).
Arch.: RGIA. F. 806 [Spiritual government under the protopresbyter of the military and naval clergy]; RGVIA. F. 2044. Op. 1. D. 8-9, 18-19, 28; F. 2082. Op. 1. D. 7; GARF. F. 3696. Op. 2. D. 1, 3, 5.
Lit.: Nevzorov N. East. Essay on the management of the clergy of the Military Department in Russia. St. Petersburg, 1875; Barsov T. IN . About management rus. military clergy. St. Petersburg, 1879; Bogolyubov A. A . Essays on the history of the management of military and naval clergy in biographies, chap. its priests from 1800 to 1901. St. Petersburg, 1901; Zhelobovsky A. A., protopr. Management of churches and Orthodoxy. clergy of the Military Department // Century of the Military Ministry: In 16 volumes. St. Petersburg, 1902. T. 13; Kallistov N. A., prot. East. note about military shepherds who participated with their military units in Crimean War during the defense of Sevastopol and awarded special insignia. St. Petersburg, 1904; Shavelsky G. I., protopr. Military clergy in Russia's fight against Napoleon. M., 1912; Tsitovich G. A . Temples of the Army and Navy: Historical-stat. description. Pyatigorsk, 1913. 2 hours; Smirnov A. IN . History of the naval clergy. St. Petersburg, 1914; Senin A. WITH . The army clergy of Russia in the First World War // VI. 1990. No. 10. P. 159-165; History of the naval clergy: Sat. M., 1993; Klaving V. IN . Military churches of Russia. St. Petersburg, 2000; Kapkov K. G . St. George's Awards grew. clergy // 11th All-Russian. Numismatic Conf. St. Petersburg, April 14-18 2003: Abstract. report and message St. Petersburg, 2003. pp. 284-286; Kotkov V. M. Military clergy of Russia: Pages of history. St. Petersburg, 2004. 2 books.
