This undergraduate thesis focuses on relations between the Russian Orthodox Chruch and religious sects. The first part of the thesis describes the chosen topic from a theoretical point of view, while the second part dives into specific examples of some Russian sects and summarizes the social changes that lead to their formation and later influenced the changing relations between the sects and the authorities. Sectarianism first appeared in Russia after the great schism, also known as Raskol in the Russian Orthodox Church in the 17th century, caused by the patriarch Nikon's church reforms. A powerful oppositional movement of the Old Believers was formed. It is believed that many different rebellions were lead under their patronage, which gave the authorities additional reasons for their persecution. Old Believers' communities as well as other religious sects consisting mostly of peasantry were lead by the utopian search of the Heavenly Kingdom on Earth. Their common trait was the denial of the official Orthodox Church and State's authority. Among the most renowned religious sects in Russia's cultural history are the Doukhobors, Molokans, Stranniks, Subbotniks, Khlysty and the slightly more radical Kapitonovtsy and Skoptsy. All heretical sects which appeared on Russia's territory between 17th and 20th Century were invariably persecuted by both ecclesiastical as well as secular authorities, although in it was impossible to distinguish between one and the other in certain eras. Whole communities were often sentenced to exile in the country's most remote areas. Despite the continuous persecution and a general hostility towards religion in the Soviet era, some of the oldest sects in Russia managed to survive until the 1960s. In the chosen time frame, the official stand of Russian Orthodox Church and consequently its relations towards sectarianism had not changed significantly. However it is possible to notice some changes in the State's stance towards the Church and consequently towards the religious sects as well.
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