Orthodoxy in Kamchatka. Soviet period of the history of the Kamchatka diocese
Separated from the Irkutsk diocese in 1840.
Initially, the department was located in Novoarkhangelsk on Sitkha (Alaska). Subsequently, at the discretion of the ruling bishop, the department was moved to various points. Subsequently, the Kamchatka diocese was administratively divided into two independent dioceses: Blagoveshchensk, with a see in the city of Blagoveshchensk (Amur region), and Vladivostok, with a see in Vladivostok (Primorsky region with Kamchatka).
After a short (1899-1916) break, on August 22, 1916 (old style), the department was resumed in Petropavlovsk-on-Kamchatka as the Vladivostok Vicariate.
Name changes
- Kamchatka, Kuril and Aleutian - since the 19th century
- Petropavlovskaya - since 1916
- Kamchatka and Petropavlovsk - from October 5, 1916
- Petropavlovskaya and Kamchatka - since February 23, 1993
Unites parishes and communities in the Kamchatka Territory.
Diocese today
(as of August 2017)
Deanery districts and deaneries
- Central - Archpriest Alexy Apatov
- Elizovsky - Archpriest Valery Glidilin
- Northern - Bishop Theodore of Vilyuchinsk
- Milkovsky - Priest Roman Nikitin
- Bystrinsky - Archpriest Vladislav Revenok
- South-West - priest Vitaly Malakhanov
- prison churches - Archpriest Konstantin Batsatsenko
- Ust-Kamchatsky - Priest Nikolai Pendyukov
- garrison churches - Archpriest Vasily Gonchar
Monasteries
- in honor of St. Vmch. Panteleimon male
683003, Kamchatka region, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, st. Leningradskaya, 2; tel. +7914 623-00-14; e-mail [email protected]
vicar - Bishop Theodore of Vilyuchinsk - in honor of the icon Mother of God"Kazanskaya" female
684010, Kamchatka region, Elizovsky district, village. Muddy; tel. +7909 830-14-72
abbess - abbess Alexandra (Shumskaya)
The diocese has 54 parishes and communities, many are located in remote northern, hard-to-reach villages of the Kamchatka Territory, located in premises adapted for worship. With the support of the Government of the Kamchatka Territory, the diocese operates “Program-20”, the tasks of which include the construction of Orthodox churches on the territory of the peninsula, first of all, in each regional center and in each district of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
Full-time clerics— 46, including:
- priests - 33
- hieromonks - 8
- deacons - 2
- hierodeacons - 3
Diocesan social institutions
The department for social service and charity (headed by Priest Victor Muzykant, tel. +7924 780-69-88; coordinator Tatyana Poteeva, tel. +7914 783-73-37) includes:
- service for helping the elderly in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow”
- socio-pedagogical teenage center in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God “Hodegetria”
- spiritual and charitable center in honor of the icon of the Mother of God " Unexpected joy", engaged in spiritual rehabilitation of people suffering from alcoholism, and providing assistance to citizens who find themselves in difficult life situations
- Stuttering Help Center at the Kamchatka St. Panteleimon Monastery
- Society of Orthodox Doctors in Honor of St. Luke, Archbishop of Crimea
- “Life” assistance center for low-income, large, single and pregnant women
- sisterhood in honor of the Prmc. Elizabeth and MC. Barbarians at the oncology clinic and regional hospital
- service for helping families raising disabled children, in honor of St. John Chrysostom
- homeless assistance service in honor of the blessed one. Ksenia of Petersburg
The diocese has a spiritual and educational center in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The complex includes a temple in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, diocesan library, assembly hall with 278 seats, catechesis class, children's theater studio, Orthodox youth cafe.
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, st. Vladivostokskaya, 18
director - Hieromonk Sophrony (Medvedenko), artistic director - O.O. Nekrashevich
Diocesan media
PETROPAVLOVSK AND KAMCHATKA DIOCESE OF THE ROC. Established 3 Nov. 1993. Unites the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the territory. Kamchatka region Cathedral: St. Nicholas (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky). Ruling bishop since March 29, 1998 – Bishop. Ignatius (Pologrudov). As of 2005, there were 47 parishes, 19 churches, and 2 monasteries (male, female) in the diocese. Among the clergy of the diocese are 19 priests and 2 deacons.
The parishes located on the territory. current P. and K. e., from the beginning. XVIII century were under the control of the Tobolsk archpastors. In 1705, Metropolitan of Tobolsk Philotheus (Leshchinsky) sent 1 missionaries to Kamchatka led by Archimandrite. Martinian for the Orthodox Church. enlightenment of the indigenous peoples of the region - Koryaks, Chukchis, Itelmens, Evens, etc. Archimandrite. Baptized by Martinian ca. 100 Itelmens, under him the 1st Orthodox Church was built. temple in Kamchatka. By 1761 there were already 8 churches in Kamchatka.
In 1783, part of the parishes of the Kamchatka Peninsula became part of the Irkutsk diocese, established in 1727. For the first time, they began to be spiritually governed by their own. bishop after formation on December 21. 1840 wide Kamchatka, Kuril and Aleutian diocese with a see in Novoarkhangelsk on Sitkha Island. Ruling bishop 15 Dec. 1840 was appointed bishop. Innokenty (Veniaminov).
1 Jan 1899 The Vladivostok and Kamchatka diocese was established, which included the South Ussuri, Udsky, Gizhiginsky, Petropavlovsky, Anadyrsky districts, the Commander Islands, and Sakhalin Island. The administrator of the diocese is Bishop. Eusebius (Nikolsky) - on May 6, 1906 he was elevated to the rank of archbishop and received the title of Vladivostok and Primorsky. To improve the management of the diocese, 2 vicariates were established within its composition: from 1912 - Nikolsko-Ussuriysk, from August 22. 1916 - Kamchatka and Petropavlovsk. Oct 16 1916 Archimandrite was consecrated to the rank of Bishop of Kamchatka, 2nd Vicar of the Bishop of Vladivostok. Nestor (Anisimov), who on the same day, by decree of St. The Synod is appointed to be independent. Petropavlovsk and Kamchatka department with its center in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. His preaching and missionary work. activities in Kamchatka by priest. Nestor began in the fall of 1907. While touring the Kamchatka diocese, Hierarch. Nestor baptized Koryaks, Itelmens, Evenks, supplied them with medicines, built new ones and repaired dilapidated churches. In 1910, through the efforts of Hierom. Nestor, the Kamchatka Brotherhood was created in the name of the Miraculous Image of the All-Merciful Savior. For 5 years, the brotherhood has collected more than 400 thousand rubles for the needs of Kamchatka, for which 12 parishes were opened, 6 churches were built, several. schools, children shelter, leper colony, camp pharmacies have been created. In 1912, through the efforts of Hierarch. Nestor, the 1st Kamchatka Missionary Congress was held, the Kamchatka Spiritual Mission was created.
By 1917 in Kamchatka there were 32 churches and parishes, 60 chapels assigned to other parishes. There were 45 church parishes. schools In Petropavlovsk, with the assistance of the Kamchatka Brotherhood, a second-grade teaching school was opened. school and higher beginning school.
In Oct. 1918 due to the absence of bishop. Nestor (was in Moscow at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church), the Kamchatka diocese became part of the Vladivostok and Primorye diocese as a vicariate. Lord Nestor bore the title of Kamchatka until 1946.
13 Sep. 1922 P. and K. E. was again separated into an independent one with the annexation of the Okhotsk region. In 1928, the see of a suffragan bishop was opened in Okhotsk. In 1924 in wide The Kamchatka diocese included 46 churches, 32 chapels and 2 prayer houses. Houses. Among the clergy of the diocese there were 12 priests. By 1931, all churches in Kamchatka were closed, and the clergy were repressed. The last to be closed was the church in the name of the holy apostles Peter and Paul in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. In 1945, by the decision of the Holy. Synod the diocese was abolished.
25 Jan 1945 definition of the Holy. The Synod established the Khabarovsk and Vladivostok diocese. Its territory covered the Khabarovsk and Primorsky territories, the Amur, Sakhalin, Magadan and Kamchatka regions.
1st Orthodox a community of believers was registered in 1984 in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. There in 1985 priest. The prayer room was consecrated by Yaroslav Levko. house in the name of the holy apostles Peter and Paul. July 19, 1988 Bishop of Khabarovsk and Vladivostok Priest. The Synod appointed the abbot of the Pskov-Pechersk Holy Dormition Monastery, Archimandrite. Gabriel (Steblyuchenko). From that time on, the revival of the church began. life in Kamchatka. 31 Jan 1991 The Magadan and Kamchatka diocese was formed by separating it from the Khabarovsk and Vladivostok diocese. 21 Apr 1991 Arkady (Afonin) was ordained Bishop of Magadan and Kamchatka.
3 Nov 1993 decision of the Holy. Synod revived P. and K. e. by separating it from Magadan and Kamchatka. This year the diocese was visited for the first time by Patr. Alexy II. On March 6, 1994, Nestor (Sapsay) was ordained Bishop of Petropavlovsk and Kamchatka. Since July 17, 1997, the temporary administrator of the diocese was Bishop of Magadan and Chukotka Rostislav (Devyatov). By 1997, there were 9 parishes in the diocese (3 cities, 6 villages). There were 2 churches in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. At the St. Nicholas Cathedral the resurrection is open. school. Orthodox brotherhood The Savior Not Made by Hands"A newspaper was published under the same name. The diocese operates resurrected. schools, parish library, a branch of the Orthodox St. Tikhon's Humanitarian University has been opened. Diocesan newspaper – “Orthodox Kamchatka”.
The Orthodox communities existing on the peninsula are part of the Peter and Paul and Kamchatka diocese. The date of its creation is considered to be 1840. During this period, it was separated from the Irkutsk diocese. The difficult history of the development of Orthodoxy in Kamchatka goes back more than 300 years. In 1697, Vladimir Atlasov and members of his expedition erected the first Orthodox cross on Kamchatka soil.
First Orthodox Church of Kamchatka
The construction of the first temple on the peninsula is associated with the name of Ivan the Yenisei. This is a legendary figure for Kamchatka. Having abandoned his service in the Anadyr fort, Yeniseisky, together with Luka Morozka, went to the peninsula in 1696 in search of a different fate. For almost three years, Yeniseisky participated in campaigns and various battles in the ranks of Vladimir Atlasov’s detachment. Together with his associates, he collected yasak and delivered it to the state treasury.
After being seriously wounded, Yeniseisky was transferred to clerk in Kalyma, where he became a representative of the governor, and then received a noble title. He ended his life tragically in Kamchatka. During the Yukagiram uprising in the Aklan fort, Yeniseisky was burned alive. This happened in 1714.
A year before this event, through the efforts of Yeniseisky, the first Orthodox Church. It was erected on the Klyuchevka River in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Despite the fact that the church was erected in 1713, the building was consecrated after the death of Yeniseisky. Hieromonk Joseph Lazarev did this in 1725. The Nizhne-Kamchatsky fort, in which the building was located, was the center of the peninsula in those days.
During the local uprising of 1731, the temple built by Yenisei burned down. In 1741, a new Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God was built and consecrated in its place. This is one of the oldest Orthodox buildings, in which services are still held today. It was restored with public donations in 1993. A year before its construction in 1740, the Church of Peter and Paul was built on the peninsula.
Orthodoxy today
Officially, 12 religious denominations are registered on the peninsula. The most common of them is the Russian Orthodox Church. It has 31 active parishes on the peninsula. The majority of Kamchatka residents consider themselves Orthodox people. As part of the Russian Orthodox Church, the local diocese is the longest in Russia. Local monastery considered the easternmost in the country.
Main Cathedral region is located in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. It is consecrated in honor of Saint Life-Giving Trinity. The cathedral has its own special appearance. The Old Russian style was chosen for its construction. The temple project was developed taking into account the strength of earthquakes, which are not uncommon in Kamchatka. Its walls are capable of withstanding seismic shocks of magnitude 10. In the design of the cathedral, only mineral paints were used, which turn to stone over time, which significantly extends the life of the frescoes.
The diocese also includes the easternmost church in Russia, consecrated in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. It was built in the village of Nikolskoye on the Commander Islands, which are four small pieces of land 200 meters from the shore of Kamchatka, washed by the Pacific Ocean. The village of Nikolskoye is located on one of them, named after Vitus Bereng.
The first Orthodox parish was founded on the Commander Islands back in 1887. During Soviet times, all religious buildings on the islands were repurposed. A new era of the revival of Orthodoxy on the islands began in the early 90s of the last century.
The consecration of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Nikolskoye took place in the fall of 2012. Its iconostasis was made by craftsmen from Sergiev Pasad. The church belfry contains bells that previously stood on the previous church in the village. After its destruction, they were kept as exhibits in the Aleutian Museum of Local Lore. The new temple has its own Orthodox library and a mini-hotel for pilgrims.
Support for Orthodoxy in Kamchatka is currently felt at the level of local authorities. With the participation of the regional Government, a program for the construction of 20 churches has been developed. Along with the number of churches in Kamchatka, the number of parishioners is also growing. Many services are held in the region in prayer rooms. There are 44 priests and 5 deacons serving in 55 parishes and communities. Many parishes are located in hard-to-reach places on the peninsula.
“20 Temples” Program
The program for the development of Orthodoxy adopted in the region provides for the construction of churches in every regional center, as well as in a major city on the peninsula. The need for this arose among the residents of the region. Along with the churches, houses for priests and buildings for Orthodox schools will be built. The implementation of the program is carried out under the supervision and control of a board of trustees, which includes representatives of the clergy, local authorities and members of the Orthodox community. Currently, services are held in existing churches on the peninsula.
Aleutinsky district
The main temple of the area is the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, which is located in the village of Nikolskoye on Berenga Island. The first stone of the building was laid in 2010. The foundation of the building was consecrated by Patriarch Kirill. The church itself was consecrated after construction was completed in 2012.
Bystrinsky district
As part of the program, a temple was erected in the area in the village of Esso. Construction began in 2004 and was completed only in 2016.
Elizovsky district
This area of the Kamchatka Territory is famous for the presence large quantity churches and chapels. On its territory there are temples:
- Dormition of the Mother of God.
- St. Luke of Crimea.
- Saint Orthodox Alexy.
- St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
- Icon of the Mother of God "Life-Giving Source".
In the same area is convent and three chapels: in honor of the Epiphany, St. George the Victorious and Archangel Michael.
Karaginsky district
Two parishes have been created in the region: at the Church of the Archangel Michael in the village of Ossora and at the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord in the village of Tymplat. They are ordinary village houses, adapted for religious ceremonies and services.
Milkovsky district
The main temple in the area is the Church of the Epiphany. It is located in the village of Milkovo. There are Orthodox parishes in the villages of Tayozhny, Sharoma and Atlasovo.
Olyutorsky district
The Orthodox parish of Cyril and Mythodius of the region is located in the village of Tilichki. It is an ordinary village house.
Penzhinsky district
The main church of the area is located in the village of Kamenskoye in an ordinary wooden house. There is another Orthodox parish in the village of Manila.
Soblevo district
Two churches in the area were opened in the village of Ustye, consecrated in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, and in the village of Soboleva in honor of the icon of the Kazan Mother of God.
Tigilsky district
There are three operating temples in the area:
- Exaltation of the Holy Cross in the village of Ust-Khairyuzova. New church with belfry.
- Nicholas the Wonderworker in the urban village of Palana. Wooden building with two domes.
- Nativity of Christ in the village of Tigil. A wooden church with two domes and a belfry.
Ust-Bolsheretsky district
As part of the program for the construction of churches in Kamchatka, in the village of Oktyabrsky in this region, construction of a cathedral in honor of John of Kronstadt began. Currently, the parish of St. Basil the Great operates here.
Ust-Kamchatsky district
As part of the “20 temples” program in the region, the Church of St. Innocent was built in the village of Kozyrevsk. In the village of Klyuchi there is a Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, and in Ust-Kamsk there is an Assumption Church.
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