THE RETURN OF CONFISCATED PROPERTY TO OLD BELIEVERS (1905–1917)

This article is dedicated to considering the problem of property returns to the Old Believers following the edict of toleration and the October manifesto in 1905. With the beginning of persecution against Old Belief in the reign of Nicholas I (1825–1855), Old Believer property was confiscated in large quantities. This included both moveable (icons, books, liturgical utensils) and immoveable property (churches, chapels, prayer houses, and monasteries). The aim of these confiscations was to make Old Believer religious life difficult and encourage conversion to Orthodoxy. The major beneficiaries of these confiscations were Orthodox and edinoverie communities. The system of these confiscations was only slowly codified. However, following the laws of 1905, Old Believer communities, now legalised in the eyes of the state, tried to regain some of this lost property. Petr Stolypin’s government in particular saw the Old Believers as viable supporters of his conservative policies. However, the Russian Orthodox Church in many cases refused to return the property, arguing that doing so would further damage the Church’s prestige and encourage apostasy. These conflicting approaches to the return of confiscated Old Believer property led to increasing tension between church and state.