Annunciation diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. Blagoveshchensk diocese

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Today, the religious situation in the Amur region as a whole continues to remain quite stable; no conflicts on interfaith grounds have been recorded. Religious associations carry out their activities in accordance with their charters and beliefs.

According to a sociological study conducted by the information and analytical department of the public relations department of the regional governor's office, 69% of respondents believe that a process of religious revival is underway in the region. 26.71% of respondents believe that relations between people of different religions are friendly, 45.21% consider them conflict-free. 34.18% called themselves believers, 41.92% of respondents considered themselves undecided. Of the believers, 48.97% called themselves Orthodox; 20.68% do not identify themselves with any religion and simply believe in God.

The most numerous in terms of the number of parishioners is the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Blagoveshchensk diocese was actually formed in 1858, although until 1870 it continued to be called Kamchatka, Kuril and Aleutian, and until 1899 - Kamchatka and Blagoveshchensk, from 1899 - Blagoveshchensk. Since the mid-30s. XX century Due to persecution of the Church, the diocese lost its archpastoral administration. It was restored by a resolution of the Holy Synod with the names Blagoveshchenskaya and Tyndinskaya on December 28, 1993.

The Diocese of Annunciation was formed thanks to the missionary work and concern for the development of the Amur region in Russia by St. Innocent (Veniaminov), Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna (1797-1879). For the sake of achieving the greatest success of the Orthodox mission in the Far Eastern outskirts of Russia, he, being the Archbishop of Kamchatka, Kuril and Aleutian, with the permission of the Holy Synod, several times transferred his diocesan see from one city to another.

In 1852, Saint Innocent moved to the Ayan port on the Sea of Okhotsk, not only for the sake of convenience of communication with Kamchatka, but also so that he would have “more opportunity to monitor Amur affairs.

On April 10, 1853, Saint Innocent appointed his son, priest Gabriel Veniaminov, as a missionary to the Amur, through whom he wanted to quickly establish an Orthodox mission on the Amur and facilitate the speedy securing of the left bank of the Amur for Russia. In this important state matter, Saint Innocent was the closest associate and inspirer of the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia, Count N.N. Muravyov-Amursky (1809-1881) and Admiral G.I. Nevelskoy (1813-1876).

Since September 1853, Yakutsk became the cathedral city of St. Innocent. And on May 5, 1858, Saint Innocent arrived in the village of Ust-Zeyskaya, on the site of the future main city of the Amur region. On May 9, he performed a prayer service and laid the foundation stone of the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On May 16, Governor-General of Eastern Siberia N.N. Muravyov-Amursky signed the Aigun Treaty on borders with China, which restored Russian sovereignty over the left bank of the Amur region, lost under the Nerchinsk Treaty of 1689. On July 5, Emperor Alexander II issued a decree on the founding of the city of Blagoveshchensk. In the name of the main city of the Amur region "Blagoveshchensk" the opinion of Count N.N. was decisive. Muravyov-Amursky. Archpriest P. Gromov, confessor N.N. Muravyov-Amursky, wrote that he named the city being built on the Amur “Blagoveshchensk in memory of the fact that his most active associate, His Eminence Archbishop of Kamchatka Innokenty, initially served as a priest in Irkutsk at the Church of the Annunciation.”

The resolution of the Holy Synod of December 21, 1858 indicated: “The Kamchatka diocesan see should be in the city of Blagoveshchensk on the Amur with two Vicariates, one in Yakutsk, according to the peculiarities of the language” of the customs of the population, distinguishing the Yakut region from all others; and the other in Novoarkhangelsk, Sitkha Island (America)." By the Decree of the Holy Synod of December 31, 1958, Archbishop of Kamchatka, Kuril and Aleutian Innokenty was ordered to "proceed to select a place for the construction on the Amur of all the necessary buildings of the diocesan department, precisely between the mouths of the Zeya and Bureya .

Archbishop Innokenty left Yakutsk on February 11, 1860, and on May 24 of the same year he arrived in Blagoveshchensk “so that here, according to the churches located down the Amur River, he would stay forever.” In 1862, according to the plan of St. Innocent, a bishop's house was built in Blagoveshchensk. While establishing the new diocesan center, Saint Innocent first of all began to take care of the opening of a theological seminary in Blagoveshchensk. He believed that in Novoarkhangelsk and Yakutsk (former diocesan centers), where there were already seminaries, there were enough theological schools, and in Blagoveshchensk there must certainly be a seminary. Soon after moving to Blagoveshchensk, Saint Innocent established a theological school here. Moving the seminary from Yakutsk turned out to be difficult, and only his successor at the Annunciation Department was able to create a new seminary. Under construction since 1858, the Annunciation Cathedral was consecrated by St. Innocent on April 11, 1864.

Having received news of his appointment to the Moscow See on January 18, 1868, Saint Innocent sent a dispatch the next day to the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod, Count D. A. Tolstoy with the wish to see as his successor at the Annunciation See the Most Reverend Veniamin (Blagonravov), the bishop of Selenga, no one, vicar of the Irkutsk diocese, head of the Transbaikal spiritual mission.

On March 17, 1868, Bishop Veniamin received an appointment to Blagoveshchensk. At first, like Saint Innocent (Veniaminov), it was called “Kamchatka, Kuril and Aleutian,” but with the separation of the independent Aleutian diocese from Kamchatka (1870) it began to be called “Kamchatka and Blagoveshchensk.” The arrival of His Grace Veniamin in Blagoveshchensk is associated with the return to the Amur region of the Albazin Icon of the Mother of God “The Word Became Flesh.” (Albazin is a Russian fortress on the Amur, founded by E.P. Khabarov in 1650; in 1685 it was besieged by the Manchu army; an elder brought the revered icon to the Spassky Monastery, located near the Albazinsky fort, in the winter of 1665-66 ( Hieromonk Hermogenes).

The Albazin icon, which had previously been in Sretensk, was moved by Bishop Veniamin to the city of Blagoveshchensk on July 20, 1868 and left as a blessing to the residents and the entire Amur region for future times. A silver chasuble with the inscription has been preserved: “This Albazin Icon of the Mother of God was brought from Sretensk to Blagoveshchensk by His Grace Veniamin, Bishop of Kamchatka, Kuril and Aleutian, in June 1868, upon his first entry into his diocesan city.” With the direct participation of Bishop Veniamin, the first Annunciation Theological Seminary in the Russian Far East was opened in 1871. At first the seminary was located in a wooden building. On July 6, 1882, a three-story stone building was laid. On October 6, 1885, its consecration took place. The seminary church was dedicated to the Evangelist John the Theologian. Since 1882, the Theological School operated at the seminary (the seminary functioned until 1918).

Since the early 1880s. Blagoveshchensk becomes a major shopping center, as well as the center of the resettlement movement in the Amur region. This left its mark on the development of diocesan life: great efforts were required to create new churches and parochial schools. On March 9, 1886, His Grace Gury opened the Orthodox Brotherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary - a charitable society at the Cathedral of Blagoveshchensk, the purpose of which was to protect the Orthodox flock from the influence of representatives of other religious denominations that had surged into the Amur region. The Molokans, Doukhobors, Stundobaptists and Subbotniks showed the greatest activity. Molokans stood out for their entrepreneurial activities in the Amur region, which sometimes generally influenced market trade in the region. The Brotherhood had an extensive library and held extra-liturgical readings and public missionary interviews.

Under Bishop Guria (Burtasovsky) of the Amur and Annunciation, by decree of the Holy Synod in 1885, a general diocesan holiday was established in honor of the Albazin Icon of the Mother of God, which began to be celebrated annually on March 9 (March 22 according to the New Style). At the same time, a prayer was composed, which is read in front of this image to this day.

Bishop Gury, who was the rector of the Annunciation Theological Seminary before his episcopal consecration, introduced the weekly reading of akathists to the Mother of God before the Albazin icon.

In 1891, Tsarevich Nicholas, the future Emperor Nicholas II, who visited Blagoveshchensk during his trip around the world, prayed before the Albazin Icon.

The first bishop with the title “Amur and Annunciation” was His Grace Innokenty (Solodchin), a graduate of the Altai Spiritual Mission, who worked there as a missionary since the mid-60s. XIX century and passed all levels of missionary service.

After the formation of the Vladivostok diocese, 66 parishes remained in Blagoveshchensk; Cossack parishes along the Amur - 21. On January 1, 1900, the diocese had: 81 churches, 99 chapels, 51 parish trustees; clergy: archpriests - 5, priests - 71, deacons - 19, psalmists - 60; Orthodox population - 137,978 souls.

On March 26, 1900, on the initiative of the rector of the Annunciation Seminary, Archimandrite Antonin, the “John the Theological Brotherhood was opened in Blagoveshchensk to assist insufficient students of the theological seminary and the theological school connected to it.” During the Russo-Japanese War, the Brotherhood also provided assistance to the families of Russian soldiers.

During the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1900, the Chinese rained shells on poorly defended Blagoveshchensk for 19 days. Bishop Innocent, with the participation of many clergy and city residents, served a prayer service in front of the Albazin icon. The Annunciation Cathedral remained undamaged and there were no casualties. The grateful residents of Blagoveshchensk perceived this intercession of the Mother of God as a “New Protection” over their city.

Under Bishop Vladimir (Blagorazumov) of the Amur and Blagoveshchensk (1906-1909), the Grado-Blagoveshchensky Mother of God-Albazinsky Convent was established (1908). In 1915 A parochial school was opened at the monastery, in which 12 boys studied. Under his successor, Bishop Evgeniy (Berezhkov) (1909-1914), 20 churches were built in the Blagoveshchensk diocese and permission was received for the construction of 11 churches; About 50 parochial schools have been opened.

By 1917, in the Blagoveshchensk diocese there were 96 churches, 2 monasteries, 83 parochial schools (more than 4 thousand students), 91 priests, 17 deacons. There were more than 20 Orthodox churches in Blagoveshchensk, all of them were destroyed during the years of persecution of the Church, and the Annunciation Cathedral burned down in 1924. The Albazin Icon of the Mother of God was placed in the Elias Chapel, where it remained until 1938, and then ended up in closed storerooms Amur Regional Museum of Local Lore.

After the end of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. A revival of church life began in the Amur region, but a lot of time still had to pass before the restoration of the Annunciation diocese. In the early 40s, all Siberian and Far Eastern dioceses were deprived of their archpastors. On February 26, 1943, His Eminence Bartholomew (Gorodtsev) was appointed Archbishop of Novosibirsk and Barnaul, who also became the temporary administrator of the Irkutsk diocese. On July 10, 1947, he was also entrusted with the management of the Vladivostok diocese, which he ruled until 1948. During this period, the parishes of the Amur region were under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Novosibirsk and Barnaul. In the period from 1946 to 1990. The Khabarovsk and Vladivostok diocese (from 1958 to 1988 - Khabarovsk and Amur) was actually annexed to the Irkutsk diocese. From 1990 to 1993 Blagoveshchensk was the second cathedral city formed by the Khabarovsk and Blagoveshchensk diocese.

On December 28, 1993, at a meeting of the Holy Synod headed by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus', a resolution was adopted: “To restore the Annunciation diocese. The diocesan bishops of the Annunciation diocese should bear the title of “Blagoveshchensk and Tyndinsky.” At the same meeting of the Synod, the temporary administration of the recreated Blagoveshchensk diocese The diocese was entrusted to His Grace Innokenty (Vasiliev), Bishop of Khabarovsk and Amur.

On April 21, 1994, by decree of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Grace Gabriel (Steblyuchenko) was appointed Bishop of Blagoveshchensk and Tyndinsk. The cathedral city of the diocese is the administrative center of the Amur region - the city of Blagoveshchensk.

When, after many years of persecution of the Church in Blagoveshchensk, the first Orthodox parish was opened in 1946, the building of the former church (built in 1903) was transferred to it, since not one of the more than two dozen Orthodox churches in the city had survived. This temple became the cathedral of the Annunciation diocese. On Sunday, November 7, 1991, in a solemn religious procession to the ringing of bells, the miraculous Albazin Icon of the Mother of God was returned to the Cathedral from the Amur Regional Museum of Local Lore.

In the spring of 1997, construction of a new cathedral began. In the summer of 1999, golden domes already shone on the newly built Annunciation Cathedral. In 2000, on the Nativity of Christ, the first Divine Liturgy was served there, and from Christmas 2003, regular services began. The new cathedral was erected on the site of two previously destroyed churches - in the name of St. Nicholas (the first church in the Amur region) and the Church of the Intercession of St. Nicholas (the first stone building in Blagoveshchensk). The temple has 2 chapels - in honor of “Saint Nicholas of Myra” and “Saint Innocent” (Veniaminov) of Moscow. On January 2, 2003, a magnificent iconostasis was installed in the main altar of the Cathedral, the work of icon painters of the Patriarchal Art Workshops of Sofrino. In 1998, during the visit of His Grace Gabriel, Bishop of the Annunciation and Tynda, to the city of Tynda with the miraculous Albazin Icon of the Mother of God, the laying of the Holy Trinity Cathedral for the second cathedral city of the Annunciation diocese, construction of which was completed in 2001. The former church in Tynda, converted from a library building, was transferred to the newly formed Holy Intercession Convent.

When His Grace Bishop Gabriel ascended to the Annunciation See, there were three parishes in the Amur region. Currently, 54 Orthodox parishes (of which 4 are in Blagoveshchensk), 3 monasteries and 15 religious groups are registered and operating in the Amur region. There are 8 Sunday schools in the diocese; There are 682 children and 120 adults studying there.

The revival of Orthodox spiritual traditions in civil society is one of the priority areas in the life of the Annunciation diocese. In 1997, when the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated the 200th anniversary of the birth of St. Innocent (Veniaminov), a monument was erected to him in the center of Blagoveshchensk, and the lane adjacent to the monument was named after him. In the village Innokentyevka, Arkharinsky district, founded in 1867 as the village of Nizhnebureninskaya and soon renamed in memory of the saint, in 1997, a parish was opened in honor of Saint Innocent. In commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of St. Innocent, from May 25 to June 9, 1997, Bishop Gabriel of Annunciation and Amur region organized a pilgrimage voyage on the ship "Miklouho-Maclay" with the Albazin Icon of the Mother of God from Blagoveshchensk to Nikolaevsk-on-Amur and others places consecrated by the missionary exploits of the enlightener of the peoples of Siberia and America. On May 28, 1997, residents of Khabarovsk prayed before the miraculous icon. The Diocese of Blagoveshchensk publishes the Orthodox family newspaper "Golden Domes" (a monthly supplement to the regional newspaper "Amurskaya Pravda") and the Orthodox youth newspaper "Zlatoust" (a weekly supplement to the newspaper "Samovar"). The status of newspapers as supplements was chosen due to ease of distribution, with regional publications publishing a circulation of more than 20 thousand copies. There are two similar supplements to regional newspapers - “Orthodox BAM”, published by the Tyndinsky Holy Trinity Cathedral, and “St. Vladimirsky Bulletin”, published by the parish in the village. Magdagachi. The television program “The Path to Truth” is broadcast once a week, and “The Star of Bethlehem” is broadcast once a month. The radio programs “Annunciation” and “News of the Annunciation Diocese” are broadcast weekly.

In the Diocese of Annunciation, the following are organized and carry out their activities: a department of mercy and social charity, a missionary department and a missionary fund, a department for interaction with the Armed Forces, a department for interaction with the department of execution of punishments. The Orthodox Brotherhood of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky and the Orthodox Missionary Youth Squad were created.

The Saint Innocent (Veniaminov) Mercy Service maintains close relations with entrepreneurs of the city and region in providing charitable assistance to the poor, disabled, and orphans. (In 2006, about 400 thousand rubles were allocated for charitable purposes).

This is not the first year that the Orthodox clergy has been helping the public organization “Nadezhda” in the village of Konstantinovka, which unites parents raising disabled children. Last year, funds were allocated twice to purchase medicines for sick children. 10 thousand rubles were donated to the oncology and hematology department of the children's regional clinical hospital, which opened after a major renovation. Charitable assistance was also provided to the Amur Federation of winter swimming enthusiasts "Aquasport" for the construction of a descent to the Jordan on the Zeya River and an ice hole for swimming on the days of the great holiday - Epiphany or Epiphany.

Last summer, the Blagoveshchensk diocese took an active part in the celebrations dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the regional center. During the celebration of the city's anniversary, 125 medals made in Sofrino, near Moscow, were awarded to worthy residents. (100 thousand rubles were spent for these purposes). The clergy also contributed to the restoration of the destroyed Orthodox cemetery in Harbin.

The diocese actively supports educational activities; for several years it has financed the production of the television program “The Light of Orthodoxy.” (Last year, 75 thousand rubles were allocated for the implementation of this television project).

At the Amur Metallist plant, a cast iron cross is being cast, which, with the onset of warmer weather, will be installed in Albazino as a symbol of the Russian state and the Orthodox faith on the border. The first contribution for its production was made by the Annunciation diocese (50 thousand rubles).

Over the past year, charitable assistance was also provided to individual parishioners.

The missionary department regularly travels along the Baikal-Amur Mainline and to remote settlements in the north of the Amur region. For these purposes, the diocese has a church car. During such missionary trips, the sacraments of baptism are performed and pastoral conversations are held.

The Department for Cooperation with the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies maintains business relations with the Department of Internal Affairs, the Department of the Federal Penitentiary Service and military units of the Ministry of Defense. Under the pastoral care of the priests of the Diocese are almost all military units, military schools and units of the Border Troops of the FSB of the Russian Federation stationed in the Amur Region.

At the beginning of this year, the Diocese of Blagoveshchensk and the Office of the Federal Service of the Russian Federation for Drug Control in the Amur Region entered into an agreement on cooperation in the field of preventing the abuse of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. The joint address expressed concern about the terrible disaster that has engulfed Russia. Among the regions of the Far East, the Amur region ranks sadly first in terms of teenage drug addiction. The Gavrilo-Arkhangelsk Monastery is ready to accept about 10 novices for correction who want to give up their addiction and take the path of correction and spiritual purification.

The leadership of the Diocese and Orthodox parishes builds its relations with the authorities of the region, cities, districts, villages and towns in accordance with the current legislation on a trusting, friendly basis. Church ministers, in turn, are invited to various events held by both executive and legislative authorities, and they are given the opportunity to speak at them with greetings, congratulations, and wishes. Parish rectors receive congratulations from authorities on religious holidays.

Archbishop Gabriel of Blagoveshchensk and Tyndinsk and the secretary of the diocese, priest Oleg (Volochay), are members of the Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations under the governor of the Amur Region. Orthodox priests are also members of similar councils and commissions created in almost all cities and districts of the region with the aim of more effective interaction between authorities and religious associations. Representatives of the diocese took an active part in the preparation and holding in September last year of the interregional scientific and practical seminar “Freedom of conscience and religion in the Russian Federation and the countries of the Asia-Pacific region: regional aspects.”

Fedirko Oksana Petrovna, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Humanities, Blagoveshchensk Branch of the Moscow Academy of Entrepreneurship under the Government of Moscow

Http://pravostok.ru/ru/journal/jhistory/?id=233

The territory of B. and T. was originally part of the Kamchatka diocese, the center of the circle from December 1. 1858 was in Blagoveshchensk (since 1870 the diocese was called Kamchatka, Kuril and Blagoveshchensk). 1 Jan 1899 The Kamchatka diocese was divided into the Blagoveshchensk-Amur and Vladivostok-Kamchatka dioceses. 9 Feb. In 1899, Innocent (Solodchin), who had previously served in the Altai Spiritual Mission, was consecrated Bishop of Blagoveshchensk in Tomsk. In the Blagoveshchensk diocese at the time of its formation there were 66 parishes, of which 21 were Cossack parishes along the Amur. As of January 1. In 1900, in the Diocese of Annunciation there were 81 churches and 99 chapels, 5 archpriests, 71 priests and 19 deacons served, the population was Orthodox. religion amounted to 137 thousand 978 people. In 1899, the spiritual mission of the Annunciation diocese had 16 camps: 5 in the Gold department, 11 in the Gilyak department. The missionaries of the diocese preached Orthodoxy among the Golds, Gilyaks, Tungus, Nigitdals and Orochons. The Blagoveshchensk DS (opened in 1871) continued to operate in Blagoveshchensk, and the “Blagoveshchensk Diocesan Gazette” began to be published. On March 26, 1900, on the initiative of the rector of the seminary, the St. John the Theological Brotherhood was opened to help students of theological educational institutions.

Since 1868, the Albazin “Word became flesh” icon of the Mother of God was kept in Blagoveshchensk. In 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion in China, the rebel Chinese shelled lightly defended Blagoveshchensk for 19 days. Ep. Innocent, with the participation of the clergy and residents of the city, served a prayer service with akathists before the Albazin Icon of the Mother of God. Cathedral in honor of the Annunciation of St. The Virgin Mary (consecrated in 1864) remained intact. The grateful residents of Blagoveshchensk saw in this the intercession of the Mother of God.

24 Sep. 1900 ep. Innokenty retired. 17 Dec In the same year, bishop was appointed to the Annunciation See. Nikodim (Bokov). He undertook missionary travels and preached Orthodoxy to the indigenous peoples of the Amur region. On the initiative of Bishop. Nicodemus, annual congresses of deans and deputies of the clergy began to be held in the Annunciation diocese. On June 14, 1905, the Holy Synod decided to establish in the Zazeya region at the mouth of the river. Burundian husband monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God. In Feb. In 1908, an icon of the Great Martyr was brought to the monastery as a gift from Athos. Panteleimon, in 1915 a parochial school was opened at the monastery, with 12 boys studying. 3 Nov 1906 Vladimir (Blagorazumov) became Bishop of Annunciation. Under him, in 1908, the Blagoveshchensk Women's Church was established. monastery in honor of the Albazin Icon of the Mother of God. When ep. Evgenia (Berezhkov), in 1909-1914, 20 churches were built in the Blagoveshchensk diocese, permission was received to build 11 more churches, opened approx. 50 parochial schools. On July 11, 1914, a schmch was appointed to the Annunciation See. Ep. Evgeny (Zernov). By 1917, in the Blagoveshchensk diocese there were 76 churches (in Blagoveshchensk - more than 20), 2 monasteries, 83 parochial schools (more than 4 thousand people studied in them), 91 priests and 17 deacons.

In 1918, the Blagoveshchenskaya DS was plundered by the Red Army and it closed, the production of “Blagoveshchensk EVs” ceased (probably the last issue was No. 2/3 dated February 15, 1918). After the end of the civil war and the establishment of Soviet power in the Far East. East (November 1922) active persecution of the Church began. On the night of August 27-28. 1923 bishop Evgeniy was arrested and imprisoned in Blagoveshchensk. 1 Sep. A religious procession took place from the cathedral demanding the release of the bishop. However, Bishop Evgeny was soon taken to Chita, then deported to Moscow. 30 Nov In 1923 he was elevated to the rank of archbishop, in May 1924 he became a member of the Holy Church. Synod under the Patriarch of Moscow St. Tikhon, in 1924-1927 was in the Solovetsky camp, took part in the preparation of the “Solovetsky Message” (July 1926), in 1927-1929. was in exile. Until appointment in Aug. 1930 to the Belgorod See of Archbishop. Evgeniy continued to bear the title of Bishop of the Annunciation. In the 20-30s. all Orthodox churches in Blagoveshchensk were destroyed. In 1924, the cathedral burned down; the Albazin Icon of the Mother of God was in the Ilyinskaya Chapel until 1938, then in the storerooms of the Amur Regional Museum of Local Lore. 12 Sep. 1930 Bishop was appointed to the Annunciation See. Innokenty (Tikhonov), October 2. 1932 - sschmch. Ep. Herman (Kokkel). There is no information that they were able to take over the management of the Annunciation diocese.

In the 20s - early. 30s There was a renovationist Annunciation Department, which was occupied by Alexander Vvedensky 2nd (April-June 1923), Grigory Klimchuk (Sept. 1924 - Oct. 1927) and Feodor Turbin (July 1931 - Feb. 1932). In July 1927-1929, the Gregorian schism in the Annunciation diocese was led by Irinarch Pavlov.

From ser. 30s The Annunciation Department was not replaced; in 1946, the territory of the former. The Blagoveshchensk diocese became part of the newly established Khabarovsk diocese (in 1958-1988 it was governed by the Irkutsk bishops). In 1946, an Orthodox church was opened in Blagoveshchensk. parish, to which the former building was transferred. church (built in 1903), since not a single Orthodox church. There is no temple left in the city. In 1991-1993 Blagoveshchensk was the 2nd cathedral city of the Khabarovsk and Blagoveshchensk diocese. 7 Nov In 1991, during a solemn religious procession, the Albazin Icon of the Mother of God was returned from the Amur Local History Museum to the Blagoveshchensk Cathedral.

28 Dec 1993 by the decision of the Holy. The Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church was established by B. and That is, the Khabarovsk bishop temporarily ruled the diocese. Innocent (Vasiliev).

21 Apr In 1994, Gabriel (Steblyuchenko) was appointed Bishop of Blagoveshchensk, by this time there were 3 parishes operating in B. and T. In the spring of 1997, construction began on the new Annunciation Cathedral on the site of the destroyed churches in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and Pokrovo-Nikolskaya. In 1998, during the visit of Bishop. Gabriel with the Albazin Icon of the Mother of God in Tynda, the Holy Trinity Church was founded in the city. In 1997, in honor of the 200th anniversary of the birth of St. Innocent (Veniaminov) a monument to the saint was erected in the center of Blagoveshchensk, and the lane adjacent to the monument was named after him. In the village Innokentyevka, Arkharinsky district, Amur region. in 1997 a parish was opened in the name of St. Innocent. May 25 - June 9, 1997 bishop. Gabriel organized a pilgrimage voyage on the ship “Miklouho-Maclay” with the Albazin Icon of the Mother of God from Blagoveshchensk to Nikolaevsk-on-Amur and other places associated with the missionary activities of St. Innocent.

The Blagoveshchensk and Tyndinsk diocese unites the parishes and monasteries of the Russian Orthodox Church, within the borders of the Amur region. Cathedral city - Blagoveshchensk. Cathedral - in honor of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The diocese is divided into deaneries: Central, Belogorskoe and Mazanovskoe, Bureya and Arkharinskoe, Northern, Shimanovskoe and Skovorodinskoe, Svobodnenskoe. The ruling bishop is Bishop. Lucian (Kutsenko; archbishop since February 1, 2018). As of 2018, the diocese had 38 churches, 25 chapels, 32 prayer rooms (houses and rooms), 3 monasteries. The clergy of the diocese consists of 50 priests (20 of them monastics) and 6 deacons. The following departments operate under the diocesan administration: missionary in the name of St. Innocent (has a church-car that runs along the Baikal-Amur Mainline), mercy and charity, relations with the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies, work with youth, pilgrimage, interaction with the Cossacks, commission for family affairs. There are 12 Sunday schools in the diocese. On the basis of the Public University for the Elderly in Blagoveshchensk, catechetical courses for adults are offered. In the city of Blagoveshchensk at the Spiritual and Educational Center of St. Innocent, Metropolitan Since 2014, Moskovsky has been running three-year theological courses with regency and icon painting classes. Oct 15 In 2015, theological courses were transformed into Blagoveshchensk DU.

Diocesan media. A monthly Orthodox journal is published in B. and T. gas. "Blagoveshchensk EVs", the missionary department monthly publishes an informational and educational newspaper "Blagoveshchenie". gas application “BAM” - “Orthodox BAM”, weekly television programs “The Light of Orthodoxy” and “Orthodoxy of the Amur Region” are aired.

Shrines and religious processions: The patroness of the Amur land is the miraculous Albazin “Word Flesh Icon of the Mother of God.” On March 22, the day of her memory, a religious procession is held in Blagoveshchensk.

Bishops: Bishop Innocent (Solodchin; 02/9/1899 - 09/24/1900), bishop. Nikodim (Bokov; 12/17/1900 - 11/3/1906), bishop. Vladimir (Blagorazumov; 3.11.1906 - 22.05.1909), bishop. Evgeny (Berezhkov; 05/22/1909-07/11/1914), archbishop. sschmch. Evgeny (Zernov; 07/11/1914 - 08/13/1930), bishop. Innokenty (Tikhonov; 09/12/1930 - 09/19/1932), schmch. Ep. Herman (Kokkel; October 2, 1932-1935), since 1935 the department has not been filled, in 1946-1993. the territory of B. and I.e. was part of the Khabarovsk diocese, from December 28. In 1993, the diocese was temporarily ruled by the Khabarovsk bishop. Innocent (Vasiliev), archbishop. Gabriel (Steblyuchenko; 04/21/1994-October 5, 2011); Lucian (Kutsenko; since October 16, 2011, since February 1, 2018, archbishop).

Monasteries: Tyndinsky Women's Monastery in honor of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos (established in 2002), in honor of the Albazin Icon of the Mother of God of Women. (approx. Zeya, established in 2002).

Lit.: Nestor (Anisimov), priest. Orthodoxy in Siberia: East. feature article. St. Petersburg, 1910; Albazin Icon of the Mother of God, called “The Word became Flesh.” Od., 1912; Gazdiev D. ABOUT . Annunciation Theological Seminary // Christianity in the Far East: Conf. materials. Khabarovsk, 2000. P. 15-18; Ermatsans I. A . Bishop's successors Innocent (Veniaminova) // Ibid. pp. 32-38; Tikhon (Romanov), archimandrite. Blagoveshchensk diocese - revival of church life // ZhMP. 2000. No. 5.

Prot. Boris Pivovarov

I. Historical sketch. – Until 1898, the Blagoveshchensk diocese was called Kamchatka. According to the definition of the Holy Synod, the opinion of the State Council, approved on June 4, 1898, was supposed to separate from the Kamchatka diocese from January 1, 1899 the independent diocese of Vladivostok, the Okhotsk district of the Primorye region, which was part of the Kamchatka diocese, to transfer to the Yakut diocese, and for Therefore, the Kamchatka diocese is called Blagoveshchensk after the name of the diocesan city of Blagoveshchensk, and its bishop is called Amur and Blagoveshchensk. In the Blagoveshchensk diocese there are churches located along the entire course of the river. Amur, starting from Art. Pokrovskaya, to the city of Nikolaevsk, with the sea coast from the Gulf of St. Nicholas, the Sea of Okhotsk to the Imperial Harbor in the Tatar Sea, the entire course of the river. Zeya, Bureya and Amguni with their systems, as well as the entire lower reaches of the river. Ussuri from st. Busse to its confluence with the Amur. The former Eminence of Kamchatka Eusebius was appointed to Vladivostok, and the Eminence Innocent was appointed to Blagoveshchensk. The son of a priest of the Ryazan diocese, who moved to Siberia, His Grace Innokenty, in the world Ivan Vasilyevich Solodchin, was born in 1842, received his education at the Tomsk Theological School and the Tomsk Theological Seminary, then at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. He left the 2nd year and entered the Altai spiritual mission, where at first he was a teacher at a missionary school, then in 1875 he became a monk, was ordained a hieromonk, and received the Tarabogatai missionary camp - parish. In 1878 he was transferred to the Bishop's Church of the Cross, as confessor to the proteges. In 1880, he again switched to the missionary field, as head of the Katanda missionary camp. In 1885 he was appointed confessor of the Tomsk Theological Seminary. In this position he received the rank of abbot. In 1890 he was appointed assistant to the head of the Altai mission and in 1893 he was elevated to archimandrite. Since 1894, he was the diocesan observer of the church schools of the Tomsk diocese, in 1897 he left this position and was elected an honorary member of the diocesan school council, then he managed the Tomsk Alexievsky monastery and was assigned to the Tomsk bishop's house. On February 9, 1899, in the house bishop's church in Tomsk, Archimandrite Innokenty was consecrated as bishop of the Amur region by two bishops - Tomsk Macarius and Transbaikal Methodius.

II. Statistical review. – Parishes in the diocese, under the Vladivostok branch, 66 were left. Monasteries No. Churches by January 1, 1900 there were 81, chapels 99. Parish trustees 51. Clergy: 5 archpriests, 71 priests, 19 deacons, 60 psalmists. Against the regular position, there were 11 priests, 3 deacons and 18 psalmists missing. Among the priests, 11 arrived from European Russia and 1 from Turkestan, the rest were local natives. Orthodox population during the formation of the diocese, 137,978 souls were counted; in 1899, according to diocesan statistics, 92,988 souls were counted: 48,918 m.p. and 44,070 w. n. The population belongs to the urban class, Cossack and rural classes, then there are mine workers and foreigners. In addition to the Orthodox, a significant part of the population consists of Manchus and Chinese of the Buddhist and Mohammedan faiths, schismatics and sectarians, and a small number of foreigners are shamanists. In general, the foreigners of the diocese, the Golds and Gilyaks, were enlightened by St. baptism. Cossack villages are distinguished by their special amenities: in every church, in every village there is a chapel, where services are held when the clergy arrive. There are 21 all Cossack parishes, along the Amur, for almost 2,500 miles. The Cossacks are committed to Orthodoxy, and among them there was only one case of deviation - into Molokanism.

III. Diocesan administration. – Spiritual consistory has 3 members. The consistory is located in a rented building belonging to the diocesan guardianship for the poor ecclesiastical rank. The consistory has a plot of its own land of 1470 square meters. soot and three wooden outbuildings on it, but so dilapidated that it is not possible to live in them. Deans in the Blagoveshchensk diocese in 1899 there were 12, each was in charge of an area with a distance from 300 to 1,682 versts. In August 1899, for the first time in the diocese, congress clergy, mainly for the decision of the excited Rev. Eusebius on the issue of establishing a diocesan women's school.

IV. Theological educational institutions and church schools. – The religious and educational institutions of the Blagoveshchensk diocese are different from the religious and educational institutions of other dioceses. Theological Seminary in Blagoveshchensk, founded in 1870, connected with religious school. The head of both educational institutions is the rector of the seminary. The seminary has three classes with a two-year course, and the school has two, also with a two-year course, and, in addition, a preparatory class. The position of inspector of the seminary was held by one of the teachers until 1896, when a special inspector was appointed. Seminary teachers also taught at the school, by mutual agreement and appointment of the seminary board. All this was caused by the small number of pupils. In 1896, in the seminary, in addition to the rector and inspector, there were ten teachers, each having from 2 to 8 lessons. There were 40 students in the seminary in 1900, in a school with a preparatory class. 95, a total of 135. Until 1899, there was a department of the Manchu language at the seminary, but then it was abolished, due to the discrepancy between its actual need, since the Manchus began to speak the common Chinese language and their former, native language received only archaeological significance, and then also because that the Orthodox mission among the Manchus, under modern conditions, could not operate, since the Manchus, for various reasons, could not accept Russian citizenship, and the adoption of Christianity was punishable by death. Diocesan Women's School not yet, but the clergy have already decided to open a school, and a capital of 34,000 rubles has been raised for its establishment and maintenance, increasing annually from the fees established by the clergy: 10% each from the income of the candle, purse and mug (5,825 rubles per year) and 1 % of salary.

Church schools in the diocese there are more than 60, including: 1 second-class, 3 two-class, 22 one-class, 24 literacy schools, 1 exemplary theological seminary, 2 church-schools, 10 missionary. Students in schools: second grade 79 boys and 20 girls, 99 in total; in two-classes 197 and 288, total 485; in single-class 706 and 206, total 912; in schools, diplomas 491 and 206, total 697; in the exemplary group there are 37 boys; in missionaries 293 and 11, total 304; total students 2,434. Among the students are 5 children of schismatics, 96 sectarians, 9 Roman Catholics, 1 Jew, 4 Buddhists and 7 pagans. 35,489 rubles were spent on diocesan schools, not counting missionary schools. All schools are in charge of the diocesan school council with two departments: Upper Amur - for the Amur region and Lower Amur - for the Primorsky region, and for the maintenance church schools, according to the resolution of the clergy congress in August 1899?., 2% is collected from the gross candle income of churches, in addition, mug and plate fees are collected. There are dormitories at the second-grade school and at all missionary schools; in the first case, the maintenance of a student boarder is determined at 60 rubles, in the second, the mission releases it at 35 rubles.

V. Educational, charitable and economic institutions. – Annunciation Pre-Slavic Brotherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary established in 1886, its purpose is to protect the Orthodox from being drawn into schism and sectarianism and to take measures to admonish schismatics and sectarians and return them to the fold of the Orthodox Church. To achieve the goal, the brotherhood has organized monitoring of Orthodox Christians living close to or together with schismatics and sectarians, and provides material assistance to Orthodox Christians “in cases where one may fear that, if they are denied the latter, Orthodox Christians will turn to sectarians for it and thereby be in danger of losing under the pressure of sectarianism, their Orthodoxy" (from 3 to 35 rubles, in total 148 rubles were issued in 1898), a fraternal library is maintained, constantly replenished with books of a missionary nature (in 1898, books worth 266 rubles were issued), public interviews with schismatics and sectarians, private interviews with individual missionaries. In 1898 there were 14 life members in the fraternity. The fraternity is governed by a council. Converted to Orthodoxy in 1899 from sectarians 1 Molokan and from the schism 6 souls. Since March 1898, the brotherhood had a capital of over 55,000 rubles. – Old Believers live mainly in the Zazeya region of the Amur region, where there are 24 villages exclusively with an Old Believers population. Over 5,500 souls live within the diocese of all Old Believers; most of all the Besglopopovtsy, then come in number the followers of the Austrian false priesthood and finally the Beglopopovtsy. Over 4,500 souls live in the mentioned 24 villages, the rest in Blagoveshchensk and various villages along with the Orthodox. The Old Believers live solitary, secluded lives, do not seduce the Orthodox, but they themselves are almost resistant to conversion. There are up to 15 people seduced in former times. The diocese has an anti-schism missionary – a priest. – Sectarians live mainly in the Amur region; they are not present in the Primorye region. Blagoveshchensk is a “hotbed of sectarians.” The number of sectarians exceeds 8,000 souls. The number of sectarians increases every year, both as a result of the natural increase in the sectarian population, and as a result of the seduction of Orthodox Christians and the influx of migrants, mainly from areas of Russia infected with sectarianism. The sectarians split into Molokans of the Samara and Tambov sects, or Molokans-Pharisees and Molokans-Sadducees, as they call themselves, Doukhobors, jumpers, from 40 and even up to 200 dessiatines is not uncommon. They cultivate the land mainly with the hired labor of the Chinese and new settlers. Cattle breeding is also significantly developed among the Molokans. The best land is in their hands. All “auxiliary trades”, such as rafting cattle down the Amur, driving cattle and horses from Transbaikalia and Manchuria, transporting goods to the mines, petty trading in the city, trading in meat and bread, are almost entirely in their hands. An artificial increase in meat prices in Blagoveshchensk by Molokans-Stundists, or more precisely Stundobaptists, and Subbotniks, or Judaizers. The last sect is the smallest, the most numerous are the Molokans. Shtundobaptism has recently shown the greatest intensity. Molokans attract attention with their “ostentatious grandeur and apparent moral purity of their members,” as well as their material wealth and corporate cohesion. Agriculture, which is their main occupation, is flourishing among them; the plowing by traders sometimes even causes administrative intervention. There are 36 souls who have been seduced into sectarianism.

Spiritual mission for the spread of Christianity among the infidels, in 1899 it consisted of two departments: Gold and Gilyak, for activities among the Golds, Gilyaks, Tungus, Yakuts, Negidals and Orochons. Most of these foreigners have already been enlightened by St. baptism. The mission had 16 camps, 5 in the Gold department and 11 in the Gilyak department; 5 camps were not replaced. Missionaries usually live in Russian villages, and visit foreigners only from time to time, when possible, when, for example, the nomadic Yakuts and Tungus leave the taiga in February and March to certain points to sell and exchange the furs they have obtained for flour, oil, and tobacco. etc. In such points, the foreigners themselves usually set up chapels, in which the arriving missionaries perform divine services and services. The Golds send almost their entire male population from the age of 12 to the taiga to hunt from December to March, so missionaries can deal with them only in the summer months, since spring and autumn are characterized by great mud. Also, missionaries can only travel to the Gilyaks in the summer months. This state of affairs, combined with mental poverty and the low level of development of the spiritual life of foreigners, is the reason that baptized foreigners in religious and moral terms are not much different from the unbaptized: they do not know the truths of the faith, often do not know how to correctly depict the sign of the cross, many still adhere to idolatry, participate in the prayers of shamans, in pagan festivals and firmly adhere to customs that are contrary to Christianity, but have been rooted for centuries, for example, the sale of daughters as wives in childhood. A gratifying exception is the nomadic Tungus and Yakuts, and partly the Negidals, who in religious and moral terms can serve as a good example for many Russians in the lower reaches of the Amur. In 1899, 71 souls were baptized by missionaries and in addition 275 souls were baptized by parish priests, including 219 Koreans; a total of 356 souls were baptized. The mission has its own special structure; it is headed by the head of the mission - a priest. Before the division of the Kamchatka diocese into Blagoveshchensk and Vladivostok mission, called Kalchatka, consisted of three departments: Gilyak, Gold and Korean. The latter went entirely to the Vladivostok diocese.

Archive The consistory is located in the lower floor of a stone building with a vault and a floor filled with cement. It stores 7,320 case numbers and books: files from 1850, metric books from 1778, clergy records from 1850, confessional paintings from 1812.

During Lent, they are held in Blagoveshchensk public religious and moral readings for the intelligent public.

Parish trustees in 1899 they donated up to 9,000 rubles for the maintenance and decoration of churches, up to 500 for parish schools and charitable parish institutions, over 11,000 for the maintenance of parishes, up to 20,500 rubles in total.

Diocesan care for the poor clergy is supported by the receipt of 1% from the maintenance of clergy and 1 1/2% from the maintenance of church ministers, in addition, according to the resolution of the 1899 congress, 3% from gross church income.

John theological Brotherhood for assistance to insufficient students of the theological seminary and the theological school connected to it opened on March 26, 1900. The charter of the brotherhood was approved by His Eminence Innocent on March 3, 1900, and published in No. 2 of the “Kamchatka Eparchs.” Led." for 1898. The first idea about the establishment of this brotherhood arose back in 1896 under the Right Reverend Macarius, Bishop of Kamchatka, Kuril and Blagoveshchensk; At the same time, about 1,000 rubles were collected. In addition, over 3,500 rubles were collected for the opening of the brotherhood.

S. Runkevich

Report at the II Innokentiev educational readings “True to the traditions of our ancestors...”. Birobidzhan, March 29, 2007

The most numerous in terms of the number of parishioners is the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Blagoveshchensk diocese was actually formed in 1858, although until 1870 it continued to be called Kamchatka, Kuril and Aleutian, and until 1899 - Kamchatka and Blagoveshchensk, from 1899 - Blagoveshchensk. Since the mid-30s. XX V. Due to persecution of the Church, the diocese lost its archpastoral administration. It was restored by a resolution of the Holy Synod with the names Blagoveshchenskaya and Tyndinskaya on December 28, 1993.

Since September 1853, Yakutsk became the cathedral city of St. Innocent. And on May 5, 1858, Saint Innocent arrived in the village of Ust-Zeyskaya, on the site of the future main city of the Amur region. On May 9, he performed a prayer service and laid the foundation stone of the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On May 16, Governor-General of Eastern Siberia N.N. Muravyov-Amursky signed the Aigun Treaty on borders with China, which restored Russian sovereignty over the left bank of the Amur region, lost under the Nerchinsk Treaty of 1689. On July 5, a decree of Emperor Alexander followed II on the founding of the city of Blagoveshchensk. In the name of the main city of the Amur region “Blagoveshchensk”, the opinion of Count N.N. was decisive. Muravyov-Amursky. Archpriest P. Gromov, confessor N.N. Muravyov-Amursky, wrote that he named the city being built on the Amur “Blagoveshchensk in memory of the fact that his most active associate, His Eminence Archbishop of Kamchatka Innokenty, initially served as a priest in Irkutsk at the Church of the Annunciation.”

The resolution of the Holy Synod of December 21, 1858 stated: “The Kamchatka diocesan see should be in the city of Blagoveshchensk on the Amur with two Vicariates, one in Yakutsk, according to the peculiarities of the language “customs of the population, distinguishing the Yakut region from all others; and the other in Novoarkhangelsk, Sitkha Island (America).” By the decree of the Holy Synod of December 31, 1958, Archbishop Innokenty of Kamchatka, Kuril and Aleut was ordered to “proceed to select a place on the Amur for the construction of all the necessary buildings of the diocesan department, precisely between the mouths of the Zeya and Bureya.

On March 17, 1868, Bishop Veniamin received an appointment to Blagoveshchensk. At first, like Saint Innocent (Veniaminov), it was called “Kamchatka, Kuril and Aleutian,” but with the separation of the independent Aleutian diocese from Kamchatka (1870) it began to be called “Kamchatka and Blagoveshchensk.” The arrival of His Grace Veniamin in Blagoveshchensk is associated with the return of the Albazin Icon of the Mother of God “The Word became Flesh” to the Amur region. (Albazin is a Russian fortress on the Amur, founded by E.P. Khabarov in 1650; in 1685 it was besieged by the Manchu army; an elder brought the revered icon to the Spassky Monastery, located near the Albazinsky fort, in the winter of 1665-66 ( Hieromonk Hermogenes).

Since the early 1880s. Blagoveshchensk becomes a major shopping center, as well as the center of the resettlement movement in the Amur region. This left its mark on the development of diocesan life: great efforts were required to create new churches and parochial schools. On March 9, 1886, His Eminence Gury opened the Orthodox Brotherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a charitable society at the Cathedral of Blagoveshchensk, the purpose of which was to protect the Orthodox flock from the influence of representatives of other religious denominations that had surged into the Amur region. The Molokans, Doukhobors, Stundobaptists and Subbotniks showed the greatest activity. Molokans stood out for their entrepreneurial activities in the Amur region, which sometimes generally influenced market trade in the region. The Brotherhood had an extensive library and held extra-liturgical readings and public missionary interviews.

Bishop Gury, who was the rector of the Annunciation Theological Seminary before his episcopal consecration, introduced the weekly reading of akathists to the Mother of God before the Albazin icon.

In 1891, Tsarevich Nicholas, the future Emperor Nicholas, prayed before the Albazin Icon II , who visited Blagoveshchensk during his trip around the world.

The first bishop with the title “Amur and Annunciation” was His Grace Innocent (Solodchin), a graduate of the Altai Spiritual Mission, who worked there as a missionary since the mid-60s. XIX V. and passed all levels of missionary service.

After the formation of the Vladivostok diocese, 66 parishes remained in Blagoveshchensk; Cossack parishes along the Amur River - 21. As of January 1, 1900, the diocese had: 81 churches, 99 chapels, 51 parish trustees; clergy: archpriests - 5, priests - 71, deacons - 19, psalmists - 60; Orthodox population - 137,978 souls.

December 28, 1993 at a meeting of the Holy Synod headed by His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II a resolution was adopted: “To restore the Annunciation diocese. The diocesan bishops of the Blagoveshchensk diocese bear the title “Blagoveshchensk and Tyndinsk”. At the same meeting of the Synod, the temporary administration of the recreated Blagoveshchensk diocese was entrusted to His Grace Innokenty (Vasiliev), Bishop of Khabarovsk and Amur.

On April 21, 1994, by resolution of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Most Reverend Gabriel (Steblyuchenko) was appointed Bishop of Blagoveshchensk and Tyndinsk. The cathedral city of the diocese is the administrative center of the Amur region - the city of Blagoveshchensk.

When, after many years of persecution of the Church in Blagoveshchensk, the first Orthodox parish was opened in 1946, the building of the former church (built in 1903) was transferred to it, since not one of the more than two dozen Orthodox churches in the city had survived. This temple became the cathedral of the Annunciation diocese. On Sunday November 7, 1991 In a solemn religious procession under the ringing of bells, the miraculous Albazin Icon of the Mother of God was returned to the Cathedral from the Amur Regional Museum of Local Lore.

The revival of Orthodox spiritual traditions in civil society is one of the priority areas in the life of the Annunciation diocese. In 1997, when the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated the 200th anniversary of the birth of St. Innocent (Veniaminov), a monument was erected to him in the center of Blagoveshchensk, and the lane adjacent to the monument was named after him. In the village Innokentyevka, Arkharinsky district, founded in 1867 as the village of Nizhnebureninskaya and soon renamed in memory of the saint, in 1997, a parish was opened in honor of Saint Innocent. In commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of St. Innocent, from May 25 to June 9, 1997, Bishop Gabriel of the Annunciation and Amur region organized a pilgrimage voyage on the ship "Miklouho-Maclay" with the Albazin Icon of the Mother of God from Blagoveshchensk to Nikolaevsk-on-Amur and others places consecrated by the missionary exploits of the enlightener of the peoples of Siberia and America. On May 28, 1997, residents of Khabarovsk prayed before the miraculous icon. The Diocese of Blagoveshchensk publishes the Orthodox family newspaper “Golden Domes” (a monthly supplement to the regional newspaper “Amurskaya Pravda”) and the Orthodox youth newspaper “Zlatoust” (a weekly supplement to the newspaper “Samovar”). The status of newspapers as supplements was chosen due to ease of distribution, with regional publications publishing a circulation of more than 20 thousand copies. There are two similar supplements to regional newspapers - “Orthodox BAM”, published by the Tyndinsky Holy Trinity Cathedral, and “St. Vladimirsky Bulletin”, published by the parish in the village. Magdagachi. The television program “The Path to Truth” is broadcast once a week, and “The Star of Bethlehem” is broadcast once a month. The radio programs “Annunciation” and “News of the Annunciation Diocese” are broadcast weekly.

This is not the first year that the Orthodox clergy has been helping the public organization “Nadezhda” in the village of Konstantinovka, which unites parents raising disabled children. Last year, funds were allocated twice to purchase medicines for sick children. 10 thousand rubles were donated to the oncology and hematology department of the children's regional clinical hospital, which opened after a major renovation. Charitable assistance was also provided to the Amur Federation of Winter Swimming Amateurs “Aquasport” for the construction of a descent to Jordan on the Zeya River and an ice hole for swimming on the days of the great holiday - Epiphany or Epiphany.

Over the past year, charitable assistance was also provided to individual parishioners.

Archbishop Gabriel of Blagoveshchensk and Tynda and the secretary of the diocese, priest Oleg Volochai, are members of the Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations under the governor of the Amur Region. Orthodox priests are also members of similar councils and commissions created in almost all cities and districts of the region with the aim of more effective interaction between authorities and religious associations. Representatives of the diocese took an active part in the preparation and holding in September last year of the interregional scientific and practical seminar “Freedom of conscience and religion in the Russian Federation and the countries of the Asia-Pacific region: regional aspects.”

About the author: Oksana Petrovna Fedirko, candidate of historical sciences, associate professor, head of the department of humanities, Blagoveshchensk branch of the Moscow Academy of Entrepreneurship under the Government of Moscow.

On Monday, June 27, 2005, at the Annunciation Diocesan Administration, a cooperation agreement will be signed between the Annunciation Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church and AROO “Sober Amur Region” and the transfer of the icon of the Mother of God “Inexhaustible Chalice” to this public association, reports the press service of the Annunciation and Tyndinsk diocese . Representatives of all media of the Amur region are invited.

AGREEMENT (AGREEMENT)

on mutual cooperation and mutual assistance between the Annunciation Diocese and the Amur regional public organization “Sober Amur Region”

“The Diocese of Annunciation, represented by the Bishop of Blagoveshchensk and Tyndinsk, His Eminence Gabriel, and the Amur regional public organization “Sober Amur Region”, represented by its chairman Igor Fedorovich Terekhov, entered into an Agreement with each other as follows:

The Church and the public, concerned about the tragic situation of the Russian people in their own country, seeing and understanding that the Russian people are being destroyed through the inculcation of the cult of consumption of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs by the enemies of the Fatherland, especially among the younger generation and youth, unite their efforts in the fight against these vices and will strive in their activities to establish and maintain sobriety among residents of the Amur region.

The Annunciation Diocese takes upon itself the work of providing spiritual nourishment and standing in prayer for the parishioners of the Orthodox churches of the diocese and the spiritual nourishment of sobriety societies created on the basis of courses and classes conducted to assist AROO “Sober Amur Region” in sobering up the population of the Amur region.

The Amur Regional Public Organization “Sober Amur Region” undertakes the work of conducting courses - classes on getting rid of drug addictions (tobacco, alcohol, psychoactive substances) in the Amur region and explaining the great power of the Orthodox faith in the salvation of the human soul.

The duration of the Agreement is until the complete eradication of drug addiction - tobacco, alcohol, psychoactive substances - from the life of the Russian people.

From the Blagoveshchensk diocese

His Eminence Archbishop of Annunciation and Tynda Gabriel

From AROO "Sober Amur Region"

Chairman of the Amur regional public organization I.F. Terekhov"

TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE AMUR REGIONAL PUBLIC ORGANIZATION “SOBE PIRAMURYE” I.F. TEREKHOV

TRANSFER ACT

The Annunciation Diocesan Administration wholeheartedly welcomes your godly desire to contribute to the healing of the terrible disease of our time - consumption of tobacco, alcohol and drugs. This disaster has now swept the whole world, it is spreading more and more widely in our Fatherland, drawing into its vicious and destructive circle more and more new victims, especially among young people.

Hoping for joint cooperation between the diocese and the organization “Sober Amur Region” and prayerful communication, it is donated to St. the “Inexhaustible Chalice” icon, as a guarantee of joint resistance to addictions, the healing of our people and the spiritual revival of the Fatherland.

Abbot of the Gabriel-Arkhangelsk Monastery - Abbot Seraphim

Chairman of AROO “Sober Priamurye” – I.F. Terekhov