Military priests in the Russian army. Military clergy

Not everyone knows that there are military priests in the Russian army firsthand. They first appeared in the middle of the 16th century. The duties of military priests were to teach the Law of God. For this purpose, separate readings and conversations were organized. The priests were supposed to become an example of piety and faith. Over time, this direction was forgotten in the army.

A little history
In the Military Regulations, the military clergy first officially appeared in 1716, by order of Peter the Great. He decided that priests should have been everywhere - on ships, in regiments. The naval clergy was represented by hieromonks, their head was the chief hieromonk. Land priests were subordinate to the field "ober", in times of peace - to the bishop of the diocese where the regiment was located.

Catherine the Second slightly changed this scheme. She put in charge only one chief, under whose leadership were priests of both the fleet and the army. He received a permanent salary, and after 20 years of service he was awarded a pension. Then the structure of the military clergy was adjusted over the course of a hundred years. In 1890, a separate church-military department appeared. It included many churches and cathedrals:

· prison

· hospital;

· serfs;

· regimental;

· port.

The military clergy now have their own magazine. Certain salaries were determined, depending on the rank. Chief priest was equal to the rank of general, lower rank - to chief, major, captain, etc.

Many military chaplains showed heroism in the First World War and approximately 2,500 people received awards, and 227 gold crosses were awarded. Eleven clergy received the Order of St. George (four of them posthumously).

The Institute of Military Clergy was liquidated by order of the People's Commissariat in 1918. 3,700 clergy were dismissed from the army. Many of them were subjected to repression as class alien elements.

Revival of the military clergy
The idea to revive military priests arose in the mid-90s. Soviet leaders did not give direction to widespread development, but gave a positive assessment to the initiative of the Russian Orthodox Church (Russian Orthodox Church) Orthodox Church), since an ideological core was needed, and a new bright idea had not yet been formulated.

However, the idea was never developed. A simple priest was not suitable for the army; people from the military were needed who would be respected not only for their wisdom, but also for their courage, valor and readiness for heroism. The first such priest was Cyprian-Peresvet. Initially he was a soldier, then he became disabled, in 1991 he took monastic vows, three years later he became a priest and began serving in the army in this rank.

He passed Chechen wars, was captured by Khattab, was at the firing line, and was able to survive after being seriously wounded. For all this he was named Peresvet. He had his own call sign “YAK-15”.

In 2008-2009 Special surveys were conducted in the army. As it turned out, almost 70 percent of military personnel are believers. D. A. Medvedev, who was president at that time, was informed about this. He gave a decree to revive the institution of military clergy. The order was signed in 2009.

They did not copy the structures that existed during the tsarist regime. It all started with the formation of the Office for Work with Believers. The organization created 242 units of assistant commanders. However, during the five-year period, it was not possible to fill all the vacancies, despite many candidates. The bar of demands turned out to be too high.

The department began working with 132 priests, of which two are Muslims and one is a Buddhist, the rest are Orthodox. Was designed for them all new form and rules for wearing it. It was approved by Patriarch Kirill.

Military chaplains must wear (even during training) a military field uniform. There are no shoulder straps, external or sleeve insignia, but there are buttonholes with dark Orthodox crosses. During the service, a military priest on top of field uniform must wear stole, cross and braces.

Now bases for spiritual work on land and in the navy are being updated and built. There are already more than 160 chapels and temples. They are being built in Gadzhievo and Severomorsk, in Kant and other garrisons.

St. Andrew's Marine Cathedral in Severomorsk

In Sevastopol, the Church of St. Archangel Michael became militarized. Previously, this building was used only as a museum. The government decided to allocate rooms for prayers on all first-rank ships.

The military clergy begins a new story. Time will tell how it will develop, how necessary and in demand it will be. However, if you look back at previous history, the clergy raised the military spirit, strengthened it, and helped people cope with difficulties.

At all times of the existence of the Russian Orthodox Church, its most important mission was service to the Fatherland. She contributed to the state unification of disparate Slavic tribes into a single power, and later had a decisive influence on the process of preserving the national unity of the Russian land, the integrity and community of the peoples living on it.

Before the establishment of a regular army in the Russian state, the responsibility for the spiritual care of military men was assigned to the court clergy. Therefore, it can be assumed that by the middle of the 16th century, when a permanent Streltsy army, numbering 20-25 thousand people, the first military priests also appeared (however, written evidence of this has not survived).

It is reliably known about the presence of military priests during the reign of Emperor Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov (1645-1676). This is evidenced by the Charter of that time: “The teaching and cunning of the military formation of infantry people” (1647), in which the regimental priest was first mentioned and his salary was determined. From this time on, a system for managing the military clergy began to be created.

The further formation and improvement of the structure of the military clergy is associated with the reforms of Peter I. Thus, in the “Military Regulations” of 1716, the chapter “On the Clergy” first appeared, which determined legal status priests in the army, their duties and main forms of activity:

“Military priests, being in unconditional subordination to the protopresbyter of the military and naval clergy, are obliged to carry out all legal orders of the immediate military superiors. Misunderstandings and disagreements arising between the military authorities and military priests in the performance of church and liturgical duties are resolved either by the dean, or the protopresbyter, or local bishop.

Priests are obliged without fail, at the hours assigned by the regiment or command, but within the limits of church service time, to perform Divine services in the regimental churches, according to the established rite, on all Sundays, holidays and highly solemn days. In fixed churches, Divine services are celebrated simultaneously with diocesan churches.

Military priests are obliged to perform sacraments and prayers for military ranks in the church and their homes, without demanding remuneration for this.

Military chaplains are making efforts to recruit from military ranks and those studying in regimental schools church choirs for singing during Divine Services, and capable members of the military ranks are allowed to read in the choir.

Military priests are obliged to conduct catechetical conversations in the church and, in general, teach soldiers the truths of the Orthodox faith and piety, applying them to the level of their understanding, spiritual needs and responsibilities military service, and the sick - to edify and console in the infirmary.

Military chaplains must teach the Law of God in regimental schools, soldiers' children, training teams and other parts of the regiment; with the consent of the military authorities, they can organize non-liturgical conversations and readings. In military units located separately from regimental headquarters, local parish priests are invited to teach the Law of God to the lower military ranks under conditions that the military commanders of those units find possible.

Military priests are obliged to protect military ranks from harmful teachings, eradicate superstitions in them, correct their moral shortcomings: to admonish, on the instructions of the regimental commander, vicious lower ranks, to prevent deviations from the Orthodox Church and, in general, to take care of the establishment of military ranks in faith and piety.

Military priests, by virtue of their rank, are obliged to lead their lives in such a way that military ranks see in them an edifying example of faith, piety, fulfillment of service duties, good family life and correct relationships with neighbors, superiors and subordinates.

In view of mobilization and during hostilities, military priests should not be dismissed from their places without particularly valid reasons, but are obliged to follow their appointments with military ranks, be at the indicated places without leaving and be in unconditional obedience to the military authorities."

In the 18th century, the Church and the army formed a single organism under the auspices of the state; Orthodox paraphernalia permeated military rituals, service and the life of soldiers.

During the 18th century, the administration of the military clergy in peacetime was not separated from the diocesan administration and belonged to the bishop of the area where the regiment was stationed. The reform of the management of the military and naval clergy was carried out by Emperor Paul I. By decree of April 4, 1800, the position of the field chief priest became permanent, and the management of all the clergy of the army and navy was concentrated in his hands. The chief priest received the right to independently determine, transfer, dismiss, and nominate for awards the clergy of his department. Regular salaries and pensions were determined for military shepherds. The first chief priest, Pavel Ozeretskovsky, was appointed a member of the Holy Synod and received the right to communicate with the diocesan bishops on matters of personnel policy without reporting to the Synod. In addition, the chief priest received the right to personally report to the emperor.

In 1815, a separate department of the chief priest of the General Staff and Guard troops was formed (later including the grenadier regiments), which soon became virtually independent of the Synod in matters of management. Chief priests of the Guards and Grenadier Corps N.V. Muzovsky and V.B. The Bazhanov also headed the court clergy in 1835-1883 and were confessors to the emperors.

A new reorganization of the administration of the military clergy took place in 1890. Power was again concentrated in the person of one person, who received the title of Protopresbyter of the military and naval clergy. During the First World War, Protopresbyter G.I. Shavelsky was for the first time given the right of personal presence at a military council; the protopresbyter was directly at headquarters and, like the once first chief priest P.Ya. Ozeretskovsky, had the opportunity to personally report to the emperor.

The number of clergy in the Russian army was determined by the staff approved by the Military Department. In 1800, about 140 priests served in the regiments, in 1913 - 766. At the end of 1915, about 2,000 priests served in the army, which was approximately 2% of the total number of clergy in the empire. In total, during the war years, from 4,000 to 5,000 representatives of the Orthodox clergy served in the army. Many of them then, without leaving the flock, continued their service in the armies of Admiral A.V. Kolchak, Lieutenant General A.I. Denikin and P.N. Wrangel.

The duties of a military clergyman were determined, first of all, by the orders of the Minister of War. The main duties of a military clergyman were as follows: at times strictly appointed by the military command, to perform divine services on Sundays and holidays; by agreement with the regimental authorities, at a certain time, prepare military personnel for confession and reception of saints Mysteries of Christ; perform sacraments for military personnel; manage a church choir; instruct military ranks in the truths of the Orthodox faith and piety; to console and edify the sick in faith, to bury the dead; teach the law of God and, with the consent of the military authorities, conduct non-liturgical conversations on this subject. The clergy had to preach “the word of God before the troops diligently and intelligibly... instill love for the faith, the sovereign and the Fatherland and confirm obedience to the authorities.”

The most important task solved by the military clergy was the education of spiritual and moral feelings and qualities in the Russian warrior. Make him a spiritual person - a person who performs his duties not out of fear of punishment, but out of the impulse of conscience and a deep conviction in the sanctity of his military duty. It cared about instilling among army and navy personnel the spirit of faith, piety and conscious military discipline, patience and courage, even to the point of self-sacrifice.

However, it was not only in the shadow of churches and in the silence of barracks that army and navy priests spiritually nourished their flock. They were next to the soldiers in battles and on campaigns, sharing with the soldiers and officers the joy of victories and the sorrow of defeats, the hardships of wartime. They blessed those going into battle, inspired the faint-hearted, consoled the wounded, advised the dying, saw off last way dead. They were loved by the army and needed by it.

History knows many examples of courage and dedication shown by military shepherds in the battles and campaigns of the Patriotic War of 1812. Thus, the priest of the Moscow Grenadier Regiment, Archpriest Miron of Orleans, walked under heavy cannon fire in front of the grenadier column in the battle of Borodino and was wounded. Despite the injury and severe pain, he remained in service and performed his duties.

An example of courage and devotion to duty in Patriotic War was the feat of another military shepherd, Ioannikiy Savinov, who served in the 45th naval crew. At the critical moment of the battle, Shepherd Ioannikis, wearing an epitrachelion, with a raised cross and loudly chanting a prayer, went into battle ahead of the soldiers. The inspired soldiers quickly rushed towards the enemy, who was in confusion.

From among two hundred military shepherds - participants Crimean War- two were awarded the Order of St. George, IV degree; 93 shepherds - with gold pectoral crosses, including 58 people - with crosses on the St. George Ribbon; 29 military priests were awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, III and IV degrees.

Military chaplains were faithful to the valiant traditions of the army and navy clergy in subsequent wars.

Yes, during Russian-Turkish war In 1877-1878, the priest of the 160th Abkhazian Infantry Regiment, Feodor Matveevich Mikhailov, especially distinguished himself. In all the battles in which the regiment took part, Feodor Matveevich was in front. During the storming of the Kars fortress, a shepherd with a cross in his hand and wearing an epitrachelion, being in front of the chains, was wounded, but remained in the ranks.

Military and naval clergy showed examples of heroism and courage during the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1906.

Protopresbyter tsarist army Georgy Shavelsky, who had extensive experience as a military priest during the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905, defines his role in peacetime this way: “At present, it is especially strongly recognized that the religious side is of great importance in the education of the Russian army, in the development of a strong and the mighty spirit of the Russian army and that the role of the priest in the army is a respectable and responsible role, the role of a prayer book, educator and inspirer of the Russian army." IN war time, Georgy Shavelsky emphasizes, this role becomes even more important and responsible, and at the same time more fruitful.

The tasks for the activities of a priest in wartime are the same as in peacetime: 1) the priest is obliged to satisfy the religious feelings and religious needs of soldiers, through the performance of divine services and services; 2) the priest must influence his flock with pastoral word and example.

Many priests, going to war, imagined how they would lead their students into battle under fire, bullets and shells. The First World War showed a different reality. The priests did not have to “lead troops into battle.” Killing power modern fire made daylight attacks almost unthinkable. Opponents now attack each other in the dead of night, under the cover of night darkness, without unfurled banners and without the thunder of music; They attack furtively, so as not to be noticed and swept off the face of the earth by the fire of guns and machine guns. During such attacks, the priest has no place either in front or behind the attacking unit. At night, no one will see him, and no one will hear his voice, once the attack begins.

Archpriest Georgy Shavelsky noted that with the change in the nature of the war, the nature of the priest’s work in the war also changed. Now the priest’s place during a battle is not in the battle line, stretched over a huge distance, but near it, and his job is not so much to encourage those in the ranks, but to minister to those who have dropped out of the ranks - the wounded and killed.

His place is at the dressing station; when his presence at the dressing station is not necessary, he must also visit the battle line in order to encourage and console those there with his appearance. Of course, there can be and have been exceptions to this situation. Imagine that the unit trembled and began to retreat randomly; the appearance of a priest at such a moment can make a big difference.

Before the First World War, the Russian military clergy worked without a plan or system and even without the necessary control. Each priest worked on his own, according to his own understanding.

The organization of management of the military and naval clergy in peacetime could not be considered perfect. At the head of the department was a protopresbyter, vested with full power. Under him there was a Spiritual Board - the same as the Consistory under the diocesan bishop. Since 1912, the protopresbyter was given an assistant, to a large extent making his clerical work easier. But neither the assistant nor the Spiritual Board could act as intermediaries between the protopresbyter and the clergy subordinate to him, scattered throughout Russia. Such intermediaries were divisional and local deans. There were at least a hundred of them, and they were scattered across different Russian corners. There were no opportunities for private and personal communication between them and the protopresbyter. Unifying their activities, directing their work and controlling them was not easy. The protopresbyter needed to have extraordinary energy and extraordinary mobility in order to personally and on the spot check the work of all his subordinates.

But this management design turned out to be imperfect. The beginning of the addition of the Regulations was given by the Emperor himself during the formation of the headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, who ordered the protopresbyter to be at this headquarters for the duration of the war. Further adjustments were made by the protopresbyter, who was given the right to personally, without approval from higher authorities, establish new positions in the army within his department, if they did not require expenses from the treasury. Thus, the following positions were established: 10 garrison deans in points where there were several priests; 2 dean reserve hospitals, which positions were assigned to priests at army headquarters.

In 1916, with the Supreme approval, special positions of army preachers were established, one for each army, who were entrusted with the responsibility of continuously traveling around, preaching, the military units of their army. The most outstanding spiritual speakers were elected to the positions of preachers. The English Colonel Knox, who was at the headquarters of the Northern Front, considered the idea of ​​​​establishing the positions of army preachers to be brilliant. Finally, the chief priests of the fronts were given the right to use priests at army headquarters as their assistants in monitoring the activities of the clergy.

Thus, the spiritual apparatus at the theater of military operations represented a harmonious and perfect organization: the protopresbyter, his closest assistants; chief priests, their assistants; staff chaplains; finally, divisional and hospital dean and garrison priests.

At the end of 1916 by the highest command The positions of chief priests of the Baltic and Black Sea fleets were established.

For better unification and direction of the activities of the clergy of the army and navy, from time to time, meetings of the protopresbyter with the main priests, the latter with staff priests and deans, and Congresses along the fronts, chaired by the protopresbyter or chief priests, were drawn up.

The First World War, as well as wars XIX century, gave many examples of the courage shown by military priests at the fronts.

During the Russian-Japanese War there were not even ten wounded and shell-shocked priests; in the First world war there were more than 400 of them. More than a hundred military priests were captured. The capture of the priest indicates that he was at his post, and not in the rear, where there was no danger.

There are many other examples of the selfless activity of military priests during battles.

The differences for which priests could be awarded orders with swords or a pectoral cross on the St. George Ribbon can be divided into three groups. Firstly, this is the feat of the priest in the decisive moments of the battle with a cross in his raised hand, inspiring the soldiers to continue the battle.

Another type of priestly distinction is associated with the diligent performance of his immediate duties under special conditions. Often clergy performed divine services under enemy fire.

And, finally, the clergy performed feats possible for all army ranks. The first pectoral cross received on the St. George Ribbon was awarded to the priest of the 29th Chernigov Infantry Regiment, Ioann Sokolov, for saving the regimental banner. The cross was presented to him personally by Nicholas II, as recorded in the emperor’s diary. Now this banner is kept in the State historical museum in Moscow .

The revival of the mission of the Orthodox clergy in the Armed Forces today becomes not only a concern for the future, but also a tribute to the grateful memory of military priests.

The clergy quite successfully resolved issues of interreligious relations. IN pre-revolutionary Russia the whole life of a Russian person from birth to death was permeated Orthodox teaching. The Russian Army and Navy were essentially Orthodox. The armed forces defended the interests of the Orthodox Fatherland, headed by the Orthodox Sovereign. But still, representatives of other religions and nationalities also served in the Armed Forces. And one thing was combined with another. Some ideas about the religious affiliation of personnel imperial army and the navy at the beginning of the 20th century provide the following information: At the end of 1913, there were 1,229 generals and admirals in the army and navy. Of these: 1079 Orthodox, 84 Lutherans, 38 Catholics, 9 Armenian Gregorians, 8 Muslims, 9 reformers, 1 sectarian (who joined the sect already as a general), 1 unknown. Among the lower ranks in 1901, 19,282 people were under arms in the Siberian Military District. Of these, 17,077 were Orthodox, 157 Catholics, 75 Protestants, 1 Armenian Gregorian, 1,330 Muslims, 100 Jews, 449 Old Believers and 91 idolaters (northern and eastern peoples). On average, in that period, Orthodox Christians made up 75% of the Russian Armed Forces, Catholics - 9%, Muslims - 2%, Lutherans - 1.5%, others - 12.5% ​​(including those who did not declare their religious affiliation). Approximately the same ratio remains in our time. As the Deputy Head of the Main Directorate noted in his report educational work Russian Armed Forces Rear Admiral Yu.F. Needs, of the believing military personnel, 83% are Orthodox Christians, 6% are Muslims, 2% are Buddhists, 1% each are Baptists, Protestants, Catholics and Jews, 3% consider themselves to be of other religions and beliefs.

In the Russian Empire, relationships between religions were decided by law. Orthodoxy was the state religion. And the rest were divided into tolerant and intolerant. Tolerant religions included traditional religions that existed in the Russian Empire. These are Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, Catholics, Lutherans, Reformers, Armenian Gregorians. Intolerant religions mainly included sects that were completely prohibited.

The history of relations between faiths, like much else in the Russian armed forces, dates back to the reign of Peter I. During the time of Peter I, the percentage of representatives of other Christian denominations and nationalities in the army and navy increased significantly - especially Germans and Dutch.

According to Chapter 9 of the Military Regulations of 1716, it was prescribed that “Everyone in general belonging to our Army, regardless of who they are, what faith or people they are, among themselves Christian love have." That is, all disagreements on religious grounds were immediately suppressed by law. The Charter obligated to treat local religions with tolerance and respect, both in the areas of deployment and on enemy territory. Article 114 of the same Charter read: "...priests, church ministers, children, and others who cannot resist, should not be offended or insulted by our military people, and churches, hospitals and schools should be very spared and not touched under cruel corporal punishment.”

In the armed forces of those years, non-Orthodox people were mainly among the top ranks and even less among the middle command ranks. The lower ranks, with rare exceptions, were Orthodox. For non-Orthodox people, a Lutheran church was built in the house of Kotlin’s defense chief, Vice Admiral Cornelius Kruys, back in 1708. This church served as a meeting place not only for Lutherans, but also for Dutch reformers. Despite religious differences, they followed the instructions of the Lutheran preacher and adhered to Lutheran rituals. In 1726, already a full admiral and vice-president of the Admiralty Board, Cornelius Cruys wanted to build a Lutheran church, but illness and imminent death stopped his intentions.

In St. Petersburg, for the British who served in the navy, a Anglican Church. Heterodox and heterodox churches were also built in other army and navy bases, for example in Kronstadt. Some of them were built directly on the initiative of the military and naval departments.

The Charter on Field and Cavalry Service of 1797 determined the order of military personnel for religious services. In accordance with the 25th chapter of this Charter, on Sundays and holidays, all Christians (both Orthodox and non-Orthodox) had to go to church in formation under the leadership of one of the officers. When approaching the Orthodox Church, a restructuring was carried out. Orthodox soldiers entered their church, while Catholics and Protestants continued to march in formation to their churches and churches.

When Vasily Kutnevich was chief priest of the army and navy, the positions of imams were established in military ports on the Black and Baltic seas in 1845. They were established in the ports of Kronstadt and Sevastopol - one imam and an assistant each, and in other ports - one imam, who was elected from the lower ranks with a state salary.

As noted above, in connection with the military reform carried out in the second half of the 19th century, all-class military service was introduced. The range of people recruited from different religions has expanded significantly. Military reform demanded a more attentive attitude to interreligious relations.

This issue became even more relevant after 1879, when Baptists and Stundists achieved the adoption of a law that equalized their rights with heterodox confessions. Thus, legally they became a tolerant religion. Baptists began to conduct enormous propaganda among military personnel. Counteraction to Baptist propaganda lay solely on the shoulders of the military clergy, who had help from the state only if this propaganda clearly contradicted state laws.

The military clergy faced a difficult task - to prevent religious differences from developing into contradictions. Military personnel of different faiths were told literally the following: “... we are all Christians, Mohammedans, Jews, together at the same time we pray to our God, therefore the Lord Almighty, who created heaven, earth and everything on earth, is for us the one, true God.” And these were not just declarations; such fundamentally important guidelines were statutory norms.

The priest was supposed to avoid any disputes about faith with people of other faiths. The set of military regulations of 1838 stated: “Regimental priests should not enter into debates about faith with people of another confession.” In 1870, in Helsingfors, a book by the dean of the headquarters of the troops of the Finnish Military District, Archpriest Pavel Lvov, “Memorial Book on the Rights and Responsibilities of the Army Clergy,” was published.

In particular, in Chapter 34 of this document there was a special section called “On the prevention and suppression of crimes against the rules of religious tolerance.” And the military clergy made every effort at all times to prevent religious conflicts and any infringement of the rights and dignity of adherents of other faiths in the troops.

During the First World War, due to the presence of representatives of other religions in the Armed Forces, Protopresbyter of the military and naval clergy Georgy Ivanovich Shavelsky, in circular No. 737 dated November 3, 1914, addressed the Orthodox military priests with the following appeal: “... I earnestly ask the clergy of the current army to avoid, if possible, any religious disputes and denunciations of other faiths, and at the same time ensure that brochures and leaflets containing harsh expressions about Catholicism, Protestantism and other confessions do not end up in the field and hospital libraries for military ranks, since such literary works can offend the religious feelings of those belonging to these confessions and embitter them against the Orthodox Church, and sow hostility in military units that is detrimental to the cause. The clergy laboring on the battlefield has the opportunity to confirm the greatness and rightness of the Orthodox Church not with a word of denunciation, but with the deed of Christian selfless service to both Orthodox and non-Orthodox, remembering that the latter shed blood for the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland and that we have one Christ with them , one Gospel and one baptism, and not missing an opportunity to serve the healing of their spiritual and physical wounds." Article 92 of the Charter of Internal Service read: "Although Orthodox faith dominant, but Gentiles, heterodox people everywhere enjoy the free exercise of their faith and worship according to its rites." In the Naval Regulations of 1901 and 1914, in the 4th section: "On the order of service on a ship," it was said: "Infidels of Christian confessions perform public prayers according to rules of their faith, with the permission of the commander, in the place designated by him, and, if possible, simultaneously with the Orthodox Divine service. During long voyages, they retire, if possible, to their church for prayer and fasting" (Article 930). Article 931 of the Naval Charter allowed Muslims to pray on Fridays, and Jews on Saturdays: "If there are Muslims or Jews on the ship , they are allowed to read public prayers, according to the rules of their faith and in places designated by the commander: for Muslims - on Fridays, and for Jews - on Saturdays. This is also allowed for them on their main holidays, during which they are, if possible, released from service and sent ashore." Attached to the regulations were lists of the most significant holidays of each faith and religion, not only Christians, Muslims and Jews, but even Buddhists and Karaites. On these holidays, representatives of these confessions were supposed to be exempt from military service. Article 388 of the Internal Service Charter read: “Jews, Mohammedans and other non-Christians in the military, on days of special worship performed according to their faith and rituals, may be exempted from official duties and, if possible, from the outfits in the unit. For the schedule of holidays, see the Appendix." On these days, the commanders necessarily granted leave for non-religious people outside the unit to visit their churches.

Thus, representatives of tolerant religions, both Christian and non-Christian, were allowed to pray according to the rules of their faith. For this, the commanders allocated them a certain place and time. The organization of religious services and prayers by non-religious people was enshrined in organizational orders for the unit or ship. If there was a mosque or synagogue at the point of deployment of a unit or ship, the commanders, if possible, released non-religious people there for prayers.

By the beginning of the 20th century, in ports and large garrisons, in addition to the Orthodox clergy, there were military priests of other confessions. These are, first of all, Catholic chaplains, Lutheran preachers, evangelical preachers, Muslim imams and Jewish rabbis, and later also Old Believer priests. Military Orthodox clergy treated with a sense of tact and due respect towards representatives of other faiths.

History does not know a single fact when any conflicts in the Russian Army or Navy arose on religious grounds. Both during the war with Japan and in the war with Germany, the Orthodox priest, the mullah, and the rabbi successfully collaborated.

Thus, it can be noted that only at the beginning of the 20th century such a military-religious service was formed in the Russian army, which we often refer to when referring to its history.

In the first place among the many tasks solved by the military clergy was the desire to cultivate spiritual and moral strength in the Russian warrior, to make him a person imbued with a true Christian mood, performing his duties not out of fear of threats and punishment, but out of conscience and deep conviction in the sanctity of his duty. It took care of instilling in the troops the spirit of faith, piety and military discipline, patience, courage and self-sacrifice.

In general, the staffing and official structure of the military and naval clergy, as historical experience shows, made it possible to successfully carry out work in the troops on the religious education of military personnel, study and quickly influence the morale of the troops, and strengthen their trustworthiness.

The Russian Ministry of Defense published a photograph of Archimandrite Andrei (Vac) in message about the “Give a Book to a Soldier” campaign at a base in Armenia. The photo is notable for the fact that it depicts the uniform of military priests of the new model, the site notes "Defend Russia". On the eve of Orthodox Easter, Gazeta.Ru looked into the state of the modern institution of army clergy.

In many countries of the world, regimental priests or chaplains have been in the army for several hundred years - for example, in the USA and Great Britain this institution has been functioning since the 18th century. In pre-revolutionary Russia, this institution was legally approved even earlier - during the time of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.

As a rule, clergy of the main faiths and religions are represented in military formations of Western countries, taking into account the characteristics of demographics. Most armies are represented in one way or another by Catholic and Protestant priests, often by rabbis and mullahs. Buddhist and Hindu clergy also work with the US military on a small scale.

It is worth noting that religious diversity was also in the tradition of the Russian military before the October Revolution - in the Russian army, except Orthodox priests imams and rabbis served.

IN Soviet years The military clergy remained out of work - relaxations during the Great Patriotic War are often mentioned, but the full-scale involvement of priests in the life of the army still did not occur.

Battle Unction

After the collapse of the USSR, there was a revival of the tradition, but the actual decision on this issue was made only in 2009 by order of then President Dmitry Medvedev.

Formally, the priests held the position of assistant commander for work with religious servicemen; later they were equated to the position of political officer. However, the reform went slowly - according to 2012 data, the shortage of clergy in the Russian army was 90%. At the same time, the authorities granted a deferment from military service to those priests who did not want to work in this position.

In 2014 became known on the beginning of training programs for the training of priests in the country's military universities. “Starting this year, the development and implementation of advanced training programs for military clergy will begin in five military educational institutions, primarily command ones,” stated then the head of the department for work with believers, Alexander Surovtsev.

They decided to eliminate the shortage with the help of the country's chief priest - Patriarch Kirill ordered that monks from stauropegial (that is, directly accountable to the primate) monasteries be recruited to fill army positions.

However, as the magazine wrote in 2009 "Military Review", the shortage persisted: instead of the required 242 “chaplains,” only 132 were recruited, of which 129 were Orthodox, two Muslims and one Buddhist.

In 2010, the Synodal Department of the Russian Orthodox Church for interaction with the Armed Forces established special media for Russian “chaplains” - “Bulletin of Military and Naval Clergy”. The online magazine publishes materials, for example, about unction at the Kapustin Yar training ground and about visit Archpriest Alexander Bondarenko to the training ground in Crimea.

The Airborne Forces especially distinguished themselves in the field of instilling faith in the military. In 2013 it became known about testing a mobile church based on a KamAZ truck. It is interesting that the first samples of such a temple were produced at the Donetsk Metallurgical Plant, which later found itself in the combat zone of the Ukrainian conflict.

It was reported that this machine is intended for the spiritual “nurturing of paratroopers during exercises and armed conflicts.” It was proposed to equip all units of the Russian Armed Forces with such mobile churches.

A new milestone was reached a few months later, when the public demonstrated parachute landing of a mobile church, which was practiced at a training ground near Ryazan.

“A parachute is the same means of transport as a car or a bicycle, by which you can arrive at the place where a child of the Russian Orthodox Church is located,” is how one of the priests who participated in the training described the innovation.

At the beginning of 2016, she demonstrated her commitment to Orthodox ideals Russian group troops in Syria during the Christmas service at the Khmeimim base.

“This service brings love, peace, hope that with the coming of Christ the Savior peace will come to the Syrian land,” said Father Ilya, who conducted the service.

As far as is known, despite the presence of Russian troops and military priests in Syria, no operations to install mobile churches were carried out in the country affected by Islamic terrorists.

“The abbot so-and-so will speak to you.”

Despite the declared enthusiasm in the interaction between the army and the church, this work is still in its infancy among the rank and file of the army.

As a young man who served in the Taman division told Gazeta.Ru, this interaction is limited to a few Orthodox holidays- Merry Christmas, Maslenitsa and Easter. He noted that this is an even better option, since the Taman division can be called “demonstrative” in all respects. Other ex-soldiers interviewed by Gazeta.Ru talk about the lack of spiritual support for soldiers.

According to the “Taman”, contacts with the priests took place on the parade ground during general constructions. “Everyone goes to the parade ground, the brigade commander speaks on one issue or another. And then, for example, he says that today is such and such a holiday, abbot such and such will speak to you. The priest comes out, congratulates the soldiers and sprinkles them with holy water,” said the young man.

Muslims, Jews and non-religious soldiers were asked to wait away from the parade ground. As a rule, conscripts of Asian or Caucasian origin failed. And most of the soldiers remained in the ranks - “they didn’t want to stand out, although no one was punished for this.”

According to the soldier, a soldier can theoretically communicate personally with a priest by contacting the commander or political officer of the unit about this. “No one has done this before me. More often, soldiers turn to a psychologist,” he clarifies.

“Many people wore crosses, but there was not much talk about God. Everyone missed their girlfriend, mother, family, food. Every evening the whole brigade sang the anthem... In short, it was fun, but there was no God,” the ex-soldier summed up.

Judging by the fact that a significant part of the world's leading armies have the institute of chaplains, military chaplains one way or another perform an important social function- regardless of the actual religiosity of military personnel.

For a young man, military service is stressful, and any psychological support should help him cope with it - both from regular psychologists and from relatives, friends, officers and colleagues. Priests are also capable of playing this role.

The same Archimandrite Andrei (Vats), serving at Russian base in Armenia, in 2013 formulated The role of clerics in the army is as follows: “We support and provide assistance to those soldiers who, due to our social reality, are lost. Many people come, having torn themselves away from their mother’s skirt, and find themselves in an environment where there are only men. It's hard! Few are still ready to come to terms with their own weaknesses, much less with others. That's why

This soldier needs a huge spiritual resource to overcome himself. This is where our help is needed!”

It is difficult to disagree with this formulation - this does not require theological discussions. However, the Russian army still has to go long haul so that the institute of military chaplains begins to fully fulfill the tasks facing it.

Believers call Easter the celebration of all celebrations. For them, the Resurrection of Christ is 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. Great development she did not receive it, but secular leaders generally assessed the initiative of the Russian Orthodox Church positively. The favorable attitude of society towards church rituals was also influenced by 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 a separate detailed story. He went through both Chechen wars, was captured by Khattab, stood at the firing line, and survived his wounds. 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 will take monastic vows into the Great Schema, becoming the elder schema-abbot Isaac, but in the memory of 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 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 in the Russian army, military spiritual service organizational structure first found 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. The clergy of the ground forces were 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(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 general idea about 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 autumn of the same year (November 24th) he died in foreign trip from the wounds received. 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.”

About 2,500 military chaplains will be honored for their heroism during the First World War state awards, will be presented with 227 gold 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 accept necessary solutions, 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 with the fact that as part of the Main Directorate of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for work with personnel will create an Office for work with religious military 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, that in the army of the Russian Empire they were also attentive to believers of all faiths. Catholic soldiers were supervised by several hundred chaplains. 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 samples 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 the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies, has 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 conditions of military operations, during a state of emergency, liquidation of accidents, hazardous natural phenomena, catastrophes, natural and other disasters, during exercises, classes, combat duty (combat service)” will wear not church vestments, but a field military uniform. 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 be decorated with dark-colored Orthodox crosses 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 new step in readiness to serve the Fatherland, the World and God.

Military priests in the Russian army will no longer surprise anyone - “priests in uniform” have organically fit into the modern Russian army. Before carrying the word of God into the ranks, army chaplains must undergo a month-long combat training course. Recently, such training began at the Military University of the Ministry of Defense. The “cadets in cassocks”, as if in spirit, told the special correspondent of “Culture” who visited there why they needed the army.

Shooting is canceled

Officially, according to the staff list, their position is called “assistant commander for work with religious servicemen.” The rank is high: one military chaplain cares for a large formation - a division, a brigade, a military college, that's several thousand people. Despite the fact that they themselves are not military personnel, do not wear shoulder straps, and by virtue of their clergy they are generally prohibited from picking up weapons, military chaplains undergo military training courses every three years.

The head of the department for work with religious military personnel, Alexander Surovtsev, believes that an army priest, although a spiritual person, must also have certain military knowledge. For example, to have an idea of ​​the types and branches of troops, to understand how the Airborne Forces differ from the Navy and the Strategic Missile Forces from the Airborne Forces.

Training to improve military qualifications, Surovtsev tells Culture, lasts a month and is conducted at five military educational institutions throughout the country. The current group of priests at the Military University is the fourth since the spring of 2013. It has 18 Orthodox priests from various regions of Russia, most of them appointed to positions this year. In total, 60 representatives of the military clergy have already successfully completed training here, including 57 Orthodox Christians, two Muslims and one Buddhist.

Surovtsev himself is a career military man. But for the sake of his current position, he had to remove his shoulder straps - he must manage the priests civilian. “These chaplains have military ranks, but we have priests without shoulder straps,” smiles Alexander Ivanovich. Back in the early 90s, he was seconded to the Synodal Department of the Moscow Patriarchate for interaction with the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies and, in fact, stood at the origins of the institute of military clergy in the army.

As Surovtsev said, within a month the cadet priests will have to master the basics of tactics and other sciences. The further list of topics - spiritual and educational, moral and psychological, philosophical and political science, socio-economic - made my head spin. I think I’m not the only one, so military priests are especially looking forward to going “to the field” - to training grounds and shooting ranges. This year they will not be given weapons in their hands - there have been too many misunderstandings about the participation of their predecessors in the shootings. The media was full of photographs of priests with Kalashnikovs, the captions were not very kind. Therefore, this time the Ministry of Defense decided not to expose themselves, and not to substitute the priests. True, some complain.

So what? - said Archpriest Oleg Khatsko, he came from Kaliningrad. - The Scripture says “thou shalt not kill.” And there is not a word about the fact that a clergyman cannot take up arms.

If you can’t shoot, then what will the priests do at the shooting range? Watch how military personnel make holes in targets and bless them for a well-aimed shot. From practical classes For priests, it is planned to become familiar with a field station for working with religious military personnel, which will be deployed at one of the training grounds in the Moscow region. This type of tent is also available at the Military University - in case the cadets and students who are constantly studying here leave for field training. Assistant to the head of the university, Archpriest Dmitry Solonin, will tell everything and show his fellow priests who arrived for advanced training - many brought with them camp sets of church utensils. By the way, the Russian Army also has a permanent camp temple - so far there is only one, in Abkhazia, on the territory of the 7th Russian military base in the city of Gudauta. The local archpriest Vasily Alesenko believes that soon a permanent church will be built for them. “Everything is God’s will,” he told me. “Well, a little help from the Ministry of Defense.”

And just the other day, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Army General Dmitry Bulgakov, announced that the construction of chapels has been completed on two Arctic islands where Russian troops are stationed. There will be four of them in this region - on the islands of Kotelny, Wrangel, Franz Josef Land and Cape Schmidt.

In addition to classes (this is 144 training hours), military chaplains also have a cultural program. They will visit the Central Museum of the Armed Forces, the Studio of Military Artists named after M.B. Grekov, will go to the Borodino field, where they will serve a prayer service. And on November 3, they are entrusted with participating in the evening service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, where the next day a solemn service will take place in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.

Shepherd of Orthodox Sheep

I’ve always wondered how the army addresses military chaplains? Do they have military uniforms or camouflage cassocks? Are soldiers supposed to salute their priests, after all, they are an assistant (consider a deputy) to the commander?

“I overheard our priests deciphering the word “priest” - shepherd of Orthodox sheep,” Alexander Surovtsev smiles. - In general, that’s true... There are no special recommendations for contacting priests in the army. There is definitely no need to give honor - their rank is not military, but spiritual. Most often, a priest is addressed as “father.”

Father Oleg from Kostroma echoes Surovtsev: “You need to earn your appeal. So you come to the commander, introduce yourself by last name, first name, patronymic, and church rank, and then it depends on the relationship, on what result you bring. But most often they are called, of course, father.”

I heard everything - the Holy Father, and even “Your Eminence” from the lips of the authorities, many hesitated, not knowing what to call it, laughs Archpriest Oleg Khatsko. “But it’s better to give the commander the opportunity to choose the treatment himself.”

Priest Dionisy Grishin from the Airborne Forces training center (himself a former paratrooper) also remembers, not without a smile, how he experimented with greetings.

I approach the line of soldiers and roar in a deep voice: “I wish you good health, comrade soldiers!” Father Dionysius shows naturally. - Well, in response, as expected, they answer: “We wish you good health...” - and then there is confusion. Some fell silent, others said randomly, “comrade priest,” “comrade priest.” And somehow a mischievous guy came across, who also spoke in a deep voice, while his comrades were wondering how he would say: “We wish you good health, comrade priest!” I just laughed, but later I just said hello, not in a military way.

With the form, everything is also simple - the priests serve in church clothes, as it should be. But they are given field camouflage - upon request. It is more convenient to move through forests and fields in it and during exercises, and it does not get as dirty as a cassock.

During the service, of course, there can be no question of any military uniform,” explains priest Evgeniy Tsiklauri from the Russian military base Kant in Kyrgyzstan. - But when sometimes you put on a uniform, you feel more favor from the soldiers. Here Muslim military personnel become more open, they see you as a comrade, a fellow soldier. By the way, regarding Muslims, we managed to agree that a local imam would read sermons to them on a freelance basis.

Military chaplains don’t get too hung up on fasting either.

Posting in the army is optional, we will only advise what you can abstain from, the priests say. - It also depends on the intensity of the service. In pre-revolutionary Russia, the army fasted in groups - a week for each unit. And Peter I at one time demanded permission from the patriarch not to fast during wars and campaigns.

But the main thing for a military priest is not the form, but the content: his task is to increase the morale of the unit.

In Chechnya, during the war, soldiers reached out to the priest, hoping to find moral support from him, an opportunity to strengthen their spirit by hearing a wise and calm word, reserve colonel Nikolai Nikulnikov recalls in a conversation with Culture. “As a commander, I did not interfere and I myself always treated the priests with respect - after all, they walked with the soldiers under the same bullets. And in peaceful life, while serving in the Ulyanovsk airborne brigade, I became convinced that the word of a priest disciplines. If the fighters have been to confession with a good priest or just at a church service, you certainly don’t expect drinking or other violations from them. You can say: like the priest, so is the regiment. They know how to set people up to complete a task without any commands.

Gentlemen Junkers

In the Russian army, according to statistics, 78% are believers, but few people have knowledge that extends beyond the Lord’s Prayer. “There are many believers, but few are enlightened,” complains Father Vasily. “But that’s our purpose—to strengthen the spirit and mind of our flock.”

Guys now come to the army with faith in their hearts, we only help them, says Archpriest Oleg Novikov from the Kostroma Academy of Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection. “This year, immediately after entering the academy, forty young men came to the temple. And no one forced them to do this.

Father Oleg recalls an episode 17 years ago, when the film “The Barber of Siberia” was filmed in Kostroma - 300 school cadets were involved. They were given cadet uniforms, which they wore neither during classes nor even during discharges to the city. To get used to the image. Grandmothers cried on the streets, recognizing the cadets' uniforms - the same as in the surviving photographs of their fathers.

At that time I was already the rector of the church, which was located on the territory of the school, and all these three months we lived together with the cadets,” continues the archpriest. - And I noticed how guys change literally before our eyes...

When Nikita Mikhalkov and the actors left for Moscow on New Year’s Eve, the “junkers” got a vacation from working in films. It would seem that we could relax. But no! They became so accustomed to their new essence that when they entered the church, they sang “Our Father” and other prayers even better and more conscientiously than in the presence of their film mentors.

They did it absolutely sincerely, that’s what’s important,” says Father Oleg. - Not under coercion, but solely of one’s own free will.

Oleg Novikov himself also graduated from the Kostroma Military School.

At one time, Novikov’s namesake, Archpriest Oleg Khatsko, was a cadet at the Kaliningrad Higher Naval School. He studied well, did not violate discipline - in three years of study, he was AWOL only twice, one of which turned out to be a collective one - in protest against the injustice of the teacher. But then one day he felt that this was not his military career, he wrote a report and left.

Friends, especially those who are still serving in Kaliningrad, joke: they say, was it worth leaving the school to come back here again, even as a military chaplain?

When we were already saying goodbye to the heroes of this essay, a chant was heard within the walls of the Military University. The priests unanimously said: “It is worthy to eat as one truly blesses You, the Mother of God, the Ever-Blessed and Most Immaculate and the Mother of our God-o-o...”

This is a prayer at the completion of any good deed,” explained Alexander Surovtsev. “And our cadets-priests went through another course of lectures and enriched themselves with knowledge that will help them in communicating with their military flock. It's not a sin to sing.

Salary for a priest

The decision to create an institute of military clergy in the Russian army and navy was made on July 21, 2009. The first in 2011 was Father Anatoly Shcherbatyuk, who was ordained to the rank of priest at the Church of Sergius of Radonezh in the city of Sertolovo, Leningrad Region (Western Military District). Now there are more than 140 military chaplains in the army. Their composition is proportional to the ratio of believing military personnel. Orthodox make up 88%, Muslims - 9%. There is only one Buddhist military priest so far - in a separate motorized rifle brigade in the Buryat city of Kyakhta. This is the lama of the Murochinsky monastery-datsan, reserve sergeant Bair Batomunkuev, he does not claim a separate temple in the military unit - he performs rituals in a yurt.

In 1914, about 5,000 regimental and naval chaplains and several hundred chaplains served in the Russian army. Mullahs also served in national formations, for example in the “Wild Division”, staffed by immigrants from the Caucasus.

In pre-revolutionary Russia, as Boris Lukichev, the first head of the department for work with religious servicemen in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, told Culture, the activities of priests were secured by a special legal status. Formally, clergy did not have military ranks, but in fact, in a military environment, a deacon was equated to a lieutenant, a priest to a captain, the rector of a military cathedral and a divisional dean to a lieutenant colonel, a field chief priest of armies and navies and a chief priest of the General Staff, Guards and Grenadier Corps to a major general, and the protopresbyter of military and naval clergy (the highest ecclesiastical office for the army and navy, established in 1890) to lieutenant general.

The church “table of ranks” influenced the salaries paid from the treasury of the military department and other privileges. For example, each ship's priest was entitled to a separate cabin and boat, he had the right to pester the ship from the starboard side, which, besides him, was allowed only to flagships, ship commanders and officers who had St. George's awards. The sailors were obliged to salute him.

In the Russian army, Orthodox priests resumed their activities almost immediately after the collapse Soviet Union. However, this happened on a voluntary basis and their activities strongly depended on the will of a particular unit commander - in some places priests were not even allowed on the threshold, but in others the doors were thrown wide open, and even senior officers stood to attention in front of the clergy.

The first official cooperation agreement between the church and the army was signed in 1994. At the same time, the Coordination Committee for interaction between the Armed Forces and the Russian Orthodox Church appeared. In February 2006, Patriarch Alexy II gave his blessing for the training of military priests “for the spiritual care of the Russian army.” Soon Russian President Vladimir Putin approved this idea.

The priests' salaries are paid by the Ministry of Defense. Recently they were given a 10 percent bonus for the difficult nature of their service and long working hours. It began to cost 30-40 thousand rubles a month. As Culture learned, the defense department is now considering the possibility of equating their salaries to what military personnel receive in a similar position as an assistant commander of a formation - it will be approximately 60,000. God's help you can live.