Russias Early Modern Orthodox Patriarchate

Patriarch Nikon, the most energetic, creative, influential, and obstinate of Russias early religious leaders, dominates this book. As Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Nikons most important initiative was to bring Russian religious rituals into line with Greek Orthodox tradition, from which Russias practices had diverted. Kievs Monastery of the Caves served as a medium for his transmission of Greek notions. Nikon and Tsar Alexis I (r. 1645-1676) envisioned Russias transformed into a new Holy Land. Eventually, Nikon became a challenger for Imperial authority. While his reforms endure, failed policies and poor political judgment were decisive in his fall and in the Patriarchates reduction in status. Ultimately, the reforms of Peter the Great (r. 1682-1725) led to its replacement by a new, government-controlled body, the Holy Synod, which nevertheless carried out a continuity of Nikons policies. This exceptional volume contextualizes Nikons Patriarchate as part of the broader continuities in Russian History and serves as a bridge to the present, where Russia is forging new relationships between Church and power.