“The Old Rite in the Russian Orthodox Church: Past and Present” conference takes place as part of the International Christmas Educational Readings

DECR Communication Service, 28.01.2026.

On January 26, “The Old Rite in the Russian Orthodox Church: Past and Present” conference took place in the White Hall of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. The event was organized within the two themes of the 34^th International Christmas Educational Readings, namely, “Tradition. Dialogue. External Relations” and “Life of the Church and the Patristic Heritage.”

The meeting was chaired by Metropolitan Georgy of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas, the website of the Nizhny Novgorod Metropolis reports. Acting as a curator of the conference was Archpriest Ioann Mirolyubov, Dr. Sc. Theology, secretary of the Commission on Old Belief parishes and cooperation with the Old Belief community and head of the Patriarchal Centre of the Old Russian Liturgical Tradition.

Among the participants were Bishop Gedeon of Vyksa and Pavlovo, representatives of Old Belief communities of the Russian Orthodox Church, lecturers from theological schools and church and secular universities, clergymen and scholars.

At the beginning of the conference, the head of the Nizhny Novgorod Metropolis greeted the participants, saying, “It has become a good tradition to gather during the International Christmas Readings to discuss various aspects of culture, history, and traditions of the Old Believers. By elaborating these topics and presenting reports, you build a symbolic bridge between the past and the future. I am confident that today we will gain new interesting knowledge and our work will be fruitful.”

Many reports were presented, among them “On the development of Znamenny chant” by Gleb Pechenkin, head of the St. Job Society of Lovers of Old Russian Singing and choir conductor of the Intercession church in Rubtsovo, Moscow; “Figurativeness and Onomatopoeia in Old Russian chants. Recurrent images” by Ms. Veronika Grigorieva, Cand. Sc. Art History, associate professor at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox University of the Humanities and choir conductor of the Intercession church in Rubtsovo; ”Comparative analysis of the Pre‑Reform and Post‑Reform texts using the example of Canon 2 of the Nativity of Christ” by Rustik Suslov, Master’s degree student at the Ss Cyril and Methodius Theological Institute of Postgraduate Studies; “Sociological aspects of the Church schism” by Alexander Dugin, Dr. Sc. Sociology and Political Science; “A former Pomor Old Believer’s view on the preservation of the Old Russian liturgical tradition” by Vyacheslav Yermolovich, Cand. Sc. Engineering, a parishioner of the Intercession church in Rubtsovo; “The  two-rite parishes in the Transbaikal regions of Buryatia and specific features of missionary and catechetical work” by Priest Petr Shestakov,  rector of the church of the Sovereign icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Tarbagatai, Buryat Metropolis; “Apologetic works of hieromartyr John Zasedatelev” by Priest Maxim Plyakin, cleric of the church of St. Seraphim of Sarov in Saratov and secretary of the Saratov Diocesan Commission for Canonization, and Pavel Solovyov,  Cand. Sc. History, deputy head of the Pilgrimage Service of the Balakovo Diocese; “400 Years of the Moscow church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in Rubtsovo” by Vladimir Myamlin, assistant rector on catechetical work at the Intercession church in Rubtsovo; “Correspondence between Bishop Pavel (Volkov) of Kerzhenets and the St. Elijah Community at the Izhevsk Plant: On the History of the Old Belief Orthodox faith in the 1920s” by Archpriest Yevgeny Sarancha, cleric of the church of St. Michael the Archangel in the Mikhailovskaya Sloboda village, Moscow region; “On the history of the Old Belief Orthodox churches in the city of Vitebsk” by Priest Sergy Yefremenko, rector of the church of St. Helen Equal‑to‑the‑Apostles in Vitebsk’; “Irgiz St. Nicholas Convent. History of the abode after joining united faith” by Pavel Solovyov.

In conclusion, Metropolitan Georgy thanked the participants and called for greater involvement in the issue-related events of the Old Belief communities members and those studying the history and culture of the Old Belief. Also, he recommended the speakers to prepare printed versions of their presentations so that the audience could study them in greater detail, invited everyone to dialogue and cooperation, and wished God’s aid to all those present.

Photo: Dmitry Smirnov