Unfulfilled projects of monastic reforms on the eve of the 1917 revolution: solitary prayer as "holy selfishness" or social activity as "service to the world"?
Abstract
The aim of the article is to examine the proposed reforms of monastic life in the Russian Empire at the beginning of the 20 th century, which were actively discussed by church and secular figures throughout the country. The paper analyzes the unfulfilled reforms of monastic life, which began with the controversy of the 1900s about the service of monasteries to the world: "solitary prayer or concrete help to one’s neighbor?" This issue was reflected in secular and ecclesiastical publications throughout the country, in the decisions of the First Monastic Congress of 1909, and in the documents of a number of meetings and congresses.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Historical and Political Studies
Social and Behavioral Studies
Psycholinguistics and Behavioral Studies
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Russian Journal of Church History
- Publisher
- Silicea - Poligraf, LLC
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 53–81
- Publication date
- 3 April 2026
- Language
- RU