Monasticism as a form of religion translation in the era of persecution of the Church in the 1960s and 1970s (based on materials from Central Russia)

Abstract

The article, based on the mentioned sources, discusses the role of monastics who were forced to switch to the parish ministry in the conditions of persecution. Despite the absence of legal monasteries, many churches and Bishop’s houses formed monastic communities. The monks became guides of faith and performed the functions that they previously performed in monasteries. In the case of these communities having a legal status was not required. Many of them, despite their illegal status, were centers of faith, catechism, and charity. The study found that thanks to monastic communities and their illegal status, it was possible to transmit the foundations of the faith and intact Church tradition until the 1990s.