Formation of legislation regulating the process of closing the temple, and its application on the ground (based on the materials of the Mari Region)

Abstract

The October Revolution of 1917 completely changed the legal status of the Russian Orthodox Church, the first decrees of the Soviet government were aimed not just at eliminating its privileges, but at completely eliminating it from the political and public life of the country. Striving for its goal, the state used a wide range of measures, including taking away churches from believers, destroying or using them for non-liturgical purposes. For the rapid and effective implementation of religious policy in a short time, legal norms have been developed that allow them to be transferred into the hands of public organizations or local authorities. As part of our research, we will try not only to trace the process of formation of Soviet legislation regulating the closure of churches, but also to consider how legal norms were implemented locally, namely on the territory of the Mari Autonomous Region (MAR). In the course of the study, we came to the conclusion that during 1918–1929 a legislative framework was formed on the basis of which churches were closed both in the 1920s and in the following decade. Analysis of the available data suggests that with its help, local authorities managed to reduce the number of operating churches in a short time. When making decisions, they allowed themselves to approach this issue superficially, almost completely ignoring the interests of believers. Such a policy was, as a rule, supported by higher authorities, which in our opinion clearly demonstrates the purposeful activity of the state aimed at the widespread closure of churches. Thus, the purpose of the normative acts regulating this process was to achieve one of the goals of ideological policy: the complete elimination of religious organizations on the territory of the state.