Petition campaign of 1962–1963 connected with the name of schehegumen Mitrofan (Myakinin)

Abstract

The article is devoted to a little-studied episode from the life of the Voronezh ascetic of piety schehegumen Mitrofan (Myakinin). After a long service in the village of Yacheika, Hieromonk Seraphim (his name before taking the Great schema) was sent as a parish rector to the village of Devitsy of Voronezh region. However, the parishioners who treated him with sincere sympathy decided to bring back their previous rector and clear his name, sullied by various accusations made to remove an efficient clergyman from the parish. Using materials from the Archives of the Voronezh Metropolis and the State Archives of the Voronezh region, the course of the petition campaign connected with the name of Hieromonk Seraphim is reconstructed. At the first stage, parishioners compiled several documents in which they clearly demonstrated the absurdity of the accusations and called for the return of their beloved priest, supporting their appeals with a large number of signatures. At the second stage, the representatives of the state instigated a change in the composition of the Church Council of the village of Yacheika's church, which made it possible to create documents of a character opposite to the first ones. Representatives of the authorities tried to give them the appearance of a popular initiative.