Theological Censorship of Church Services and Akathist to Kursk Korennaya Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign” During the Synodal Period

Drawing on unpublished sources, the article examines the history of attempts to pass through the ecclesiastical censorship and publish the texts of services and akathist to the venerated Kursk Korennaya Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign” in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The first attempt was made by T. I. Verzhbitsky, the compiler of the service, in 1893–1894. The second initiative belonged to Abbot Jason who twice tried to obtain permission to publish not just the service, but the akathist as well — in 1902 and 1912–1913. Given that censorship of liturgical texts was exercised not only by ecclesiastical censorship committees but also by the Holy Synod, the history of these attempts was quite dramatic, since the committees still managed to approve the liturgical texts twice, but the ban was imposed at the level of the Holy Synod. And that happened despite the fact that, at various times, representatives of the highest state authorities — State Council member V. W. von Wahl and Prince N. D. Zhevakhov — were among those petitioning for the texts to be published. As a result, the censored texts of the service and akathist to this miraculous icon were never published during the Synodal period.