Duel with the antichrist. According to the materials of self-immolations investigations

The article is devoted unexplored aspect of the history of Old Believers self-immolations, associated with the last moments of life of the participants of the ritual suicide on religious grounds. Contrary to the opinion existing in the literature of the self-immolation as a phenomenon "deeply passive type," the author reveals the undeniable proof of the active and resolute defense undertaken by Old Believer communities, preparing for "burning". Persecutors confrontation was demonstrative and allowed to win the time required to perform the last rites. Preparing for self-immolation included the creation of powerful fortifications and stockpiling of weapons. For the assault Old Believer settlements sent specially trained and well-armed troops, accompanied by priests. Fighting alternated preaching and eloquent descriptions of the afterlife torment. These battles preceding the selfimmolation, create a mood of hopelessness and conservatives cut path to a normal life. Persecutors fierce resistance and the fighting in the immediate vicinity of the future of self-immolations are marked mainly based on the end of the XVII century. The main role was played by the radical Solovki monks. After the capture of the monastery imperial armies they became influential preachers of self-immolations in northern Russia. In the future, the documents record a wider variety of options for the behavior of the participants of the ritual suicide. In some cases, death occurred by blasting a significant amount of gunpowder. In the court cases it marked not only fierce resistance, but also empathetic to soldiers, forced to risk their lives to perform difficult duties.