The history of the arrest of I. G. Aivazov, professor of the Petrograd Theological Academy, by the Cheka (October 1919 - May 1920)

The article is devoted to a relatively little-known episode from the life of I. G. Aivazov, Professor of the Petrograd Theological Academy (1872-1964). On the night of October 23, 1919, he was arrested by members of the Petrograd Provincial Extraordinary 248 Христианское чтение № 4, 2018 Commission and for almost half a year was held hostage in various detention facilities. The fate of I. G. Aivazov was decided at the level of the Secret Department of the All- Russia Extraordinary Commission, based on the content of expert opinions prepared by the Chairman of the Executive Committee for the Clergy of All Russia, A. F. Filippov, and the Administrator of the Council of People’s Commissars of the RSFSR, V. D. Bonch- Bruyevich. Since the investigative-criminal case paperwork against I. G. Aivazov did not survive (if it existed at all), the author of the article was forced to reconstruct all the vicissitudes of I. G. Aivazov’s arrest on the basis of disparate archival evidence. The most important documents are included in the full text of the publication and are accompanied by a detailed commentary