Metropolitan Guriy (Egorov) in Belarus: personal history in the reflection of church-state relations

The article is devoted to the activities of Metropolitan Guriy (Egorov) in Belarus in 1959-1960. Guided by means of personal history, the author describes the metropolitan service in the context of church-state relations in the Soviet Union. It is concluded that, despite another round of religious persecution, the authorities could no longer ignore the legal base created by the relations between the church and the Soviet state. In Belarus, Metropolitan Guriy actively defended the interests of the church under the persecution campaigns, trying to operate through formal institutions and the Soviet legislation. He took an active part in dealing with petitions and complaints from believers and interacted with the Commissioner for the Russian Orthodox Church Affairs at the Council of Ministers of the USSR in the Byelorussian SSR. Metropolitan Guriy fought against atheistic actions of the authorities in a rational manner. If it was possible, he resisted. When the resistance exacerbated the situation, he tried to ensure that the activities of the authorities had no serious consequences for the church. Frequently, Metropolitan Guriy (Egorov) had to find a delicate balance in its relations with the clergy, whose reckless actions could have an undesirable effect on the church matters in Minsk and Belarus Diocese.