Political stance of archbishop Methodius (Gerasimov) of Orenburg and Turgai in 1917-1919

The position of the Orthodox Russian Church during the revolutionary events and the Civil War is of particular interest to modern researchers. Today, many stories related to this subject are being actively studied. In this regard, the activities of the ruling hierarchs of the dioceses whose territories were in the epicentre of military action are of particular importance. One of these hierarchs was archbishop Mefodius (Gerasimov) of Orenburg and Turgai, whose diocese was home to the Orenburg Cossack Army. His political stance during the Revolution and the Civil War has not been the subject of an independent study in historiography so far. His Eminence’s views expressed in his speeches, decrees and articles were published in the “Orenburg Church and Society Bulletin”. Many of these texts are introduced into the scientific circulation for the first time and are the basis for reconstruction of archbishop Methodius’ political stance as well as for the conclusion that the hierarch was one of the main leaders of the anti-Bolshevik movement in the South Urals.