Life of Orthodox Believers of the Oryol and Bryansk Diocese in the First Half of the 1950s

The first half of the 1950s was a time of changes and new hopes for the Church. In March 1953, I. V. Stalin, the leader of the Soviet state, died. After his death, the anti-religious policy of the Soviet authorities entered a new period of calm. For the Oryol and Bryansk diocese, the first half of the 1950s was a period of hardships. First of all, there was a severe shortage of clergy. On top of being few in number, the Oryol clergy were illiterate. There were only 26 churches in the Oryol region. However, the Orthodox faithful of the Oryol and Bryansk diocese continued to live church life. Unable to regularly visit churches and communicate with clergy, people often practised unofficial religiosity, gathering on their own at the site of a destroyed church or at a holy spring. The Oryol residents often visited the village of Spas-Chekryak in the Oryol region, known for the deeds of the priest-confessor Georgy Kossov. Also, there lived the famous holy fool Afanasy Sayko in this city in the 1950s, who was greatly revered by the church people. Despite the “church thaw” that began after 1953, some local Soviet officials in the Oryol region continued to oppress believers. The study is based on archival materials that are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time.