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The Old Believers (старове́ры or старообря́дцы) are a schismatic group of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The schism itself is known as staroobryadchestvo (старообрядчество).
In 1652, Patriarch Nikon of the Russian Orthodox Church introduced a number of reforms aimed at centralizing his power and bringing Russian Orthodox ritual and doctrine in line with those of the Greek Orthodox Church. Old Believers rejected Nikon's reforms (see Raskol). One of the main figures in the movement was Avvakum Petrovich. Even after the deposition of Nikon (1658), who broached too strong a challenge to the Tsar's authority, a series of church councils officially endorsed the liturgical reforms. Followers of the movement were anathemized at the synod in 1666–67 and were heavily persecuted until the reign of Peter the Great, when they were instead created as an extra source of tax revenue. Several of the followers, including Avvakum, were executed.
Early Old Belief was characterized by rejecting "the World" where anti-Christ reigned; they preached about the imminent end of the world, asceticism, adhering to the old rituals and the old faith. Given a lack of Bishops and priests, the laity were predominant.
In the 17th century some groups in Karelia that belonged to the sect committed suicide through self-immolation.
An attempt to make the Old Believers obey the Church was the creation in 1801 of the uni-faith (единоверчество) church.
The Old Believers had no official toleration until 1905. In 1971 the Russian Orthodox Church revoked the anathemas placed on the Old Believers in the 17th century, but most Old Believer communities have not returned to Communion with other Orthodox Christians.
Differences for most Old Believer communities are in details of ritual practice, alone. However, centuries of persecution, and the nature of their foundation, has made them highly culturally conservative and mistrustful of anything they see as insufficiently Russian. Some Old Believers go so far as to consider any pre-Nikonian Orthodox Russian practice or artifact to be exclusively theirs, denying that the Russian Orthodox Church has any claims upon a history before Patriarch Nikon.
Approximately one million Old Believers remain today, some living in extremely isolated communities in places to which they fled centuries ago to avoid persecution. A few Old Believer parishes in the United States have entered communion with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.
One group, the Popovtsy, sought to attract ordained priests and were able to set up an episcopate in the 19th century. The other, the Bespopovtsy, renounced priests and all sacraments, except Baptism. Many other groups exist, some with teachings and practices that have even less in common with those of the Orthodox churches.
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