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User:Sawyer777/Molokans in Armenia

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Molokan meetinghouse in Tsaghkadzor

Demographics edit

The 2011 Armenian census counted 2,874 Molokans[1] and the 2022 census counted 2,000 Molokans, forming 0.1% of the population.[2]

History edit

Semeon Uklein of Tambov founded the Molokan community in the 18th century, and by the early 19th century Molokans were dispersed throughout Russia.[3]

Tsarist settlements edit

In 1802 Tsar Alexander I ordered the resettlement of Russian sectarians to the Caucasus; regions like Lori, Lake Sevan, Dilijan, and Zangezur were chosen for their similar climate to Russia.[4] Molokans and other sectarians were deemed particularly harmful by Nicholas I, and the goal of resettlement was to isolate them from the Orthodox Christians and to populate new areas of the Empire. Some Molokans were expelled forcefully, while others voluntarily joined Molokan settlements later.[5] The State Council of Russia declared in 1830 that Transcaucasia would be a domain of concentrated sectarianism. In the following decades, Russian Molokans (along with Doukhobors, Khlysts, and Skoptsy) migrated in large numbers to the Caucasus. Transcaucasia was declared a viceregency and led from 1844 by Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov, who focused efforts on resettling Molokans in Eastern Armenia.[4] While the Molokans were viewed as heretics by the Tsarist authorities, they perpetuated Russification policy in the Caucasus by aiding the Russian army in building hospitals, delivering supplies, and housing troops.[5]

Molokan villages were first established in the plains of Lori under Vorontsov; the village of Vorontsovka (now Tashir) was named after him. Vorontsovka was founded by Molokans from Orenburg and Saratov. It became a spiritual center for Molokans in the region, and in 1905 it hosted an all-Russian Molokan conference. Elenovka (now Sevan) was founded in 1846 by exiles from Tambov and Saratov and became one of the most significant Russian settlements in the region. Other mid-19th-century Molokan settlements include the villages of Nikitino, Voskresenovka, Privolnoye, Semyonovka, Nadezhdino, and Mikhailovka. Relations between the Molokan settlers and the Armenian locals were positive, and both groups adopted practices from the other.[6] By 1886, there were around 7,500 Molokans in Eastern Armenia.[5]

Russian Revolution and Soviet period edit

The Molokans of Armenia supported the establishment of the Soviet Union, and were active in the revolutionary movement. In the early 20th century revolutionary literature was being distributed in Molokan settlements, and an underground social-democratic organization was formed in Elenovka in 1905. Molokans met in Vorontsovka in 1917 and resolved to seize and redistribute the land.[7]

Soviet dekulakization policy in the 1920s caused discontentment among the Molokans, and some wanted to emigrate to Russia or Persia; eventually, most chose to stay in Soviet Armenia.[8] Beginning in the 1930s Molokans migrated in large numbers to cities due to collectivization of rural land.[9]

Post-independence edit

Culture and beliefs edit

 
Molokan woman selling vegetables in Fioletovo

Molokans believe in the equality of all people, and reject church hierarchy like that of the Russian Orthodox Church. They do not venerate icons nor the Cross, which they view as man-made. They place great importance on Lent and Easter, which is celebrated solemnly and is the main event in Molokan religious observance.[10] The Bible, elders, co-religionists, and eschatological expectations are very important in influencing the daily life of Molokans.[5]

Molokans practice strict endogamy,[10] and view marriage to an outsider as leaving the community.[11] They are generally educated in Russian-language schools; most are fluent in both Russian and Armenian.[9] Molokans maintain a communal identity,[12] and rural Molokan villages continue with a traditional lifestyle.[13]

Compared to other groups of Russian religious dissidents in the Caucasus, the Molokan community in Armenia is likely the only one with youth who practice their faith actively. The Doukhobors and Subbotniks in Georgia and Azerbaijan are few in number, in large part due to emigration to Russia, Israel, the United States, and elsewhere.[11]

Relation with other communities edit

References edit

  1. ^ Republic of Armenia Census (PDF) (Report). Statistical Committee - Republic of Armenia. 2011. p. 7.
  2. ^ Republic of Armenia Census (Report). Statistical Committee - Republic of Armenia. 2022. Table 5.5.
  3. ^ Haytian 2007, pp. 33–34
  4. ^ a b Haytian 2007, pp. 36–37
  5. ^ a b c d Andreeva 2021, p. 737
  6. ^ Haytian 2007, pp. 37–40
  7. ^ Haytian 2007, p. 40
  8. ^ Haytian 2007, pp. 41–43
  9. ^ a b Haytian 2007, pp. 34–35
  10. ^ a b Haytian 2007, p. 34
  11. ^ a b Andreeva 2021, p. 738
  12. ^ Haytian 2007, p. 36
  13. ^ Haytian 2007, p. 43

Bibliography edit

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Molokan in Armenia.

sources edit

Journals & books edit

Russian edit

News & web edit

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