Overview

Indeed, of all the pre-1917 institutions, the Orthodox Church proved the most resilient. Based on previously unavailable Russian archival sources as well as written memoirs and interviews with surviving monks and nuns, Wynot analyzes the monasteries' adaptation to the Bolshevik regime. She challenges standard Western assumptions that Communism effectively killed the Orthodox Church in Russia. She shows that in fact, the role of monks and nuns in Orthodox monasteries and convents is crucial, and that they are largely responsible for the continuation of Orthodoxy in Russia following the Bolshevik revolution.

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9781585443321

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From her discussion of the Boslshevik exposure of alleged 'relic fraud' to her account of the suppressed census of 1937, Wynot's elegantly written and solidly researched monograph offers new insights into a turbulent period in Russian history... a first-rate piece of scholarship.

Important and fascinating . . . It tells the completely untold story of how monasticism adapted and survived under a hostile, officially atheist regime during the interwar years. It provides not only an excellent history of this phenomenon, but also a clear, succinct discussion of the Soviet regime, and of the Soviet period itself. The writing style is clear and straightforward. It is well-researched and substantiated with a myriad of primary sources. --Brenda Meehan, University of Rochester

Author Information

Jennifer Jean Wynot, who holds a Ph.D. in history from Emory University, has done archival research in Russia and has written several articles on monasticism and the Orthodox Church. She is currently teaching at Metropolitan State College of Denver.

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