How Russian regimental priests defended their homeland and what feats of arms they performed

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The tradition of the participation of Russian priests in military campaigns of soldiers and officers appeared many centuries ago - in fact, with the advent of Christianity in Russia. And very often the priests showed themselves as real heroes, inspiring soldiers to heroic deeds by their example. They were not afraid of bullets or enemy shells, and some even led troops. History knows many examples of such feats.

Since pre-Petrine times …

In the text of the charter "Teaching and cunning of the military structure of infantry people" from 1647, the salary due to the regimental priest was officially registered. And in an official letter from Admiral K. I. Kruis, dated 1704, it was said that seven clergy were needed for seven galleys, and three for a hundred brigantines.

During the First World War, thousands of priests already served in the army, who not only celebrated liturgies, preached sermons, confessed and received communion, but also helped the soldiers in everyday matters - for example, taught reading and writing and helped to write letters to relatives.

By the way, representatives of other religions permitted on the territory of Russia, for example, rabbis and mullahs, also served in the army. Moreover, in a document dated November 3, 1914, Protopresbyter Georgy Shavelsky appeals to his fellow priests with a request "to avoid, whenever possible, any religious disputes and denunciations of other faiths."

It is interesting that the regimental priest received state awards in the event that, risking his life, he encouraged the soldiers, gave communion and blessed on the front line, helped a nurse, and also performed feats during hostilities - for example, he saved the regiment's banner or, standing in the place of the deceased commander, led the soldiers behind him. If later, for some reason, the priest was deprived of his dignity, then state awards were removed from him.

With the advent of the revolution, the fate of the "military" clergy was different. Some of them emigrated to the West. Others were killed by the Reds in the civil war or persecuted. Of those who were loyal to the Soviet regime, there were clergy who supported the soldiers and helped them during the Great Patriotic War.

Archpriest Fyodor Zabelin can serve as such an example. Before the revolution, he served in a rifle division and in October 1916 on the Western Front was wounded in the chest by a shell fragment, but nevertheless remained in combat formation. For courage, the priest was awarded a gold pectoral cross on the St. George ribbon.

The Great Patriotic War found him as a priest in the city of Pushkin, Leningrad Region. When his house was set on fire during the German occupation, he lived right in the church. Contemporaries recalled that even during the bombing, the priest, without flinching, continued to serve the liturgy. Since 1942, Father Fyodor Zabelin was forcibly transported by the Nazis to Gatchina, where he began to serve as the rector of the Pavlovsk Cathedral, having received permission from the enemy command for this. It is known that once the priest saved a Soviet intelligence officer from death - he secretly hid him from the Nazis under the veil of the throne in the altar.

The archpriest passed away in 1949, having lived 81 years.

Heroes in robes on the front lines

At the end of the 18th century, during the assault on Ishmael, Trofim Kutsinsky, a priest of the Primorsky Grenadier Regiment, showed real heroism. Finding that the regiment commander had been killed and the soldiers were at a loss, Father Trofim raised the cross in front of the soldiers and shouted: “Stop, guys! Here is your commander! With these words, the priest led the soldiers behind him.

And this is not the only such feat. On March 11, 1854, during the Crimean War, the Mogilev Infantry Regiment went on the attack and the regimental father Ioann Pyatibokov was in the forefront. Addressing the soldiers, he exclaimed: “God is with us! And scatter him! Dear ones, let's not put ourselves to shame! Follow me, guys! The priest rose to the enemy's fortifications and raised the cross, not paying attention to the whistle of bullets. Father John received two concussions in the chest, shell fragments hit his pectoral cross, bending it, but still the father survived.

Subsequently, Emperor Nicholas I awarded the priest with the Order of St. George 4 degrees. Many years later, Father John received an invitation to Petersburg to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Order of St. George the Victorious. There he was introduced to the Russian Tsar Alexander Nikolaevich. Communicating with the priest, the sovereign pretended not to know for what deeds he was awarded the order, and asked him to tell in detail about his service in the war. After the conversation, Alexander invited him to his office, where he showed the epitrachelion damaged by bullets and the priest's cross shattered by grapeshot - it turns out that the sovereign not only knew his history, but all these years kept his things as a relic.

An equally striking incident occurred in 1915, during the First World War. The priest of the 5th Finnish Rifle Regiment Mikhail Semyonov went to the headquarters and, entering the room, saw that several officers were standing and looking in horror at an unexploded enemy bomb, which had just been found in the room. Father Mikhail was not at a loss: he deftly wrapped his arms around the bomb and carried it out. The priest carefully carried her to the river and drowned her there.

At the forward dressing station, Father Mikhail also showed himself as a real hero. Not afraid of the shells, he helped the young shooters in word and deed.

During the battle on October 16, 1915, it was necessary to deliver ammunition to the forward trenches, but the cabbies did not dare to drive to the position, since the path ran through an open area that was continuously fired upon by the enemy. Then Father Mikhail took three gig cars under his command. He was able to persuade the grooms to go, thanks to which he was able to take all the carts with cartridges to the front positions. The father was awarded Saint George of the 4th degree.

In our time, some former military Orthodox priests have been canonized. One of the "naval" priests numbered among the saints is Father Innokenty Kulchitsky, who served as a naval hieromonk on the Samson ship, and then as chief hieromonk of the fleet stationed in the city of Abo. In the last years of his life, he ruled the Irkutsk and Nerchinsk dioceses. It is known that Father Innokenty actively helped Vitus Bering's 1st Kamchatka expedition. Now his relics are kept in the Znamensky Monastery in Irkutsk.

About, how did the Orthodox priests live under Soviet rule, there are many memoirs of contemporaries.