A look at the Renovationist Schism through the prism of the emigrant press of the 1920s.

The relevance of this study stems from the need for a comprehensive study of the information landscape of the Russian diaspora in the 1920s as a source of global public opinion regarding church processes in Soviet Russia. Under the total ban on publishing by the canonical Russian Orthodox Church and the dominance of the Renovationist press in the domestic Russian information space, emigre periodicals became the only independent channel for transmitting information about the state of the Church in Russia. Meanwhile, the French emigre press, represented by the intellectual centers of the Russian diaspora, remains insufficiently studied in the context of the Renovationist Schism.

The aim of this study is to analyze the specifics of coverage of the Renovationist movement in the Russian religious emigre press in France in the 1920s, as well as to assess the level of awareness, depth of analysis, and competence of its authors in interpreting church processes taking place in Soviet Russia.

The study uses a combination of complementary methods. Content analysis allowed us to systematize the materials in the journals “Put’” and “Vestnik RSKHD,” identifying key themes, lexical features, and value judgments regarding Renovationism. A historical-comparative method enabled us to compare data from the emigre press with official documents of the Renovationist Synod, memoirs of direct participants in the events, and contemporary historiography, making it possible to verify the accuracy of the information presented. An inductive method, based on an analysis of specific publications, allowed us to formulate general patterns in the emigre intelligentsia’s perception of Renovationism.

It was established that emigre authors were highly informed about events in Soviet Russia thanks to personal contacts with participants in church life, access to Renovationist press, and letters from their homeland. Their analysis was distinguished by theological competence, a critical approach to sources, and an ability to identify discrepancies between the apparent success of Renovationism and its actual situation. The assessments of emigre authors coincide with the conclusions of modern researchers regarding the non-canonical nature of Renovationism, its dependence on Soviet power, and the lack of support from believers.

emigre press, Renovationism, Patriarch Tikhon, Vvedensky, the journals “Put” and “Vestnik RSHD”