1922 confiscation of Russian Orthodox Church property


The 1922 removal of jewelry from churches in Russia was held by the Bolshevik government to combat the famine of 1921–22 in Russia. During 1922, precious metals and gems were removed by state authorities from churches of all denominations. Subject to confiscation or articles intended exclusively for liturgical purposes, which is set in a very vulnerable position of the clergy, and caused the resistance of the congregation. The clergy organized resistance to the removal of church jewelry, therefore the campaign was accompanied by repression against the clergy.
On February 5, 1918, the Soviet government issued the Decree on Separation of Church from State and School from Church. According to this document, all property in the Russian Orthodox Church and in other religious organizations, including land, premises, church utensils, was nationalized and became the property of the state. According to the decree, buildings and objects intended specifically for liturgical purposes, were given, under special decrees of local or central state power, to the free use of the respective religious societies. This decree caused discontent on the part of some believers. These people tried to resist when state representatives drew up an inventory of the property of churches and monasteries. Resistance was crushed, and resistance activists ended up in the dock. In 1921, famine began in Russia. Means were needed to purchase bread abroad, but the Republic of Soviets did not have them. There was an idea to use for this purpose part of the values concentrated in the churches. On February 23, 1922, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee issued a decree «On the Seizure of Church Jewelry». The decree ordered the local organs of Soviet power to remove from the churches all products made of gold, silver and precious stones and transfer them to the Central Fund for the Relief of the Starving. Patriarch Tikhon hindered of the removal of jewelry from churches. He believed that church utensils according to church canons belong to God and the Church and issued a message to believers on February 28, 1922. In the message, he forbade the seizure of sacred objects, the use of which is not for liturgical purposes, and called this act «svyatotatstvo» – stealing of sacred things. According to the patriarch, for such an action, the laity should be excommunicated, and clergymen are to be expelled from the dignity. To substantiate his opinion, the patriarch referred to the 73 canon of the apostles and the 10 canon of the Protodeutera Council. The consequence of the message of the patriarch was a clash between representatives of power and believers. The most famous :ru:Шуйское дело|armed clash occurred in Shuya. Here, a crowd of believers, armed with wooden stakes, tried not to let the representatives of power to seize church jewelry to help the starving. The authorities opened fire, as a result of 4 people were killed and several wounded. After the events in Shuya, trials took place, at which direct participants in the events and Patriarch Tikhon as the author of the message appeared on the dock.
The company of the removal of jewelry from churches in Russia for the help of the hungry was completed on May 26, 1922.
According to The New York Times, eight priests, two laymen and one woman were sentenced to death in Moscow on May 8, 1922, for having opposed the requisitioning of Church treasures.