R OC , I N C .
My name is Aleksandra Smagina I’m graduated architect and topic of my research is Church. Russian Orthodox Church is multifunctional, complex institution that shapes the city and society in the various ways often not connected among themselves. During my investigations I was looking on it throw different lenses and impartially tried to understand potential future role of Church in a post soviet Russia. Moscow was chosen as a case study.
HISTORY. STA RT I N G PO I N T “Orthodoxy, Autocracy, Nationality”- also known as Official Nationality - was the dominant ideological doctrine of Russian emperor Nicholas I, originally proposed by Minister of Education Sergey Uvarov. At its basis lay conservative views on education, science, and literature. According to this theory, the Russian people are deeply religious and devoted to the throne; the Orthodox faith and autocracy are indispensable conditions for the existence of Russia. During this period of history Orthodox Church was one of the biggest land owners in country. Nationality was understood as the need to adhere to their own traditions and reject foreign influence, as the need to struggle with the Western ideas, freedom of the individual, individualism, rationalism, which
were considered by Orthodoxy as “free-thinking” and “discord”. Within this theory the chief of the III office Benkendorf wrote that the past of Russia is surprising, the present is fine, and the future is more exciting than any expectations. With formation of the Soviet Union concept was radically changed. In definition of New society Church started to play absolutely opposite role, the role of enemy. The Soviet Union was the country of atheists. At schools no one spoke about God, all this kind of talks was kept for “kitchen” discussion. Open statement about the belief in God could deprive a person of working places or even worse. The values system of Soviet man was based on morality, character, and culture. People were obliged to believe not in God but in bright future of communist country where religion is not needed. So ideology “Orthodoxy, Autocracy,
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( RE)CHU RC H T H E M EGACI T Y. I N T RO D U CTION
Workshop in Kindergarten at Chets Creek Elementary School “empower the future. From the minds of little architects”
<
80
Religiousness growth in Russia
70
60
50
<
40
Research by a nonprofit research service “Sreda“
30
20
10
believers % 0 1987
1992
1997
2002
SOVIET UNION
2007
6% 4% 2%
WHO ARE “BELIEVERS”?
15% 30%
frequency of a participle
43%
5%
28% 7% 14%
1%
2011
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
parishional life
44% a non-profit research service “Sreda“
Nationality” was replaced with “Party, State, Stalin”. Corporeal part of church institution has suffered a great loss during soviet time. On May 15th, 1932 the Decree of the government signed by I. Stalin had been declared “a godless five-year period”, all cult establishments in territory of the country should be closed. In 1914 according to official figures in territories of the Russian Empire were 54 174 orthodox temples, 25 593 chapels, 1025 monasteries; in 1991 there were about 7, 5 thousand temples and 16 monasteries left. New opportunities have opened up for Russian Orthodox Church after collapse of the Soviet Union. In December 1991 a low was passed “About returning to Russian Orthodox Church religious buildings and the religious literature”. In the same time independent life of church began with finding of the rights of the legal entity by the religious organizations according to the Law from October 1st, 1991 “About a freedom of worship and the religious organizations”. Present position of Russian Orthodox Church favorably differs from its status till 1917 when it had no independence and was subordinated to the highest secular head of the state – tsar.
NONCOR POR EAL PART Number of believers in Russia almost doubled since collapse of the Soviet Union. People always needed belief, whether it was communistic ideas dictated by the Soviet power or, for the lack of more those, in the highest forces. In fact, along with the secular power, the Russian Orthodox Church became today the second power in Russia. In spite of the fact that under the Constitution the Church is separated from the state. About 75% of population in Russia call theme self orthodox. But who are these believers? Sociological research of a non-profit research group “Sreda” published data which shows that 72% of all respondents
Left: never take communion at least once a year one-two times a year several times a year, but less than once a month Right: yes, actively involved yes occasionally involved no, thought would like to participate and i have such possibility but i do not have such opportunity no, not involved and did not want to hard to answer
once a month and more often no, but i would like to participate,
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15
18
92 10 73 15
130
1 4
17 29 13 2
31
9
28 18
24 5
18
2 2
6 11
3 2
9 3 2
2
000 000
Destroyed churches Closed or reprogramed
0
250
500
1000 km
“ T H E O N E , W HO WANTS TO AC H I EV E S E RIOUS CHANGES IN T H E WO R L D, SHOULD BE ABLE TO A R RA N G E MAGNIFICENT S H OWS, S E R ENELY SHED OT H E R P EO P LE’S BLOOD AND TO I M P OS E ATTRACTIVE NEW R E L I G I O N I N THE SHORT PERIOD O F R E P E N TA NCE AND HORROR W H I C H U S UA LLY COMES AFTER B LO O DS H E D.”
KU RT VO N N EG U T, “ T H E S I R E N S O F T I TA N ” never receive communion, only 15% among the orthodox participated in the parish life, 77% do not participated. That means that churches are overflowed only during events, but officials publish low about construction of 200 new churches (this is official data, non official 600) around Moscow for the reason of number shortage. As we see authority and power of Church grows isn’t dependent on «quality of believers». “It is interesting to note that in contrast to Yeltsin, Putin has been much more demonstrative about his close ties with the Orthodox Church. Alexey
Malashenko touched on this. He mentioned how perhaps it is weakness in the leadership that leads it to turn to religious organizations for additional support and validation. In any case, Putin has made a point of visiting the Patriarch regularly, and making these visits visible in the media. Understanding this, what is interesting to see is how this plays out on the lower levels. At lower levels, it has been interesting to notice how officials have made a point of being much more openly Orthodox as well. They have built Orthodox chapels in the Ministry of Justice and in the courts. Government officials regularly consult with local Orthodox leaders even on questions of whether to register other religious has made a point of visiting the Patriarch regularly, and making these visits visible in the media. Understanding this, what is interesting to see is how this plays out on the lower levels. At lower levels, it has been interesting to notice how officials have made a point of being much more openly Orthodox as well. They have built Orthodox chapels in the Ministry of Justice and in the courts. Government officials regularly consult with local Orthodox leaders even on questions of whether to register other religious organizations” (Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, D.C.)
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1914 (54 174 ORTHODOX TEMPLES) 1991 (7 500 ORTHODOX TEMPLES)
Map of churches abolished by the soviet authorities
COR P O R E A L PA RT 1 Official data about revenue of Russian Orthodox Church is rather different from reality. Total income of all ROC structures not amenable to external evaluation due to decentralized accountancy, inaccessibility of curacy’s budgets, lack of access to the accounting reporting of dioceses and Patriarchate, as well as a significant share of the «shadow economy» component. During the interview with Aleksandr Morozov, chief editor of the Russian magazine, director of the Center of media researches UNIC, he shared some thoughts about economic part of this institution: “the president of the Russian Federation repeatedly ordered to experts the closed notes on this subject including to me, I wrote one of them. But as result nobody could estimate it. If someone asks me I would say that Economy of Russian Orthodox Church as a whole is comparable to Sberbank. Sberbank is a network structure having the repre¬sentations approximately in the same volume if we take the Russian Fed¬eration. But we compare not with assets which the population enclosed there but with that the Sberbank spends for itself.” Church is called to perform the invisible spiritual connection between adherents as well as between believers and Absolute. But at the same time it represents quite visible self-governing public organization-”a visible body”, that has horizontal and vertical hierarchical structure, which is also the holder of rights, including property rights and what is especially important the subject of economic relations. It is clear that the church as the economic subject can’t exist, without having the certain budget estimated in money. So in various ways it fills up revenues of the budget at the expense of various economic activities. In particular, the church makes and sells certain services and the goods and thus receives the income, counts profit. Nikolai Mitrokhin – historian, sociologist, one of few experts who tried to analyze and estimate actual situation and activity of Russian Orthodox Church as social and economic institute in Russia. In his work, he wrote “What is the Russian Orthodox Church in economic terms? In our opinion, a huge
^ Crystal Cup of yachts class «eM - KA». Team of Bank Sofrino, leaders of the season 2011, took part in a regatta (Sofrino - Russian Orthodox Church enterprise)
ECON O M Y O F RUSSIAN ORTH O D OX CHURCH AS A WHO L E I S COMPARABLE TO SBER BA N K . Sberbank is a network structure having the
representations approximately in the same volume if we take the Russian Federation. But we compare not with assets which the population enclosed there but with that the Sberbank spends for itself.
> interview with Alexandr Morozov - chief editor of the Russian magazine, director of the Center of media researches UNIC
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< Map of Church businesses located in Moscow
policy, its impact on public opinion should be only transparent and open”. Also with that were published precepts for businessmen: - “wealth - not end in itself, it should serve creation of worthy human life and the people” - “appropriating another’s property, neglecting property the general, without rendering the worker for work, deceiving the partner, the person breaks the moral law, harms to society and” - “transfer in a type of tax of a part of the income for needs of society should turn from the burdensome duty executed dependently, and sometimes at all not executed, into honorable business, worthy thanks of society” “The poor person is obliged to behave, aspire adequately to effective work, raising the professional level to leave a disastrous condition” Precepts for officials are under development.
Corporation, uniting under a common name tens of thousands of separate or semi-independent economic agents. The exact number of these agents is impossible to determine, but only according to official data, ROC has no less than 19 thousands of parishes (communities), and approximately the same number of priests. In addition, there are approximately 500 monasteries, about 130 dioceses, as well as an unknown number of commercial structures operating in the temples or controlled by individual priests.” Mitrokhin estimate cumulative annual ROC income in 500 mln.$ and predict rapid grow up to 2 mlrd.$ in 2011. Business that controlled by Church in Moscow and Moscow region could be divided up into categories: -owner -partnership (franchise, ets.) -creditor -lobby for the interests There’s no clear answer to question “what product does ROC sells now days?”. It trades in BMW cars, oil throw a network of affiliated companies; partner of banks, realtor agencies; owns factories, publishing and pilgrimage centers. But there’s a uniting link called “tax privileges of Religious organizations”: -land tax (are subject to release from payment of a ground tax concerning the land lots belonging to them on which buildings, struc¬tures and constructions of religious and charitable appointment are located) -property tax (are released from the taxation concerning the property used by them for implementation of religious activity) -value added tax (have the right to release from fulfillment of duties of the taxpayer, connected with calculation and VAT payment if in three previous consecutive calendar months the sum of proceeds from sales of the goods (works, services) without a tax didn’t exceed in aggregate 2 million rubles) -profit tax (At definition of tax base the income received isn’t considered: -in the form of the property received by the taxpayer within target financing -in the form of property (including money) and (or) property rights which are received by the religious organization in connec¬tion with commission of religious practices and ceremonies and from realization of religious literature and subjects of reli¬gious appointment -the property, passing to non-profit organizations according to the will as inheritance -means and other property which are received on charity implementation.)
For management of financial streams was created own Center of Investment Programs. Experts started to position ROC as a new participant of investment process in Russia. Elena Shulgina, chairman board of the center, explains: “This was done with the blessing of Patriarch for the implementation of economic programs of the Russian Orthodox Church in the field of agricultural and hotel business. The first project will be the construction of a large-scale hotel and the residential-office complex in Tver - value of 10 million dollars. In a little less cost of construction Bogolubovcki meadows under Vladimir.”
< Nicolai Mitrokhin “Actual situation and activity of Russian Orthodox Church as social and economic institute in Russia”
In 2007 Center of Investment Programs of ROC organized an international investment forum in Berlin where shared the charitable plans: business center construction at the corner of Pyatnitsky and Klimentovsky Lane, elite housing estates in Lazorevy str. and on Ostozhenka (the center of Moscow), construction of the whole residential district “Tver City” with hotels, houses, shops, supermarkets, reconstruction of the historical center in Vladimir. Expected income of investments is 40% annually.
“CHURCH — THE U N I Q U E B U S I N ESS W H I C H D U R I N G BA D T I M ES E N D U R ES ENVIRONMENT PE A K.” C H A R L ES A N G E L < Website of Orthodox realtor agency
Since terms «property of the liturgical purposes» and «the property of religious purpose», used in the texts of laws, not fully clarified, Church can represent under this term everything that will consider it necessary. A year ago at the arch of moral principles and rules in managing accepted by the Moscow patriarchy on the VIII World Russian national cathedral seventh of ten precepts of this document says: “Participation of business in
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near ten moscow temples shopping centers and shops will be erected. Investments: 25-30 mln.$
Business Center on Pyatnickaya str. offices, trading, exhibitions, hotels
Multifunctional complex southwest of Moscow
Business center
Housing elite estate
at Spartacovscaja str.
Lazorev proezd
Tver
Moscow region Sergiev Posad
Pereslavl-Zalessky Yaroslavl
Rostov Vladimir
Suzdal
Kostroma
Ivanovo
Shopping mall+ Reconstraction offices “Tver City” of historical city center
Hotel complex
Network of hotel complexes in the cities of the "Golden Ring"
^ Church developments around Golden Ring of Russia
2 Another aspect of “corporeal part” is land. The federal law of the Russian Federation from November, 30th, 2010 N 327-FZ “About transfer to the religious organizations of property of the religious appointment which is in the state or municipal property” can turn Church into the largest owner in the country. “After all only Gazprom and Russian Railway can compete with Russian Orthodox Church. In Moscow average cost of 1 hectare of the earth is about 6-7 million dollars” — considers director for development of consulting company Prime City Properties Roman Cheptsov. Dmitry Shamin, head of Investment Center, in his turn noticed that “comparison with Catholic church not quite exact. ROC is just simply returns itself that it had till 1917”, that means that Church is only at the beginning of a big way: before revolution it was one of the largest land and property owner in Russia. To get property, religious organization must apply to the authorized body with the application which “proves their right to property”. Responsibilities of the religious organization also includes the maintenance of property for religious purposes in good condition, including implementation of current and capital repairs as well as bear all expenses on its maintenance. New owner has no right within ten years to change purpose of the returned property and to transfer it to the third parties. Legislators stipulated one more important condition: transfer of buildings and constructions of religious appointment is possible
Tver
Moscow region Sergiev Posad
Vladimir
Pereslavl-Zalessky Yaroslavl Rostov Kostroma Suzdal Ivanovo
“NEW PA RT ICIPANT OF INVEST M E N T PROCESS IN RUSS I A- RU SSIAN ORTHODOX CHUR C H ” ^ Golden Ring Cities
LAND F RO M M U N I C I PA L A N D G OV E R N M E NTAL PROPERTY
VAT I CAN <
TO RUSS I A N ORT H ODOX CH U RCH
TO T H E M OS COW D I O C ES E
only after granting other rooms to the enterprises located there. Law stipulated that Church can’t receive in property valuable objects - monuments and ensembles included in the list of the world heritage of UNESCO. For example, Vasily Blazhenny cathedral or temple ensemble of the Moscow Kremlin. About twenty objects in total.
Russia. In Moscow about 67 thousand people came to Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The patriarch declared that Russian Orthodox Church is exposed recently to attacks of the persecutors, not comparable to that was in the past. Also with that he note “We threaten noone, we don’t show the force, but nobody can forbid us during the crucial moments of history - and today we endure such moment - to gather on prayful standing”.
Instead the state will get rid of need to contain temples and adjacent to them territories what is especially relevant in post-crisis conditions. “The state reports Churches property not so disinterestedly: the power that is now loosing trust
“CHU R C H CAN BECOME A LARG EST OWNER IN THE COUN T RY. A FTER ALL ONLY GAZP R O M A ND RUSSIAN RAILWAY CAN COMPETE WIT H RUSS IA N O RT HO D OX CH U R CH” of the people, decided to gain authority through Church, - consider deputy chairman of the Central Committee of the CPRF, Vladimir Kashin – He also notices that since now Church will wish to be engaged in commerce, to hand earth over in a tenancy “. By-turn if religious organizations own property they become independent from the state and power can lose pressure levers. Church is unique institution. When it has to pay taxes it acts as religion organization and getting benefits from the government but when it wants to earn money it becomes a business structure, forgetting about it supreme appointments. Nowdays ROC became too active in the political and economic field that increase frequency of displease and bewilderment from citizens. In the second week of Easter, in day of the apostle of Doubting Thomas, patriarch Kirill made a public prayer “In protection of the belief, the scolded shrines, Church and its reputation”. This action took place across all Russia and was the most large-scale of similar actions in the contemporary history of
amount of land that the church can receive in a property (around Russia; around Moscow)
N O O N E CA N FO R B I D US DURING THE C RU C I A L M O M E N TS O F H I STO RY-A N D TO DAY W E E N D U R E S UC H M OM E N TTO GAT H E R O N PRAYF UL STA N D I N G < a public prayer “In protection of the belief, the scolded shrines, Church and its reputation”.
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< Map of existing churches, new planned, metro availability
^ photo of prefabricated church from field trip to concrete factory DSK-1
^ photo from the side, southern AR
“PREFA B R I CAT E D C H U RC H ” P H E N O M E N ON
New York – Hood – is the pastor’s last resort. He cannot go back to the businessmen to tell them that the basement will be completely occupied by piers instead of cars. Hood reassures him. “The trouble with Mr. Cram is that he has no faith in God. I will design a church for you that will be the greatest church in the world. It will include all the hotels, swimming tanks and candy stores you desire. Furthermore, in the basement will be the largest garage in Christendom because I will build your church on toothpicks and have faith enough in God to believe it will stand up!” For the first time Hood works on a multipurpose building. Indifferent to programmatic hierarchy, he simply assigns parts of the Mountain to the necessary functions. With barefaced literalness he projects two floors – the Cathedral and the Parking Garage, separated only by inches of concrete – that realize his boats to the pastor and represent the final implementation of the Great Lobotomy’s indispensable complement: the Vertical Schism, which creates the freedom to stack such disparate activities directly on top of each other without any concern for their symbolic compatibility. The church episode is emblematic of Hood’s, and his colleagues’, state of mind in the mid-twenties; they have developed a schizophrenia that allows them simultaneously to drive energy and inspiration from Manhattan as irrational fantasy and to establish its unprecedented theorems in a series of strictly rational steps.”
In conjunction with the acute shortage of orthodox churches in Moscow was developed plan about construction of 200 new temples step-by-step availability. For acceleration of this process was made a decision about “prefabricated churches”. Construction begun in September, 2011 and planned to finish in June, 2019. It’s a joint project of Church and government of Moscow that conducted only on donations. Responsibility of the state: allocation of the land lots, the solution of the questions connected with preparation of construction, receiving necessary coordination, and also the help in selection of investors and contractors of con¬struction. Mostly new objects would be allocated on the city periphery by virtue of the fact that mostly churches are located in the city center and low-mobile groups of the population that live in remote areas have no possibility to visit them. Some of new churches are planned to be build in green zone where construction is forbidden, that causes wide discontent of locals. For process acceleration churches will be “prefabricated”, developed several configurations dependent from the planned number of visitors. Also with that authorities consider that temple buildings would help to equip city space which surrounds Muscovites today in more reasonable way because often architectural dominant in new districts of Moscow is shopping or office center. But here we can notice contradiction, paradox due to the fact that near ten Moscow temples, on the earth belong¬ing to them, shopping centers and shops will be erected, Investments: 25-30 mln.$, each shopping center will have the area of 3-10 thousand m2.
SCHISM (Delirious New York, Rem Koolhaas, 171-173p.) “In the tradition of the dime novel, one day in the mid-twenties a pastor comes to see Hood in his office. He represents a congregation that wants to build the greatest church in the world. The congregation was one of businessmen and the site was an extremely valuable one… Therefore they wished not only to build the greatest church in the world, but to combine it with revenue producing enterprises including a hotel, a YMCA, an apartment house with a swimming pool, and so on. On the street level would be shops, to bring in high rentals, and in the basement, the largest garage in Columbus, Ohio. The garage was very important, because, in giving his congregation a place to park their cars on coming to work weekdays, the pastor would indeed make the church the center of their lives… The pastor had first gone to Ralph Adams Cram, a traditional church architect, who rejected him, especially indignant about the suggested garage. “There would be no room for cars because this noble structure would be constructed on tremendous granite piers…that would support it through all times as a monument to their faith.
Following this episode I realized the Horizontal Schism of the Church now days. In Russia this institution represents multifunctional, spatial structure. Which expands a range of the actions and territories, without concern about “hectare cost”. Church is not only about soft power but it’s also an independent developer that shapes the city by its own scenarios that known only by Patriarch and God…
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