The Community Culture of Old Believer Churches in Moscow

In my thesis I have studied the structure and features of the communal life of old believers on the example of community priests in the Rogozhskiy center. I have conducted in-depth interviews with community members, had a participant observation, analysed the documents of the community and the old believers’ Church and worked with the old believers' periodical literature. Here are some principal characteristics of this commune. It mainly consists of older people, there are very few young people; there is no connection between the Church and the Church cemetery, which is now state-owned. On the territory of the commune there is a Metropolitan of the Official Old-believer’s Church which makes it not only one of the Church parishes, but also the spiritual and administrative center of the Russian Orthodox Old Believers ' Church. Since 1997-1998 the Kazak’s community has been established in Rogozhski center, whose members are engaged mainly in guarding the territory. The Kazak’s community consists of 8-12 people and it can be considered as an example of the developed commune. The Sunday school is also an important part of the community life in the Rogozhski center. There is an established group of children and parents who regularly attend classes and arrange leisure time outside of the territory of the school. The Sunday school strengthens the community, integrates children in the commune culture and transmits certain religious values to them. I have used G. Lubbe’s compensatory theory to describe the phenomenon of the old-believers, as well as E.Gofman’s dramaturgical analysis for consideration of the Kazak’s group.