In 1054, it became widespread mainly in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Features of Orthodoxy

The formation of religious organizations is closely connected with the social and political life of society. Christianity is no exception, which was especially evident in the differences between its main directions - and Orthodoxy. At the beginning of the 5th century The Roman Empire split into East and West. The eastern one was a single state, while the western one was a fragmented conglomerate of principalities. In the conditions of strong centralization of power in Byzantium, the church immediately turned out to be an appendage of the state, and the emperor actually became its head. The stagnation of the social life of Byzantium and the control of the church by the despotic state led to the conservatism of the Orthodox Church in dogma and ritualism, as well as tendencies towards mysticism and irrationalism in its ideology. In the West, the church gradually took center stage and became an organization striving for dominance in all areas of society, including politics.

Difference between east and west was due to developmental features. Greek Christianity concentrated its attention on ontological and philosophical problems, while Western Christianity focused on political and legal ones.

Since the Orthodox Church was under the auspices of the state, its history is connected not so much with external events as with the formation of dogma. The Orthodox doctrine is based on Holy Scripture (the Bible - the Old and New Testaments) and Holy Tradition (decrees of the first seven Ecumenical and Local Councils, the works of the Church Fathers and canonical theologians). At the first two Ecumenical Councils - Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381) the so-called Symbol of faith, briefly outlining the essence of the Christian doctrine. It recognizes the trinity of God - the creator and ruler of the Universe, the existence of the afterlife, posthumous retribution, the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ, who opened the possibility for the salvation of mankind, on which lies the seal of original sin.

Fundamentals of the doctrine of Orthodoxy

The Orthodox Church declares the main provisions of the faith to be absolutely true, eternal and unchanging, communicated to man by God himself and incomprehensible to reason. Keeping them intact is the first duty of the church. It is impossible to add anything or remove any provisions, therefore the later dogmas established by the Catholic Church are about the descent of the Holy Spirit not only from the Father, but also from the Son (filioque), about the immaculate conception not only of Christ, but also of the Virgin Mary, o the infallibility of the Roman pope, about purgatory - Orthodoxy considers it a heresy.

Personal salvation of believers is made dependent on the zealous fulfillment of the rites and prescriptions of the church, due to which there is communion with Divine grace, transmitted to man through the sacraments: baptism in infancy, chrismation, communion, repentance (confession), marriage, priesthood, anointing (unction). The sacraments are accompanied by rituals, which, together with divine services, prayers and religious holidays, form the religious cult of Christianity. Great importance in Orthodoxy is given to holidays and fasts.

Orthodoxy teaches observance of moral precepts given to man by God through the prophet Moses, as well as the fulfillment of the covenants and sermons of Jesus Christ set forth in the Gospels. Their main content is the observance of universal norms of life and love for one's neighbor, manifestations of mercy and compassion, as well as the rejection of resistance to evil by violence. Orthodoxy emphasizes the uncomplaining enduring of sufferings sent by God to test the strength of faith and cleansing from sin, on the special veneration of the sufferers - the blessed, the poor, the holy fools, hermits and hermits. In Orthodoxy, a vow of celibacy is given only by monks and higher ranks of clergy.

Organization of the Orthodox Church

Georgian Orthodox Church. Christianity began to spread on the territory of Georgia in the first centuries AD. She received autocephaly in the 8th century. In 1811, Georgia became part of the Russian Empire, and the church became part of the Russian Orthodox Church as an exarchate. In 1917, at the meeting of Georgian priests, a decision was made to restore autocephaly, which was preserved under Soviet rule. The Russian Orthodox Church recognized autocephaly only in 1943.

The head of the Georgian Church bears the title of Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi with residence in Tbilisi.

Serbian Orthodox Church. Autocephaly was recognized in 1219. The head of the church bears the title of Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovapia, Patriarch of Serbia with residence in Belgrade.

Romanian Orthodox Church. Christianity entered the territory of Romania in the II-III centuries. AD In 1865, the autocephaly of the Romanian Orthodox Church was proclaimed, but without the consent of the Church of Constantinople; in 1885 such consent was obtained. The head of the church bears the title of Archbishop of Bucharest, Metropolitan of Ungro-Vlachia, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church with residence in Bucharest.

Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Christianity appeared on the territory of Bulgaria in the first centuries of our era. In 870 the Bulgarian Church received autonomy. The status of the church has changed over the centuries depending on the political situation. The autocephaly of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was recognized by Constantinople only in 1953, and the patriarchy only in 1961.

The head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church bears the title of Metropolitan of Sofia, Patriarch of All Bulgaria with residence in Sofia.

Cypriot Orthodox Church. The first Christian communities on the island were founded at the beginning of our era by St. Apostles Paul and Barnabas. Widespread Christianization of the population began in the 5th century. Autocephaly was recognized at the III Ecumenical Council in Ephesus.

The head of the Cypriot Church bears the title of Archbishop of New Justiniana and all of Cyprus, his residence is in Nicosia.

E.yadskaya (Greek) Orthodox Church. According to legend, the Christian faith was brought by the Apostle Paul, who founded and established Christian communities in a number of cities, and St. John the Evangelist wrote "Revelation" on the island of Patmos. The autocephaly of the Greek Church was recognized in 1850. In 1924, it switched to the Gregorian calendar, which caused a split. The head of the church bears the title of Archbishop of Athens and all Hellas with residence in Athens.

Athens Orthodox Church. Autocephaly was recognized in 1937. However, due to political reasons, contradictions arose, and the final position of the church was determined only in 1998. The head of the church bears the title of Archbishop of Tirana and All Albania with residence in Tirana. The peculiarities of this church include the election of the clergy with the participation of the laity. Divine services are performed in Albanian and Greek.

Polish Orthodox Church. Orthodox dioceses have existed on the territory of Poland since the 13th century. However, for a long time they were under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate. After Poland gained independence, they left the subordination of the Russian Orthodox Church and formed the Polish Orthodox Church, which in 1925 was recognized as autocephalous. Russia accepted the autocephaly of the Polish Church only in 1948.

Divine services are conducted in Church Slavonic. Recently, however, the Polish language has been used more and more. The head of the Polish Orthodox Church bears the title of Metropolitan of Warsaw and all of Polynia with residence in Warsaw.

Czechoslovak Orthodox Church. The mass baptism of the people on the territory of modern Czech Republic and Slovakia began in the second half of the 9th century, when the Slavic enlighteners Cyril and Methodius arrived in Moravia. For a long time these lands were under the jurisdiction of the Catholic Church. Orthodoxy was preserved only in Eastern Slovakia. After the formation of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918, an Orthodox community was organized. Further development of events led to division within the Orthodoxy of the country. In 1951, the Czechoslovak Orthodox Church asked the Russian Orthodox Church to accept it into its jurisdiction. In November 1951, the Russian Orthodox Church granted her autocephaly, which the Church of Constantinople approved only in 1998. After the division of Czechoslovakia into two independent states, the church formed two metropolitan provinces. The head of the Czechoslovak Orthodox Church bears the title of Metropolitan of Prague and Archbishop of the Czech and Slovak Republics with residence in Prague.

American Orthodox Church. Orthodoxy came to America from Alaska, where from the end of the 18th century. the Orthodox community began to operate. In 1924 a diocese was formed. After the sale of Alaska to the United States, Orthodox churches and land were left in the ownership of the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1905, the center of the diocese was transferred to New York, and its head Tikhon Belavin elevated to the rank of archbishop. In 1906, he raised the question of the possibility of autocephaly for the American Church, but in 1907 Tikhon was withdrawn, and the issue remained unresolved.

In 1970, the Moscow Patriarchate gave autocephalous status to the metropolis, which was called the Orthodox Church in America. The head of the church has the title of Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada, with residence in Syosset, near New York.

Since Orthodoxy is one of the directions of the Christian religion. The teachings of Christianity are based on the biography of Jesus Christ, set forth in the Bible. Christianity consists of several currents, the largest of which is Orthodoxy.

What is the essence of Orthodoxy

The division of the Christian Church took place in 1054 and since then Orthodoxy has been developing as an independent religious trend along with Catholicism and Protestantism. Orthodoxy is currently most widespread in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. The Orthodox population prevails in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Yugoslavia, Greece. The number of adherents of Orthodoxy is about 2.1 billion.

The number of Orthodox churches includes Russian, Georgian, Serbian and other churches independent of each other, which are controlled by patriarchs, metropolitans, archbishops. The world Orthodox Church does not have a unified leadership, and its unity is manifested in confession and rituals.

What is Orthodoxy and its dogmas are set forth in the decisions of the seven Ecumenical Councils. The main ones include:

• unity of God (monotheism);
• confession of the Holy Trinity (God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit);
• the unity of the divine and human principles in the essence of Jesus Christ;
• recognition of the atoning sacrifice of Christ.

What is the difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism and Protestantism?

Unlike Orthodoxy, Catholic churches scattered throughout the world have a single head - the Pope. Despite the common doctrine, the rites within different churches may differ. Protestants, like Orthodox, do not have a single head of the Church.

The Orthodox Church believes that the Holy Spirit comes from the Father, while the Catholic and Protestant Churches believe that the Holy Spirit comes from the Father and the Son.

In the Catholic Church there is a dogma about purgatory - a state in which the souls of the dead are preparing for paradise. In Orthodoxy, there is a similar state (ordeal), from where you can get to heaven through prayers for the soul of the Orthodox.

One of the dogmas of the Catholic Church is the recognition of the Immaculateness of the Virgin Mary. In Orthodoxy, despite the holiness of the Mother of God, it is believed that she has original sin. Protestants generally refused to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Protestants reject all sacred rites, and the role of their priests is performed by the pastor, who, in essence, is only a speaker and administrator of the community.

1. Orthodoxy

Prot. Mikhail Pomazansky:

Orthodoxy - faith and worship of God ... the true teaching of Christ, preserved in the Church of Christ.

The word Orthodoxy (from the Greek “orthodoxy”) literally means “correct judgment”, “correct teaching”, or “correct glorification” of God.

Metropolitan Hierofei (Vlachos) writes:

The term "Orthodoxy" (Greek orthodoxy) consists of two words: right, true (orthos) and glory (doxa). The word "doxa" means, on the one hand, belief, teaching, faith, and on the other hand, doxology. These values ​​are closely related. Correct teaching about God includes correct praise of God, for if God is abstract, then prayer to this God will also be abstract. If God is personal, then prayer takes on a personal character. God has revealed the true faith, the true doctrine. And we say that the doctrine of God and everything that is connected with the salvation of the individual is the Revelation of God, and not the discovery of man.

Orthodoxy is not only a creed, but also a special way of life of a person in the Orthodox Church, which, as a result of communion with God, transforms his whole life and his soul.

St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) answers the question like this:

“What is Orthodoxy?

Orthodoxy is true knowledge of God and worship of God; Orthodoxy is the worship of God in spirit and in truth; Orthodoxy is the glorification of God by true knowledge of Him and worship of Him; Orthodoxy is God's glorification of man, the true servant of God, by bestowing on Him the grace of the All-Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the glory of Christians (John 7:39). Where there is no Spirit, there is no Orthodoxy. ... Orthodoxy is the teaching of the Holy Spirit, given by God to people for salvation.

Professor SPDA Glubokovsky N.N.:

Orthodoxy ... is a "right confession" - orthodoxy - because it reproduces in itself the entire intelligible object, sees itself and shows it to others in the "correct opinion" of all subject richness and with all its features. ... It considers itself right, or the true teaching of Christ in all originality and integrity ... Orthodoxy preserves and continues the original apostolic Christianity by direct and uninterrupted succession. In the historical course of Christianity throughout the universe, this is the central stream, coming from the very “fountain of living water” (Rev. 21:6) and not deviating along its entire length until the end of the world.

Prot. Mikhail Pomazansky writes about the "powers and spiritual wealth of Orthodoxy":

“High in prayer, deep in contemplation of God, joyful in achievement, pure in joy, perfect in moral teaching, full in the ways of God’s praise—Orthodoxy…”

Priest Sergiy Mansurov. Essays from Church History

Orthodoxy means - Rule Praise. Christians are NOT Orthodox, originally they were "Greek Rite Orthodox Church". In 1054 A.D. the Christian church was divided into two - Western and Eastern; the western declared itself universal (that is, catholic), and the eastern declared itself orthodox, i.e. orthodox (standing on the foundations of the Christian origin). It was Nikon in the 17th century who ordered the liturgical books to be rewritten and the words " orthodox christian faith” to “Orthodox faith”, in order to attribute all the victories of Orthodoxy to Christianity. But they did not want this, because they said - we should not imitate, i.e. Gentiles, those who kept their fathers.

And note that even in the Spiritual Regulations of Peter I of 1718 (1721) it is called "Christian Sovereign, orthodoxy and everyone in the Church of the Holy Deanery is the guardian ". It was republished in 1898 under Nicholas II, and no one forwarded it to "Orthodoxy".

The Russian Orthodox Church began to be called Orthodox only under Nicholas II and then with the addition “Orthodox Christianity”, because there was a decree of Nicholas II “On those who are forcibly baptized into the orthodox, give everyone the go-ahead to return to the Faith of the Ancestors”, i.e. exit from Christianity and return to the Ancestral Roots.
Therefore, the Christian church was not Orthodox.

The fact that the Moscow Patriarchate is now in Moscow has nothing to do with Christianity and Orthodoxy at all, it is a state structure created by decree of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, and the first patriarch was a colonel-general of state security. Therefore, it is a political organization. That Christian church that was in the Russian Empire, all its ascetics went overseas, and what do they call the Moscow Patriarchate? They call it a cooperative for knocking money out of the poor.
But these are their inter-Christian affairs.

I explain - Russia was Orthodox even before the birth of Christ, because all the people praised, and they say - “it is right to praise” ... but why do Catholics praise Jesus wrong? Or are Protestants wrongly glorifying? Or are the Arians wrong, and others? They have the same Bibles, the same prayers, what does it mean that these praise correctly, and these incorrectly?

Substitution of concepts

You see, there have been substitutions, a distortion of the language. Let's say everyone has probably heard the saying: "Every family has its black sheep"- What is this proverb about? They say that there is a geek in the family. Nothing of the kind, or do you think that there were geeks in every family? This is an insult to our peoples. The first child in the family is called the firstborn, he is under the protection of the Family (y), which is why they said: “The family has its black sheep”, i.e. Every family has a firstborn child. Therefore, in Polish, Czech: uroda- this is beauty, i.e. the most beautiful child. And what fell out of the Genus (the Rod rejected) has always been "". What did the Christian Church do - it replaced the concepts of "freak" and "fool", holy fools became good, and freaks became bad, i.e. white became black and black became white. But this is our language, why should we use a distorted interpretation? Also with Orthodoxy.

Another example: Christians call the Old Believers seditious (sedition for them is a ban, something illegal, reprehensible). And in Slavic sedition"means - to RA (to the pure light) the voice to lift up. A seditious person is a sun-worshipper, a sun-worshipper. What's wrong with the sun? The sun gives life, warms. Is it bad that a person gets up in the morning and meets the Sun with outstretched hands, sings a hymn to him. According to Christian concepts, this is bad, but right is an all-night liturgy to kneel and beat your head on the floor.

How well do you know your faith, its traditions and saints, as well as the position of the Orthodox Church in the modern world? Test yourself by reading the TOP 50 interesting facts about Orthodoxy!

We present to your attention the first part of our collection of interesting facts.

1. Why "Orthodoxy"?

Orthodoxy (tracing paper from the Greek ὀρθοδοξία - orthodoxy. Literally “correct judgment”, “correct teaching” or “correct glorification” is the true doctrine of the knowledge of God, communicated to man by the grace of the Holy Spirit, present in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

2. What do the Orthodox believe?

Orthodox Christians believe in one God-Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, having a single essence, but at the same time three hypostases.

Orthodox Christians, professing faith in the Holy Trinity, base it on the Niceno-Tsaregrad Creed without additions or distortions, and on the dogmas of faith established by the assemblies of bishops at the seven Ecumenical Councils.

“Orthodoxy is true knowledge of God and worship of God; Orthodoxy is the worship of God in Spirit and Truth; Orthodoxy is the glorification of God by true knowledge of Him and worship of Him; Orthodoxy is God's glorification of man, the true servant of God, by bestowing upon him the grace of the All-Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the glory of Christians (John 7:39). Where there is no Spirit, there is no Orthodoxy,” wrote St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov).

3. How is the Orthodox Church organized?

Today it is divided into 15 autocephalous (completely independent) Local Orthodox Churches, having mutual Eucharistic communion with each other and constituting a single body of the Church founded by the Savior. At the same time, the founder and head of the Church is the Lord Jesus Christ.

4. When did Orthodoxy appear?

In the 1st century, on the day of Pentecost (the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles), 33 years from the Nativity of Christ.

After the Catholics fell away from the fullness of Orthodoxy in 1054, in order to distinguish themselves from the Roman Patriarchate, which accepted some doctrinal distortions, the Eastern Patriarchates took on the name "Orthodox".

5. Ecumenical Councils and the Pan-Orthodox Council

At the end of June 2016, the Pan-Orthodox Council is to be held. Some mistakenly call it the Eighth Ecumenical Council, but this is not so. Significant heresies that threatened the existence of the Church have always been dealt with at the Ecumenical Councils, which is not currently planned.

In addition, the Eighth Ecumenical Council has already taken place - in Constantinople in 879 under Patriarch Photius. However, since the Ninth Ecumenical Council did not take place (and the previous Ecumenical Council is traditionally declared the subsequent Ecumenical Council), there are currently seven Ecumenical Councils officially.

6. Women's clergy

In Orthodoxy it is impossible to imagine a woman as a deacon, priest or bishop. This is not due to discrimination or disrespect for a woman (an example of this is the Mother of God, revered above all saints). The fact is that a priest or bishop in worship is an image of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he became human and lived his earthly life as a man, which is why a woman cannot represent him.

The deaconesses known in the Ancient Church are not female deacons, but catechists who conversed with people before Baptism and performed other functions of clergymen.

7. The number of Orthodox

Mid-2015 data show that there are 2,419 million Christians in the world, of which 267-314 million belong to Orthodoxy.

In fact, if we take away 17 million schismatics of various persuasions and 70 million members of the Ancient Eastern Churches (who do not accept the decisions of one or more Ecumenical Councils), then 180-227 million people around the world can be considered strictly Orthodox.

8. What are the Orthodox Churches?

There are fifteen Local Orthodox Churches:

• Patriarchate of Constantinople
• Alexandrian Patriarchate
• Antiochian Patriarchate
• Jerusalem Patriarchate
• Moscow Patriarchate
• Serbian Patriarchate
• Romanian Patriarchate
• Bulgarian Patriarchate
• Georgian Patriarchy
• Cypriot Orthodox Church
• Greek Orthodox Church
• Polish Orthodox Church
• Albanian Orthodox Church
• Czechoslovak Orthodox Church
• Orthodox Church of America

As part of the Local, there are also Autonomous Churches with varying degrees of independence:

• Sinai Orthodox Church IP
• Finnish Orthodox Church KP
• Japanese Orthodox Church MP
• Chinese Orthodox Church MP
• Ukrainian Orthodox Church MP
• Ohrid Archdiocese of SP

9. Five largest Orthodox Churches

The largest Orthodox Church in the world is the Russian one, with 90-120 million believers. The next largest four Churches in descending order are:

Romanian, Helladic, Serbian and Bulgarian.

10 Most Orthodox States

The most Orthodox state in the world is… South Ossetia! In it, 99% of the population consider themselves to be Orthodox (more than 50,000 people out of more than 51,000 people).

Russia, in percentage terms, is not even in the top ten and closes the top dozen of the most Orthodox countries in the world:

Greece (98%), Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (96.4%), Moldova (93.3%), Serbia (87.6%), Bulgaria (85.7%), Romania (81.9%), Georgia( 78.1%), Montenegro (75.6%), Ukraine (74.7%), Belarus (74.6%), Russia (72.5%).

11. Large Orthodox communities

In some "non-traditional" countries for Orthodoxy, there are very large Orthodox communities.

So, in the USA it is 5 million people, in Canada 680 thousand, in Mexico 400 thousand, in Brazil 180 thousand, in Argentina 140 thousand, in Chile 70 thousand, in Sweden 94 thousand, in Belgium 80 thousand, in Austria 452 thousand, in Great Britain 450 thousand, Germany 1.5 million, France 240 thousand, Spain 60 thousand, Italy 1 million, 200 thousand in Croatia, 40 thousand in Jordan, 30 thousand in Japan, 1 million Orthodox in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya, 1.5 million in Uganda, more than 40 thousand in Tanzania and 100 thousand in South Africa, as well as 66 thousand in New Zealand and more than 620 thousand in Australia.

12. State Religion

In Romania and Greece, Orthodoxy is the state religion, the Law of God is taught in schools, and the salaries of priests are paid from the state budget.

13. All over the world

Christianity is the only religion represented in all 232 countries of the world. Orthodoxy is represented in 137 countries of the world.

14. Martyrdom

Throughout history, more than 70 million Christians became martyrs, and 45 million of them died in the 20th century. According to some reports, in the 21st century, the number of those killed for faith in Christ is increasing by 100,000 every year.

15. "Urban" religion

Christianity initially spread precisely through the cities of the Roman Empire, coming to rural areas after 30-50 years.

Today, the majority of Christians (64%) also live in cities.

16. "The Religion of the Book"

The main doctrinal truths and traditions of Christians are recorded in the Bible. Accordingly, in order to become a Christian, it was necessary to master the letter.

Often, previously unenlightened peoples received, along with Christianity, their own script, literature and history, and the sharp cultural upsurge associated with them.

Today, the proportion of literate and educated people among Christians is higher than among atheists and representatives of other faiths. For men - this share is 88% of the total, and for women - 81%.

17. Amazing Lebanon

The country, in which about 60% of the inhabitants are Muslims and 40% are Christians, has been without religious conflicts for more than a thousand years.

According to the Constitution, Lebanon has its own special political system - confessionalism, and from each confession in the local parliament there is always a strictly agreed number of deputies. The President of Lebanon must always be a Christian and the Prime Minister a Muslim.

18. Orthodox name Inna

The name Inna was originally male. It was worn by a disciple of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called - a Christian preacher of the 2nd century, who, along with the preachers Rimma and Pinna, was brutally murdered by the pagan ruler of Scythia and received the status of a martyr. However, having got to the Slavs, the name gradually transformed into a female one.

19. First century

By the end of the 1st century, Christianity had spread throughout the territory of the Roman Empire and even crossed its borders (Ethiopia, Persia), and the number of believers reached 800,000 people.

By the same period, all four canonical Gospels were written, and Christians received their own name, which was first heard in Antioch.

20. Armenia

Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as a state religion. Saint Gregory the Illuminator brought the Christian faith to this country from Byzantium at the beginning of the 4th century. Gregory not only preached in the countries of the Caucasus, but also invented the alphabet for the Armenian and Georgian languages.

21. Shooting rockets is the most orthodox game

Every year on Easter in the Greek town of Vrontados on the island of Chios, there is a rocket confrontation between two churches. The goal of their parishioners is to hit the bell tower of the opponents' church, and the winner is determined the next day, counting the number of hits.

22. Where does the crescent moon come from on the Orthodox cross?

Some mistakenly believe that it appeared during the period of the Christian-Muslim wars. Allegedly, "the cross defeats the crescent."

In fact, this is the ancient Christian symbol of the anchor - a reliable support in the stormy sea of ​​worldly passions. Anchor crosses are found in the first centuries of Christianity, when not a single person on Earth has heard of Islam yet.

23. The largest bell in the world

In 1655, Alexander Grigoriev cast a bell weighing 8 thousand pounds (128 tons), and in 1668 it was raised to the belfry in the Kremlin.

According to eyewitness accounts, at least 40 people were required to swing the tongue of the bell, which weighed more than 4 tons.

The miracle bell rang until 1701, when it fell and broke during one of the fires.

24. Image of God the Father

The image of God the Father was forbidden by the Great Moscow Cathedral back in the 17th century on the grounds that God "no one can see when in the flesh." Nevertheless, there are quite a few icon-paintings where God the Father is represented as a handsome old man with a triangular halo.

In the history of literature there were many works that became world bestsellers, interest in which lasted for years. But time passed, and interest in them disappeared.

And the Bible without any advertising has been popular for almost 2000 years, being today the No. 1 bestseller. The daily circulation of the Bible is 32,876 copies, that is, one Bible is printed every second in the world.

Andrey Segeda

In contact with