Religion in Russia

63% of the Russian Federation population considers themselves Russian Orthodox, 6% Muslim, and less than 1% consider themselves either Buddhist, Catholic , Protestant, or Jewish . Another 12% said they believe in God, but do not practice any religion, and 16% said they are atheist. Although Russian Orthodox is the major religion in Russia, St. Petersburg is a center for many faiths.

Besides Russian Orthodox, temples here represent the Lutheran, Catholic, and Baptist churches. There is also a beautiful mosque and a famous synagogue. Many of the temples were closed or destroyed during the time of Soviet rule, but in the past several years extensive restorations have been carried out, and currently no religion is restrained by the State.

When entering Orthodox church always remember to dress conservatively. As you enter men should remove any head wear, whereas women should cover their heads. Usually at the entrance there will be a box of headscarves that you borrow if you don’t have your own. In Orthodox churches there are no chairs as when you meet with God you should be humble and standing. The very old and disabled may be allowed to sit for some time, but someone who is young or fit should never try to take a seat.

If there is no service most believers will visit the icons, leaving a candle in front of it (representative of their prayer) and kiss the hands or face of the icon in a demonstration of their love of God. The iconostasis is a wall of icons which marks the entrance to the church sanctuary and only male clergy are allowed enter it. During an Orthodox service the priest (who should be addressed as batyushka) will usually lead the congregation through a long session of prayer – which will appear as a long and mournful song. He will then circle the church spreading incense (representing the sweetness of prayer), before returning back behind the iconostasis.

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This entry was posted on May 10, 2010 at 12:42 pm.

Posted in the All About Russia category