“His Whole Life was turbulent”: Nikolai Petrov and the Fate of the Russian Clergy in the XXth Century

Abstract

This article presents a microhistorical study of a provincial Russian Orthodox priest Nikolai Petrov's life, through the lens of his wife Nadezhda Yakovetskaya's memoir. Dated 1970, her letter is a valuable source for understanding the fate of Russian clergy after 1917. The biography of Petrov as “an ordinary man” from rural intelligentsia, reflects all the pivotal events of his era: dekulakization, Gulag imprisonment, attempts to adapt to the new environment after release, return to ministry during the Great Patriotic War, and rapprochement with apostates during Khrushchev’s anti-religious campaign. Nadezhda Yakovetskaya’s memoir provides unique insights into the social history of Russian Orthodoxy. It reveals the gendered perspective of clerical families’ experiences, the everyday life of persecuted clergy, along with institutional church history by demonstrating intra-ecclesial dynamics (including patronage systems and regional clan structures).