Main Cathedral of Mutual Legitimation

The Church of the Russian Armed Forces as a Site of Making Power Meaningful

Bibliographic Data

ID3129274
AuthorsBojidar Kolov (0009-0007-2273-4418, University of Oslo, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume12
Issue11
Pages925
Publication date2021-10-23
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel12110925
OpenAlexW3208395737
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited38

The Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces emerged against the background of growing cooperation between the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church. A key aspect of that re-energised relationship has been the intensified engagement of State and Church leaders in practices of mutual legitimation. This study examines the case of the new church of the Russian Armed Forces as an illustration of how the Patriarchate and the Russian Government make sense of each other's power and positions in Russian society. Analysis of the official discourses indicates three key developments. First, both Church and State, in their own right, construct a statist and nationalist normative framework where the well-being and the greatness of "the Fatherland" is of utmost value. The two institutions legitimise each other by representing the other party as acting on behalf of this shared value. Second, the dedication of cathedral to the "Victory in the Great Patriotic War" integrates the Church into this key national narrative and simultaneously incorporates elements of the Soviet past into Russia's "sacred memory". Third, the involvement of the Patriarchate and the Kremlin in mutual legitimation constructs a relatively independent Church-State legitimating nexus, making popular support less necessary

Art · Greatness · Legitimation · Literature · Normative · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Victory · Law · Religion and Society Interactions · Soviet and Russian History

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Open DOIOpen Access