Religionsin Russia
today
what are the common characteristics
of religious in Russia today?
population 142.5 million4 major religions
what religious are dominant in Russia ?
why?
4 major religions are official in Russia:
Orthodox Christianity 120 000 000Islam 14 000 000Buddhism 900 000 Judaism 450 000
other religions in Russia
Roman Catholicism Baptists
PentecostalsLutherans
other Protestant churches Old BelieversKrishnaism
Shamanism and other pagan beliefs
up to half of Russians declare themselves
atheists
why?
Some residents of the Siberian and Far Eastern regions, Yakutia, Chukotka, etc., practice shamanist, pantheistic, and pagan rites, along with the major
religions.
why?
Russian Orthodoxy
the Cathedral of Christ the Savior
up to 60% of citizens of Russia, including up to 80% of ethnic Russians, have identified themselves as Orthodox
Of these approximately 2-4% of the general population are integrated into church life while
others attend on a less regular basis or not at all
Why do they identify themselves as Orthodox?
why?
New Year’s (January 1–2)Orthodox Christmas (January 7)
Women’s Day (March 8)Orthodox Easter Monday
May Day (May 1–2)Victory Day (May 9)
Russia Independence Day (June 12) National Unity Day (November 4) Constitution Day (December 12)
official public holidays
Russian Orthodox Church used the old Julian calendar that now falls 13 days behind
Instead of December 25 Russian Christmas is marked on January 7. The same goes for the
other religious holidays – when Europe’s finished celebrating, Russia only begins to gear up for the
festivities.
Patriarch of Moscow and All RusКирилл, Патриарх Московский и
Всея Руси
ALEXY II PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW
AND ALL RUSSIA
Symbols of Russiaand
Russian Orthodoxy
Russian Orthodoxy and Russian Government
Catholic Cathedralin Moscow
Islam
Russia’s second most popular religion is Islam. It’s thought the country is home to around 14 to 20
million Muslims, making up 10 to 16 per cent of Russia’s population. Almost all Russian Muslims are Sunnis but there are small pockets of Shiites in the Caucasus. Russia’s Muslims mainly live in
the Volga Region and the North Caucasus, although Moscow and St. Petersburg also have
thriving local communities
The largest Islamic centres are Tatarstan and Bashkortostan. The republic of Tatarstan on the Volga River has as many as 1150 mosques. Its
capital Kazan, an ancient Tatar stronghold, boasts the largest mosque in Russia and, reputedly, in
Europe – the Qolsharif Mosque.
the Qolsharif Mosque
Nafigulla Ashirov the chief mufti of the Asian part of
Russia
only 7 to 9 million Muslims actively practice Islam by performing 5 daily prayers, fasting, and abstinence from certain foods and drinks.
why?
Islam is the fastest growing religion in Russia
why?
1 of 5 Russians may be Muslim in 2020
Russia has an estimated 3 million to 4 million Muslim migrants from the ex-Soviet states.
Most Muslims live in the Volga-Ural region, as well as in the North Caucasus, Moscow, St. Petersburg and western Siberia.
Muslim communities are concentrated among minority nationalities residing between the Black
Sea and the Caspian Sea: Adyghe, Balkars, Chechens, Circassians, Ingush, Kabardin,
Karachay, and numerous Dagestani peoples.
Also, in the middle of the Volga Basin reside populations of Tatars and Bashkirs, the majority of
whom are Muslims.
Today the peoples of the Northern and Southern Caucasus tend to be either Orthodox Christians or
Sunni Muslims.
Saint Petersburg Mosque
Grozny Kadyrov Mosque
Judaism
Moscow Synagogue
Jewish Autonomous Oblast on the map of Russia
Most Russian Jews are secular and identify themselves as Jews via
ethnicity rather than religion
why?
Russian Jews are
Henri Reznik Roman Abramovich
Mikhail Fridman Viktor Vekselberg
Mikhail KhodorkovskyBoris BerezovskyLeonid Nevzlin
Vladimir Gusinsky
The central Jewish organization is the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS under the
leadership of Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar.
in the Russian language where there are two terms for "Jew"
еврей ("Yevrey" - Hebrew) typically denotes a Jewish
ethnicity, иудей
("Iudey" - Judean) is reserved for denoting a follower of the Jewish religion,
although the latter term has mostly fallen out of use
Berl Lazar and Putin in 2005
the Chief Rabbi of Russia
Large Choral Synanogue
in St. Petersburg
Buddism
Ivolga monastery
Golden Temple Elista
Буддийский храм в Санкт-Петербурге
Buddizm Church, SPeterburg
Buddhism is traditional for Russian 3 regions:
Buryatia Tuva
Kalmykia
KalmykiaIt is the only state in Europe where the dominant religion is Buddhism. It has also become famous because its current government has made it the
chess center of the world.
Republic of Kalmykia
Buryat Republic
the Ivolginsky datsan, one of the most important Buddhist temples
Ivolginsky datsan
what are the common characteristics
of religious in Russia today?