Old Believers
Old Believers. Dissident groups of Russian Orthodox Christians. Because they have been in schism (raskol) since 1666, they are known also as Raskolniki. The schism began when Nikon, patriarch of Moscow, introduced reforms of ritual. Penal laws remained in force until 1903. Under such continuing pressure, there were several divisions, but two main groups: the popovtsy (those with priests) and the pezpopovtsy (those without priests who resorted to less formal organization).
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Old Believers
