Introduction

The study of religion in the USSR has traditionally focused on the interaction between religious institutions and the Soviet state, with an emphasis on state repression. Recent scholarship on religion in the Soviet Union and the post-Soviet space has often placed secularisation at the centre of the debate. The Soviet period stands out in the history of religion and religious societies. Traditionally, researchers have focused their attention on the analysis of relations between the state and churches, due to the unprecedented violent politics conducted by the Bolshevik party, which seized power in October 1917. Relics were conserved in shrines made of precious metals and decorated with gems, and their “exposure” was conducted alongside expropriation of monastery or church property, including not only the seizing of such liturgical objects as chalices, but also the expulsion of monks from monasteries. Non-state archives and samizdat repositories provide another perspective on late Soviet religious life.