The author analyzes the religious situation in Nizhny Novgorod region of Russia, gives characteristics to the main regional religious associations: the Nizhny Novgorod Metropolia of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (ROC MP), the Spiritual administration of Muslims of Nizhny Novgorod region, Protestant organizations, including the Pentecostal community “Embassy of Jesus”, old believers organizations, the Judaism community, new religious movements. The dominant organization – Metropolia of ROC MP profits the advantages of the “cooperative model” of state-confessional relations established in the country. The structures of ROC MP do not give the impression of a “lazy monopoly”: the positive results of the administrative and territorial reform of ROC MP of 2011–2012 are presented in the Orthodox life of the region; many new unusual events are held, proving the dynamism of the organization and its desire to conform to the spirit of the modern age. The spiritual administration of Muslims of the region is free from fundamentalist attitudes. Protestants in Nizhny Novgorod region are an example of the confession, that has managed to significantly expand its presence on the religious field in comparison with the Soviet era and with the period of the Russian Empire in terms оf the number of Protestant denominations and the number of Protestant communities. The author comes to the conclusion that the religious situation in Nizhny Novgorod region is developing in line with the main trends that are typical for Russia as a whole. The “religious scene”, formed in Nizhny Novgorod region, provides niches for satisfying of diverse cultural and religious needs. An essential feature is the stability of the regional religious situation: the basic configuration of the Nizhny Novgorod “religious field” was fixed already in the second half of the 1990s.
Key words: Nizhny Novgorod region, religious situation, state-confessional relations, religious market, Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, Old Believers, Islam, Protestantism, religious minorities, new religious movements.
DOI: 10.22250/2072-8662.2018.3.117-127
About the author
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Igor V. Simonov – PhD (Philosophy), Assistant Professor at Journalism Department of the Institute of Philology and Journalism of Lobachevsky State University of Nizhniy Novgorod; 23 Gagarina prosp., Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, 603950; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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