Avvakum Petrov (1620 or 1621 – 1682) was born to a poor clerical family in the village of Grigorovo in the Nizhnii Novgorod area, where a monument in his honour was built in 1991. At the age of 21 he became a deacon, and two years later – a priest. Eight years later he was promoted to be archpriest (protopop) in the town of Iur’evets on the river Volga. Young and energetic, Avvakum was looking into ways of reforming liturgical life and public morality. These ideas were in tune with the general feeling of national pride and revival after the Time of Troubles and the establishment of the Romanov dynasty in 1613. The activities of an influential group of scholarly zealots who called themselves “God-seekers” were inspired by Patriarch Filaret, father of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, the…
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Citation: Rogatchevskaia, Ekaterina. "Avvakum Petrov". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 06 September 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12832, accessed 22 November 2024.]
