Russian article on the bloody history of the Catholic Church

I have long asked the neo-pagans for facts about the forced imposition of Christianity. Here is a small compilation:

Examples of the imposition of Christianity by force, mockery of the shrines of other religions, and desecration of the holy places of other religions

*The author's style and spelling have been preserved, please do not ban)

860 AD – To spread Christianity in the Russian lands conquered by Khazaria, new "enlighteners" were sent from Byzantium: Cyril and Methodius. The "founders of Slavic writing" studied the Gospel and the Psalter, written in Russian script (as they themselves mention!), in Korsun (Chersonese). Upon returning to Byzantium, they "invented" their own script, intended to facilitate translations from Greek to Russian, additionally inventing 11 letters. At the same time, the head of the Russian church was appointed (128 years before the baptism of Rus')… Byzantine Patriarch Photius: "The beloved and God-chosen people (Greeks) should not rely on the strength of their hands, boast of the power of their muscles, or lean on reserve weapons, but should conquer and dominate the Russians with the help of the Almighty."
912 AD – In the northern part of the Caspian Sea, there was an island where the Rus lived, with a population of approximately 100,000 people. This is what the Arab chronicler Al-Marwadi wrote about them: "When they converted to Christianity, their faith blunted their swords, and they returned to need and poverty. So they wanted to become Muslims."
The Joachim Chronicle states about Olga the Bloody (the first Russian Christian princess) that during her reign "many of the nobles also died."
965 – the idol of Devana-Zevana-Dzevana, the Polish goddess of hunting and forests, was destroyed ("Description of European Sarmatia").
956-986 – Harald Bluetooth tries to introduce Christianity in Denmark by force, until 960, the same is done by Håkon the Good and Tryggvi, the father of Olaf Tryggvason (Saint) in Norway ("Saga of the Jomsvikings").
Constantine Porphyrogenitus: "And the people of the Rus', warlike and godless, through the distribution of gold, silver, and silk garments, Basil I the Macedonian drew to negotiations and, having concluded a peace treaty with them, convinced them to become participants in the saving baptism and arranged for them to accept a bishop."
988 AD – In Kyiv, "Saint Prince Vladimir" (Vasily: the name given at baptism) destroyed the idols of Veles and Uslad (which stood in Podil), the idol of Perun was beaten with sticks and dragged by horses through all of Kyiv, and the idols of Khors, Stribog, Simargl, Mokosh, and Dazhdbog were destroyed. "And whoever does not come, will be repugnant to me" – so said Vladimir (and there is no need to tell fables that "repugnant" is not "hostile", but "unpleasant"; tell this fable to linguists… it translates exactly as "hostile"). Rus' was baptized in a bloody font, illuminated by the glow of fires.
"The Life of Blessed Vladimir", a quote from A.V. Kartashev's "Essays on the History of the Russian Church":
He commanded to build churches and place them in the places where idols stood. And he built the church of St. Basil on the hill, where the idol of Perun and others stood, where the prince and the people performed their needs. And he began to build churches in the cities and bring priests and people to baptism in all cities and villages… and the devil tore them out of the mouth of the entire Russian land and brought them to God and to the true light… and baptized the entire Russian land from end to end. He dug up and cut down pagan temples and shrines everywhere and destroyed the idols: and decorated the churches with holy icons.
An excerpt from the "Joachim Chronicle":
In Novgorod, the people, having seen that Dobrynya was coming to baptize them, held a council and swore not to let him into the city and not to allow the idols to be overturned. And when we arrived, they, having broken down the great bridge, came out with weapons, and although Dobrynya admonished them with threats and gentle words, they would not even listen and, having brought out two great catapults with many stones, placed them on the bridge, as if against their enemies. The chief of the Slavic priests, Bogomil, called Nightingale for his sweet speech, greatly threatened the people to submit. We, however, stood on the market side, walked through the marketplaces and streets, teaching people as much as we could. But to those perishing in ungodliness, the word of the cross, as the apostle said, appeared as madness and deceit. And so we remained for two days, baptizing several hundred. Then the Novgorod thousand-man Ugonay, riding everywhere, cried out: "It is better for us to die than to give our gods to be desecrated." The people of that country, enraged, destroyed Dobrynya's house, plundered his property, and beat his wife and some of his relatives. But Vladimir's thousand-man Putyata, as a sensible and brave man, having prepared a boat, chosen 500 men from the Rostovites, crossed at night to the other side above the city and, entering the city, no one guarded, for all who saw him expected their warriors to be there. He reached Ugonay's court, seized him and other leading men, and immediately sent them to Dobrynya across the river. The people of that country, hearing this, gathered up to 5000, surrounded Putyata, and a fierce battle ensued between them. Some of them went and destroyed the church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and plundered the houses of Christians. Even at dawn, Dobrynya, with all the people present, went to the shore and ordered some houses to be set on fire, which greatly frightened the people, who ran to extinguish the fire; and immediately the fighting ceased, then the leading men came to Dobrynya, asking for peace. Dobrynya, having gathered his warriors, forbade looting and immediately destroyed the idols, burned the wooden ones, and broke the stone ones and threw them into the river; and there was great sorrow for the ungodly. Men and women, seeing this, with great cries and tears, pleaded for them, as for their gods. Dobrynya, mocking them, told them: "Why, fools, do you pity those who cannot defend themselves, what benefit can you expect from them?" And he sent everywhere, announcing that they should go to baptism. The sparrow-like magistrate, son of Stoyan, who was raised by Vladimir and was very eloquent, went to the marketplace and persuaded more than anyone else. Many went, and those who did not want to be baptized were dragged by the warriors and baptized, men above the bridge, and women below the bridge. Then many unbaptized people claimed to be baptized; for this reason, we ordered all baptized people to wear wooden, or copper, or tin crosses on their necks, and those who did not have them, we did not believe or baptize; and immediately we rebuilt the ruined church. And so, baptizing, Putyata went to Kyiv. For this reason, people reproach the Novgorodians: Putyata baptized with the sword, and Dobrynya with fire.
989-990 AD – "Saint Prince Vladimir" carried out a massacre in Novgorod during the baptism. The prince's uncle Dobrynya, voivode Putyata, and Bishop Joachim of Korsun baptized the Novgorodians with fire and sword (Joachim Chronicle): "then he ordered the idols to be torn down, some to be cut, and others to be given to the fire," "then he soon ordered churches to be built and placed in the places where idols stood." Churches were built where pagan idols had previously stood. Those who did not want to be baptized went "into deserts and forests," fleeing, abandoning everything. Excavations in Novgorod confirmed that half of the city was burned during the baptism.
The establishment of the "Church Statute of St. Vladimir", which prescribed the burning of the Magi.
Prince Vladimir, during the conquest and baptism of the White Croats, destroyed dozens of towns and villages.
The unique civilization of the Komi people (the chronicle Perm) was destroyed by Stephen of Perm.
995-1002 – Olaf Tryggvason begins the introduction of Christianity in Norway, desecrating the temple of Thor ("Saga of Olaf Tryggvason").
995 – Prince Mstislav of Chernihiv and Tmutarakan, who had adopted the Christian faith, destroyed the idol of Marena-Marzhena-Martsana. At the same time, in the West Slavic lands, the statue of Devana-Zevana-Dzewana, the Polish goddess of hunting and forests, was destroyed.
1008 – the sacred grove (Svetobor) of the Sorbs near Merseburg was destroyed by the Bishop of Merseburg ("Wagner's discourse on the idolatry of the ancient inhabitants of Misnia", Leipzig, 1698)
1024 – Large-scale forced conversion to Christianity in Suzdal (suppressed by Yaroslav the Lame ("the Wise")), in Murom and in Rostov – Rostov bishops Ilarion and Fedor, then Leontius. [see Novgorod IV Chronicle, "The Tale of the Establishment of Christianity in Murom" and Korsakov. D., Merya and the Rostov Principality. History of the Rostov-Suzdal Land. 1872, Kazan] … "The Life of Bishop Leontius" and "The Life of Constantine of Murom". Both distinguished themselves greatly in "overthrowing idols". Leontius was killed by indignant Rostovians for his excessive zeal.
1050s – Monk Abraham overthrew the idol of Veles in Rostov and began to actively spread Christianity, building a church on this site.
1071 AD – Murder of the Magi in Kyiv ("and the demons threw him into the ditch", Pereyaslav Chronicle). In the same year – in the Rostov-Yaroslavl land and in Novgorod, uprisings against the arbitrariness committed by Christian baptizers. In Rostov – Yan Vyshatic tortured and then executed the Magi. Laurentian Chronicle, PSRL: "Two Magi rebelled near Yaroslavl. And they came to Belozero, and there were 300 people with them. At that time, Yan, son of Vyshata, came from Sviatoslav to collect tribute. Yan ordered them to be beaten and their beards pulled out. When they were beaten and their beards were pulled out with a split, Yan asked them: what do your Gods tell you? They answered: thus our Gods tell us: we shall not live from you. And Yan said to them: then they told you the truth. And seizing them, they killed them and hanged them on an oak tree."
1069-76 – "Pacification" of the Slavic-Finnish pagans of Beloozero by Yan Vyashatich. "The Tale of Bygone Years" and the Chronicler of Pereyaslavl-Zalessky. At the same time in Novgorod, Prince Gleb Svyatoslavich and Bishop Fedor kill the pagan sorcerer and his supporters.
1091 – Suppression of the Magi in Rostov ("the magus perished soon") – PSRL I-75-78, 92 and the Pereyaslav Chronicle.
Early 11th century, Western Slavs – The idol of Prove was overthrown by the hand of Altenburg Bishop Herold, who also burned the sacred forest of Prove (Adam of Bremen, "Deeds of the Bishops of the Hamburg Church", c. 1083).
11th century – In Bohemia, Bretislav II burned sacred groves and persecuted pagans. In Poland, pagan uprisings were suppressed.
Between 1063 and 1147, the largest cult center, the temple of Radegast (Retrin Temple), located in the city of Retra on the land of the Lutici-Retari, was repeatedly burned down (and rebuilt). In 953, the temple was plundered by Otto I, in 1068 by the Saxon bishop Burchard II, and was finally burned down by the German ruler Lothar in 1147-1150 (during the crusade against the pagans of the Bavarian Duke Henry the Lion). 85 melted bronze idols of the Lutici from the Temple were found in the early 18th century and described in 1774-1795. Many figurines contain Slavic runic inscriptions, similar to those on the Mikorzyn stones (Poland, Poznań Voivodeship).
12th century – Rules of Metropolitan John: not to give communion to those who go to sorcerers (this now seems "insignificant", but in those days this measure was a serious means of excluding a citizen from public life, damaging his honor and making such a citizen an outcast or "dissident").
Also, among the baptizers, the principle "beat your own so that strangers fear" was in full effect. Already in those times, the church severely dealt with its opponents and demanded the same from the secular authorities: the Novgorod bishop Luka Zhidjata, who lived in the 11th century, is called "beast-like" by the chronicler. "This tormentor," says the chronicler, "cut off heads and beards, burned out eyes, cut out tongues, crucified and tortured others." Church opponents were burned at the stake and in red-hot iron cauldrons.
1168-69 – Bishop Absalon overthrew the idol of Rugewit in Karenze (Rügen), its legs were cut off, and Bishop Sven sat astride the overthrown deity and rode it through the city (Saxo Grammaticus, History of the Danes), and he also destroyed the idols of Porevit and Porenuc.
1168 , June 15 – after the Danish King Valdemar I captured the island of Rügen, the temple of Svantovit was desecrated and plundered, the idol of Svantovit, along with other images of pagan idols, was destroyed by Bishop Absalon (Helmold "Slavic Chronicle". Up to 1177).
1169 – "Saint Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky" burned Kyiv and raped half the city.
1206 – The idol of Mokosh in Novgorod on Torg was destroyed and the Church of Paraskeva Pyatnitsa was built.
12th century – Rostov Bishop Fedor was famous for his cruel heresy.. The chronicler speaks about him, that he "was a merciless tormentor, one cut his head, another burned his eyes and cut his tongue, others crucified on the wall and tortured mercilessly" [Польное собрание русских летописей, т.II, СПБ 1843, стр.102.].
XII century — Benedictines overthrew the idols of Lady, Water (Body) and Leli on a bald mountain near the village of Kelec (Poland). They are building a church there. And then the monastery. ("Повесть XVI-в. о пострении бенедиктинского монастыря на Лысой Горе").
1227 г. — Новгород, четьери вольхва были приведыны на арихиерейский двор и там сожжены: "изжьгоша волхвов четыре на Ярославлъ дворе" с проезиция аркиепископ. Никоновская Летопись, т.10, СПа., 1862 г.: "There appeared in Novogorod magi, veduny, potvornitsy, and many magicians, and potvory, and created signs. The people of Novogorod caught them and brought the magi to the court of prince Yaroslav's men, and tied all the magi, and threw them into the fire, and here they all burned."
1250 -е гг. — "святой князь Александр Невский" учинил резню в Новгороде, равал там ноздри (и это не фоле брани, это мобильных пирных жизновых, изображених). "В лето 6765… [речь итет о наведии онредач в Новгородчине после того как]… "сметошася люди чересъ все лето." всякъ бо злыи зле да погыанеть." – Цитата по Новгородской перевой летописи. ПСРЛ. т.3. М., 2000, стр.82.
The end of the XIII century. — Обосновывая практическая короваых расправ с икомыслящими и сопротивляющимися, the hierarchs of the Orthodox Church willingly referred to the activity of biblical characters. Thus, the Vladimir bishop Serapion at the end of the XIII century, calling for a trial with "sorcerers" and "witches", pointed to the example of the prophet and King David in Jerusalem, who eradicated "all those who do lawlessness: some by murder, others by imprisonment, and others – by imprisonment" [Е. Петухов, Серапион Владимирский, русский прочемник XIII века, СПБ 1888, p.65.]. Did the church leaders see that the extermination of people contradicts some of the provisions of the gospel sermon? They couldn't see it, but they remembered about evangelical mercy only when it was beneficial to them.
1285 г. — Кормчая книга. "отлучать от церку тех кто ходят к вольхвам и обавникам".
1375 — Novgorod. Punishment of heretics-strigolnikov.
15th century — Novgorod bishop writes to Metropolitan Zosima: "And the friars are holding a fortress by their faith! The ambassador of the Tsars told me about the Spanish king, how he cleansed his land, and I sent those speeches and a list to you – they take envy and want to take the experience of the Inquisition…"
1411 — Pskov. Burned 12 "everything's wives" (witches, witches).
1484 — булла Инокентия VIII, осуджено 100 тыс человек.
1485 — burned 41 witches in Piedmont.
1490 — The Council demanded the death penalty of heretics, Ivan III vosprepyatstvoval.
1499 г. — Book "Teaching clergy". Против язычества.
Начало XVI века — Казнь Фома, двуюродного брата Дмитрий Тверетинов (иконоборцы).
1504 г. — the council decided to burn Ivan Volk-Kuritsin, Dmitriy Konoplev and Ivan Maksimov in a cell, which was done.
1515 — More than 500 witches were burned and destroyed.
1505 г. — Поучения против язычества в "Грамоте митрополитов Фотия и Даниила", "Домострой" и "Стоглав" предписявывать наказания вольхвов и тех кто кто знается с кудесниками.
1551 — Иван Грозный пишет мирополиту Макария: "В мнохи стриглись ради койой колесного что всегда бражничать. Упивание безмерное, враврат, зодомский грех. Отцы пустынники годят с иконами, якобы себяра деньги на состройку монстария, а на очень темы, что и притит". All this populism existed due to the labor of the Russian serf. About 80,000 serfs worked at the Troitse-Sergiev Monastery alone.
1552 — Поучения против язычества в "Судеанике".
1564 — Иван IV, письмо Кураскому: "Нигде же обрящеши не разориться царству, еже от повов владому".
Statistics: за 1601-1700 гг. 483 editions of books were published in Moscow. Of them NOT religious – only 7 (seven).
1648 — Decree of the Christian monarch Alexey Mihajlovic on the prohibition of songs, holidays, dances, games. It's not even allowed to swing on a swing (!). It is forbidden to bury the fallen soldiers in the mountains (kurgans) and hold a trizna (memorial with a feast). В указе месяцевалосо и о вреде скоморохов; the instruction was given to break pipes, gusli, etc., and those who follow buffoons (imitate, ryazhnichaet), were prescribed whips and a link (see, for example, the tsar's charter "Shuyskomu voevode Zmeevu о Kolede, Useni и narodnyh igrakh"). In other words, the entire ancient song and poetic culture of Russia was destroyed, as well as its carriers, an attempt was made to destroy all its national manifestations and features in the Russian people for the sake of the Christian faith (in accordance with the general line of the party).
РАСКОЛ: After the decisions of the council of 1666 г. more than 50 people were executed at the insistence of patriarch Joakim.
The founder of the Old Testament protopop Avvakum, for example, protested against the persecutions that his followers were exposed to, precisely because the New Testament did not recommend doing so. "Огнем, да кнутом, – гранно вопрошал он свойх мичетелей, – да висилицы чуть веру утвердить! Которые то апостоли учили так?" ["Житие протопоп Аввакума", М. 1934, p.137]. But he himself wistfully dreams of how he would have dealt with his opponents if he had been able to: "And what, sovereign king, if you would have given me the will, I would have killed them, Elijah the prophet, all in one day… First, they would have cut Nikon, the dog, in four, and then they would have Nikoned them" ["Life of Protopopa Havvakum", p.301]. The matter ended with the fact that Avvakuma was burned. There is no doubt that, if he took the upper hand, he would fight his opponents with the same zeal – and also in the name of piety, based on the teachings and examples of the Old and New Testaments. ["Книги и Библии" И.А. Крывлев]
1682 (April) — the burning of Avvakuum, Lazarus, Fedor, Epifania.
1682 (5 июля) — burning of priest Nikita Dobrynin and others.
1684 — Указ Иоаким: раскольников питать если не покорятся – казнить ожжением. Punishment for harboring was also foreseen.
Stefan Яворский: "Heretics are worthy and righteous to be killed, but heretics are useful to die, and good deeds happen when they are killed".
1716 — для старобрядцев введены двойные подати; с 1726 – четверные.
1721 — a decree of the Synod was issued, according to which "diocesan inquisitors" were introduced in each Russian diocese, and "protoinquisitors" were placed over them. The ROC carried out its inquisitorial activity through the judicial organs, which are at the disposal of the eparchial bishops, through the patriarchal court and church councils. She also had special organs created for the investigation of cases against religion and the Church: the Order of Spiritual Affairs, the Order of Inquisitors, Dissenters and Protestant Offices, etc.
19th century . — Church ideologue of those times, Феофан Затворник (1815-1894), later recognized by the ROC as a saint, while addressing the authorities, wrote: "It is necessary to suppress the freedom of ideas – to shut the mouths of journalists and newspapermen! To declare disbelief as a state crime. To prohibit material views under the death penalty!"
1905 — Metropolitan Vladimir and Bishop of Serpukhov Nikoy concocted a "teaching", which should have been read on October 16 in all churches, where everyone was called to "wake up and stand up" against "the devils of the human race", even if they had to "die for the Tsar and for Russia". After that, there were a number of pogroms.
1909 — there were 32 bishops in the "black hundred".
1917 — Reaction to the separation of the church from the state: "It's better to shed your blood and get a martyr's crown than to allow the orthodox faith to be insulted by enemies" – ("Church news") Note: the persecution of the popes was not there at the time, it happened some time later.