The Armed Iconostasis
Russia’s State, the Church, and the Army
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
In recent years, several churches for the army, the national guard, and the secret services have been built in Russia. They symbolize the alliance between the state and the Orthodox Church. In particular, the main church of the armed forces stands as an expression of the country’s militarization, Putin’s neo-imperial ideology, and the instrumentalization of the church for secular purposes. The architecture and furnishings of the church’s structure serve earthly purposes. Military values are to be consolidated and promoted, soldierly heroism glorified, and the memory of victorious wars in Russia’s history kept alive.
(Osteuropa 12/2022, pp. 183–195)