The establishment of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church: history and interpretations
The establishment of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church: history and interpretations

Summary/Abstract: The birth of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church (now officially Orthodox Church of Estonia) and political changes in 19th and 20th century Europe are inseparable from each other. As a result of the crumbling of great empires, new states emerged in north-eastern and eastern Europe along with corresponding new autocephalous and autonomous Orthodox churches. This article analyses the changes in Estonian ecclesiastical life in the context of the centralization policies in the late 19th century Russian Empire (i.e., Russification) and the dissolution of tsarist rule at the start of the 20th century. Particular attention is devoted to the activity of the Estonian Orthodox community in connection with the establishment of Estonian statehood in 1918, which in the 1920s gave rise to the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church. The events are placed in the context of similar processes in south-eastern Europe, with a focus laid on Estonian historiography while also examining the Russian approach to history, which continues to be rooted in the imperial tradition.

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