Editing Chapel of Russia's Resurrection

{{Short description|Russian religious sect, founded 2007}}
[[File:Vladimir Putin official portrait.jpg|thumb|President & Ex-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is worshiped by the sect]]
The '''Chapel of Russia's Resurrection''' is a Russian sect that views President and former Prime Minister [[Vladimir Putin]] as the [[reincarnation]] of [[Paul the Apostle]].

==History==
The sect was founded in 2007{{sfn|RIA Novosti 2011, Russian sect believes}} by a person known as Mother Fotina; she is also thought to have been a former convict and railroad worker.{{sfn|AFP 2011, Russian sect sees}} It is a schism away from the [[Russian Orthodox Church]]. The sect lives in a sanctuary located in [[Bolshaya Yelnia]], near the [[Volga River]] and [[Nizhny Novgorod]],{{sfn|Osborn 2011, All-female sect worships}} established by Mother Fotina.

==Beliefs==
The sect believes that [[Prime Minister of Russia|Russian Prime Minister]] and now [[President of Russia|Russian President]] Vladimir Putin is the reincarnation of Paul the Apostle, sent to Russia to prepare its people for the [[Second Coming of Christ]];{{sfn|Jackson 2011, Small Russian Orthodox}} Putin is also thought to have joined with seven other reborn apostles to fight the [[antichrist]]s.{{sfn|Chaykovskaya 2011, Sect believes}} Mother Fotina notes the similarities between Paul and Putin's careers, including being an early "persecutor of Christians" before becoming imbued with the [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|Holy Spirit]]; the group believes that Putin received the Holy Spirit after becoming president.{{sfn|Osborn 2011, All-female sect worships}} Putin is also said to be a reincarnation of [[Vladimir the Great]].{{sfn|Chaykovskaya 2011, Sect believes}}

Putin is the first Russian leader to be religiously worshiped while still alive.{{sfn|Chaykovskaya 2011, Sect believes}}

==Devotions==
The group, consisting entirely of women, dress as nuns when giving services to pray for Putin in a three-story brick building called the Chapel of Russia's Resurrection.{{sfn|Jackson 2011, Small Russian Orthodox}} They have put a picture of him, said to have appeared miraculously one day,{{sfn|RIA Novosti 2011, Russian sect believes}} together with traditional Russian Orthodox figures. At the services, they also sing patriotic Russian songs,{{sfn|Osborn 2011, All-female sect worships}} as well as the children's song "[[May There Always Be Sunshine]]".{{sfn|Chaykovskaya 2011, Sect believes}}

==Reactions==
The Russian government is aware of the sect, and Putin's press agent [[Dmitry Peskov]] has stated that "it is impressive that [the sect] think so highly of [Putin's] work." Although he notes that the group has not broken any laws, he reminds them that one of the commandments in the Bible is: "[[You shall have no other gods before me|thou shalt not worship false idols]]" (Exodus 20:3). The sect has arisen amid a [[personality cult]] centered on Putin, which includes popular songs, and nightclub parties.{{cn|date=September 2022}}

Father Alexei, a local Russian Orthodox priest, has denounced the sect as a mix of "Orthodoxy, Catholicism, the occult, Buddhism and political information."{{sfn|Osborn 2011, All-female sect worships}} A neighbour of Mother Fotina's has opined that the sect was started to keep the [[Federal Security Service (Russia)|Federal Security Service]] from investigating its founder.{{sfn|Jackson 2011, Small Russian Orthodox}}

==See also==
*[[Putinism]]

==References==
;Footnotes
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

;Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite news |title=Sect believes Putin is a modern day St. Paul |last=Chaykovskaya |first=Evgeniya |url=http://themoscownews.com/politics/20110512/188660658.html |work=[[The Moscow News]] |ref={{harvid|Chaykovskaya 2011, Sect believes}} |date=12 May 2011 |accessdate=13 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721211351/http://www.themoscownews.com/politics/20110512/188660658.html |archive-date=21 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}
*{{cite magazine |title=Small Russian Orthodox Sect Considers Vladimir Putin a Saint |last=Jackson |first=Joe |url=https://newsfeed.time.com/2011/10/04/small-russian-orthodox-sect-considers-vladimir-putin-a-saint/ |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |ref={{harvid|Jackson 2011, Small Russian Orthodox}} |date=4 October 2011 |access-date=13 October 2011}}
*{{cite news |title=Russian sect believes Putin reincarnation of Saint Paul |url=http://en.rian.ru/russia/20110511/163979062.html |publisher=[[RIA Novosti]] |ref={{harvid|RIA Novosti 2011, Russian sect believes}} |date=11 May 2011|accessdate=13 October 2011}}
*{{cite news |title=All-female sect worships Vladimir Putin as Paul the Apostle  |last=Osborn |first=Andrew |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/8509670/All-female-sect-worships-Vladimir-Putin-as-Paul-the-Apostle.html |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |ref={{harvid|Osborn 2011, All-female sect worships}} |date=12 May 2011 |accessdate=13 October 2011}}
*{{cite web|title=Russian sect sees Putin as St. Paul |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hVdYJ8Efa3imZuFMTaTp4WZLi3Zg |ref={{harvid|AFP 2011, Russian sect sees}} |date=11 May 2011 |accessdate=14 October 2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826060035/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hVdYJ8Efa3imZuFMTaTp4WZLi3Zg |archivedate=26 August 2011 |url-status=dead }}
{{refend}}
{{Vladimir Putin}}

[[Category:Vladimir Putin]]
[[Category:Christian new religious movements]]
[[Category:Eastern Orthodoxy in Russia]]
[[Category:2007 establishments in Russia]]
[[Category:Paul the Apostle]]
[[Category:New religious movements in Russia]]
[[Category:New religious movements established in the 2000s]]