page_title: John of Kronstadt
section_title: Father John and Russian far-right
hierarchical_section_title: John of Kronstadt / Biography / Father John and Russian far-right
caption_attribution_description: English: The escape of John of Kronstadt. Magazine «Pulemet» № 1. (1905), caricature. New York Public Library, signature under the image: "Во время оно случися смутъ велiй во граде некоемъ Кронштадтомъ именуемомъ. Матроси и иніи мужи мнози скокаху по стогнамъ градскимъ и убиваху другъ друга и резаху женъ со чады и домочадцы, тщася власти придержащiи испразднити. Оныя же власти предрожащiи Остелецкiй и Беляевъ во мундирiе облачении подъ кроватями нетленни, Господа Бога славословя, обретошася. Друзiи же власти офицерстiи во ризы и исподники женстiи и хулиганстiи облекошася, и сице животъ свой соблюдоша. Всечестнейшему же отцу Iоанну во Кронштедте сущу, се поликіи многочитіи чины притекоша: Отче всеблагіи, всетерпеливый, многомилостивый, чесо ради медлиши? Ты еси блудницу Порфирію во Богородицу хейротанисавый, ты еси піяницу горчайшего во Архангела Михаила претворивый, сътвори чудо: утиши брань и смутъ велій и скрежетъ зубовный, да бы и мы многогрешніи от него не пострадавша. Отвещав честный старецъ рече: Вас ли стонящихъ и мятущихся зрю? Не вкупе ли с вами азъ многогрешніи неисчестно с высоты амвонной ко сотне черной вопихъ, взывахъ и глаголахъ! Не матроси се, а любезные чада наша хулиганстіи мятутся! Духъ мой зело взыграяся ибо чуетъ избиеніе богомерзской интелдигенціи. Потеку на осляти ко чаду моему любезному во Питеръ градъ; "Кривошлыче, сладчайшій, возликуй со мной въ твоихъ Ведомостяхъ Градоначальства церкви и отечеству на пользу. Аминь"&lt;ref&gt;Once in Kronstadt there was a mutiny. Sailors and other people ran around city streets and killed each other, and cut women with children and households, trying to overthrow the government. Representatives of the authorities: Osteletsky and Belyaev remained unscathed, as they lay under the beds in their uniforms and prayed to God. Other government officers dressed in women's clothes, or dressed like hooligans and thus saved their lives. Numerous people came to John, who was in Kronstadt, and addressed him with the words: "You are a father full of goodness, full of patience and always ready to promote the well-being of others. Why do you hesitate? You ordained harlot-Porfiria in Mother of God. You ordained bitter drunkard in Michael the Archangel. Make a miracle, calm down the war and a big rebellion, and a dental screech, so that we will not suffer". Honest elder answered: "Do not I see you groaning and restless? I am a sinner. I called out, yelled and addressed uncountable to the Black Hundred from the pulpit with you, is not it? These are not sailors, and our beloved children bully commit mutiny! My soul is indignant and feels that there will be a beating of the wicked intellectuals! I'll sit on the donkey and go to my beloved son in St. Petersburg, where I'll tell him: "Krivoshlyk, sweetest, rejoice with me in your newspaper «Vedomosti of the St. Petersburg City Government and the Metropolitan Police» of the church and the fatherland for good. Amen.
context_page_description: John of Kronstadt was a Russian Orthodox archpriest and a member of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. He was known for his mass common confessions, numerous miracles and charitable work, as well as for his monarchist, chauvinistic, antisemitic and anticommunist views.
  John is a saint of the Eastern Orthodox Church and, as such, is known with the epithet "Righteous".
context_section_description: John at first condemned the participants in the Kishinev pogrom; but then changed his mind, he apologized to the pogrom-makers and accused the Jews themselves of the pogroms. After the Russian Revolution of 1905, he became an ally of Russian far-right radicals, also known as the Black Hundreds, who fought against left-wing activists, liberals and Jews. He was a honorary member of the Union of the Russian People and several other right-wing organizations. He became one of the most celebrated clerics of the Russian Orthodox Church who supported the creator of the Union, Dubrovin. When Dubrovin invited the hierarchs of Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kiev, as well as John of Kronstadt to a mass meeting in November 1906, only Father John attended. Moreover, Metropolitan Anthonii of St. Petersburg sent Dubrovin a sharp rebuke, calling his organization terrorist. Father John publicly consecrated the banners of the Union, thus inspiring its leaders.
  John, the only one of all the priests of St. Andrew's Cathedral, fled from Kronstadt, during the uprising in 1905; the rest of the priests of St. Andrew's Cathedral held a procession to the rebels; they urged them to stop the uprising. The press accused John of cowardice after this act; journals published caricatures on John.
  Nikolai Leskov and Maxim Gorky were very critical of John. Gorky called him an "actor of the Imperial Churches". Leskov ridiculed John in his work Polunochniki ("Night Owls") and in a variety of letters. John of Kronstadt was also known for his fierce attacks on Leo Tolstoy, whom he considered the devil. He wrote to Tolstoy: "You ought to have stone hung round your neck and be lowered with it into the depths of the sea." In 1902 a collection of such diatribes was published, while Tolstoy did not pay attention to him. The support of the ultra-right movements and such aggressive attacks on Tolstoy led to the fact that the attitude of the "progressive" part of society towards John became negative, and his figure became the personification of "reactionary" forces.
caption: The escape of John of Kronstadt and he is met by Mikhail Krivoshlyk in St. Petersburg. Magazine «Pulemet» № 1. (1905), caricature. New York Public Library, signature above the image:[21], signature under the image:[22]
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