Russia’s Spiritual Christians on Armenia’s Highlands

ita eng
23 January 2018

The village of Fioletovo in northern Armenia is one of a kind. Nestled among the mountains north of Lake Sevan, it is home to 1,500-odd Molokans, a Christian sect which split from Russia’s Orthodox Church in the 16th century

Originally published by Chai-khana.org

Needlework
Marina stitched a dress for her seven year old daughter. The 32-year-old has been doing needlework for four years. She is self-taught and today she receives orders to stitch headscarves, aprons, and sometimes even wedding dresses.
Bread
The Russian government finances a food distribution programme implemented by the UN’s World Food Programme which provides daily pie distribution to all pupils in the local school.
Ekaterina
Ekaterina, 78, lives alone with her pets. Her three children left the village to move to Yerevan and Russia, but they visit her during the summer.
Nastya
Nastya, 3 years old.
Winter
Mikhayil Rudomyotkin takes grass to the barn to feed the cattle. Life starts at the crack of dawn in Fioletovo, even in winter when there are no farming activities.
School
The village school follows the curriculum designed by the Ministry of Education of Armenia for Russian schools.
Rivers
Natasha and Mikhayil Rudomyotkins in the yard of their guesthouse. The couple receives many visitors in the summer. The nearby river is rich of fish, and one of the mineral-rich springs of the village crosses the Rudomyotkins’ garden.
Children
Masha is trying to make her 5-month-old Tanya to sleep.
Kindergarten
There is no kindergarten in the village so children spend their time at home. Often parents involve them into farming. The school does have a preschool class for five year old children.
View
The winter sunrise - a view from one of the houses of Fioletovo.
Molokans
Molokans call their Sunday gathering simply a “meeting.” As there is not a space big enough to accommodate the whole community, there are three separate meetings every week.