The Truth of the Righteous Word: Documentary Heritage of the Russian Orthodox Church in Belarus from 1941 to 1945

The Great Patriotic War was not only a test for the population of the Soviet Union but also a time of spiritual achievement and heroism, a time of mobilization by the Russian Orthodox Church. Despite previous years of persecution, the Church was able to support the front, bolster the morale of those under occupation, and expose the true face of fascism. In the year of the Victory anniversary, it is especially important to emphasize that the spiritual legacy of the Russian Orthodox Church is an integral part of shared historical memory and the moral foundation of modern society. In this context, the role of documentary sources — witnesses to the turmoil of war — is increasing. The limited documentary heritage dating from 1941—1945, preserved in the collections of the Central Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus named after Ya. Kolas and the library of the Minsk Theological Academy of the Belarusian Orthodox Church named after St. Cyril of Turov, offers a glimpse into church service during the war. These documents formed the basis of the book exhibition The Victory of the Cross of Christ over the Swastika: The Russian Orthodox Church During the Great Patriotic War and are reflected in its catalogue. Leaflets from 1942—1943 that reached occupied Belarus, collections of The Truth About Religion in Russia and The Russian Orthodox Church and the Great Patriotic War, and materials from the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate reveal the depth of the people’s universal resistance and prayerful support. The book exhibition and its catalogue are an important tool for preserving the memory of those who, in word and deed, affirmed truth, faith, and hope during the most difficult times. The publications on display demonstrate the role of the church in strengthening national consciousness, calling for perseverance and self-sacrifice in the name of the Motherland. By implementing such projects, libraries become guardians not only of historical memory but also of a spiritual heritage essential for understanding the Victory.

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2. Gleb M.V., Krent D.A. The Activity of the Academy of Sciences of the Byelorussian SSR During the Evacuation (1941—1944), Bіblіyatehchny vesnіk [Library Bulletin]. Mіnsk, 2024, issue 16, pp. 228—236 (in Russ.).

3. Denisenko E.P. Military and Partisan Satirical Press in the Collections of the Center for Research of Early Printed Publications and Manuscripts of the Central Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Aktsyabrskі krai: gіstoryya і suchasnasts’: zbornіk navukovykh artykulaў [Oktyabrsky Region: History and Modernity: collected articles]. Mіnsk, 2023, pp. 213—217 (in Russ.).

4. Denisenko E.P. Satirical Newspapers of the Great Patriotic War in the Collections of the Central Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, XI Volkonskie chteniya, posvyashchennye 260-letiyu General’nogo shtaba Vooruzhennykh sil Rossiiskoi Federatsii: materialy Mezhdunarodnoi nauchnoi konferentsii (Sankt-Peterburg, 14—16 noyabrya 2023 g.) [The 11th Volkonsky Readings, Dedicated to the 260th Anniversary of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation: Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference (St. Petersburg, November 14—16, 2023)]. St. Petersburg, 2024, pp. 202—211 (in Russ.).

5. Denisenko E.P. “Zvyazda” — the First Newspaper of the Belarusian Underground in the Collections of the Center for Research on Early Printed Publications and Manuscripts of the Central Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Bіblіyatehchny vesnіk [Library Bulletin]. Mіnsk, 2024, issue 16, pp. 243—257 (in Russ.).

6. Denisenko E.P. The Newspapers “Razdavim Fašysckuju Hadzinu” and “Partyzanskaje Žyhala” in the Partisan Press Collection (in the Funds of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Department of the Central Science Library of NAS), Voina i mir v Otechestvennoi i mirovoi istorii: Posvyashchaetsya 75-letiyu Pobedy v Velikoi Otechestvennoi voine: materialy Mezhdunarodnoi nauchnoi konferentsii (Sankt-Peterburg, 27 marta 2020 g.): v 2 t. [War and Peace in Russian and World History: Dedicated to the 75th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War: Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference (St. Petersburg, March 27, 2020): in 2 volumes]. St. Petersburg, 2020, vol. 1, pp. 134—142 (in Russ.).

7. Denisenko E.P. Documents from Ivan Kravchenko Archive as a Resource of the Preservation of the Historical Memory of the Great Patriotic War, Perelomnye momenty istorii: lyudi, sobytiya, issledovaniya: K 350-letiyu so dnya rozhdeniya Petra Velikogo: materialy mezhdunarodnoi nauchnoi konferentsii (Sankt-Peterburg, 1 aprelya 2022 g.): v 3 t. [Turning Points in History: People, Events, Research: On the 350th Anniversary of the Birth of Peter the Great: Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference (St. Petersburg, April 1, 2022): in 3 volumes]. St. Petersburg, 2022, vol. 1, pp. 127—133 (in Russ.).

8. Zhuk T. Documentary Records of the War Years in the Archival Collections of Belarusian Writers, Rodnae slova [Native Words], 2025, no. 5, pp. 8—10 (in Belarus.).

9. Lis M.M. War in the Writer’s Life (Based on Materials from Maxim Luzhanin’s Personal Archivestored in the Fund of the Central Library of the National Academy of Sciences, Belarus), Sovremennye problemy knizhnoi kul’tury: osnovnye tendentsii i perspektivy razvitiya. K 75-letiyu Pobedy v Velikoi Otechestvennoi voine: materialy XIII Rossiisko-Belorusskogo nauchnogo seminara (Moskva, 26 noyabrya 2020 g.) [Modern Problems of Book Culture: The Main Trendcies and Prospects. On the 75th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War: Proceedings of the 13th Russian-Belarusian Scientific Seminar (Moscow, November 26, 2020)]. Minsk, Moscow, 2020, pp. 77—82 (in Russ.).

10. Stefanovich A.V. The Fate of One Book, Knizhnaya kul’tura: Opyt proshlogo i problemy sovremennosti: k 70-letiyu Pobedy v Velikoi Otechestvennoi voine: materialy VI Mezhdunarodnoi nauchnoi konferentsii (Moskva, 25—26 noyabrya 2015 g.): v 2 ch. [Book Culture: The Experience of the Past and the Problems of the Modernity: On the 70th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War: Proceedings of the 6th International Scientific Conference, Moscow, October 29—30, 2015: in 2 parts]. Moscow, 2015, part 1, pp. 282—287 (in Russ.).

11. Fedorova K.A. Virtual Library Projects: Its Role in Preserving Historical Memory: (Based on the Example of the Project “Midnight Was Like a Cocked”), Materialy XI Mezhdunarodnogo kongressa “Biblioteka kak fenomen kul’tury”, posvyashchennogo 80-letiyu osvobozhdeniya Belarusi ot nemetsko-fashistskikh zakhvatchikov (Minsk, 24—25 oktyabrya 2024 g.) [Proceedings of the 11th International Congress “Library as a Phenomenon of Culture,” Dedicated to the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Belarus from Nazi Invaders (Minsk, October 24—25, 2024)]. Minsk, 2024, pp. 336—341 (in Russ.).

12. Fedorova K.A. Library Virtual Projects Aimed at Promoting the Heroic Heritage of the Belarusian People and Its Role in Patriotic Education of Young People, Materialy XXIV mezhdunarodnoi nauchno-prakticheskoi konferentsii molodykh uchenykh, aspirantov i studentov v g. Neryungri (Neryungri, 30 oktyabrya — 1 noyabrya 2024 g.) [Proceedings of the 24th International Scientific and Practical Conference of Young Scientists, Postgraduates, and Students in Neryungri (Neryungri, October 30 — November 1, 2024)]. Yakutsk, 2024, pp. 520—526 (in Russ.).

13. Sytko K.V. Tsentral’naya nauchnaya biblioteka im. Ya. Kolasa Natsional’noi akademii nauk Belarusi: 100 let sluzheniya nauke: (1925—2025) [The Ya. Kolas Central Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus: 100 Years of Service to Science: (1925—2025)]. Minsk, IVTS Minfina Publ., 2025, 119 p.

14. Stehfanovich A.V., Rabkoў V.A. (eds.) “I paўstaў narod...”: faksimіl’nae vydanne padpol’nykh i partyzanskіkh gazet, chasopіsaў, listovak peryyadu Vyalikai Aichynnai vainy 1941—1945 gadoў [“And the People Rebelled...”: Facsimile Publication of Underground and Partisan Newspapers, Magazines, and Leaflets from the Great Patriotic War of 1941—1945]. Mіnsk, Belaruskaya Ehntsyklapedyya Publ., 2005, 639 p.

15. Anti-Fascist Appeals of the Orthodox Church, 1942—1943, Tsentral’naya nauchnaya biblioteka im. Ya. Kolasa Natsional’noi akademii nauk Belarusi [Ya. Kolas Central Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus], coll. 19 (I.S. Kravchenko), aids 1, fol. 705, pp. 1—3 (in Russ.).

16. Russkaya pravoslavnaya tserkov’ i Velikaya Otechestvennaya voina: sbornik tserkovnykh dokumentov [The Russian Orthodox Church and the Great Patriotic War: a collection of church documents]. Moscow, 1943, 100 p.

17. Condemnation of Traitors to the Faith and Fatherland, Zhurnal Moskovskoi patriarkhii [Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate], 1943, no. 1, p. 16. Available at: http://www.jmp.ru/a1943/yn_st.php?y=1943&n=01&rm=&s=430108 (accessed 05.11.2025) (in Russ.).

18. Nikolai (Yarushevich), metropolitan, Georgievsky G.P., Smirnov A.P., archpriest (eds.) Pravda o religii v Rossii [The Truth About Religion in Russia]. Moscow, Moskovskaya Patriarkhiya Publ., 1942, 456 p.

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20. Vedernikov A.V. (ed.) Russkaya Pravoslavnaya Tserkov’: ustroistvo, polozhenie, deyatel’nost’ [Russian Orthodox Church: Structure, Status, Activities]. Moscow, Moskovskaya Patriarkhiya Publ., 1958, 248 p.

21. Message of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy of Moscow and All Russia on the Occasion of the Victorious End of the War, Zhurnal Moskovskoi patriarkhii [Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate], 1945, no. 5, pp. 10—11. Available at: http://archive.e-vestnik.ru/page/index/194505326.html (accessed 05.11.2025) (in Russ.).