Legislative policy of tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in respect of the russian orthodox church

The article discusses the main directions of the state policy of Alexei Mikhailovich towards Russian Orthodox Church. An integral part of the reform efforts of Alexei Mikhailovich was his innovative policy towards the Russian Orthodox Church. In the Cathedral Code of 1649 some important decisions, which caused dissatisfaction among the ecclesiastical authority, were made. Eventually it was legislated for secular authority to intervene in the affairs of the Church, property rights of the Church were limited and its interests in the judicial field were infringed. The Monastic Order became one of the results of the state apparatus reform. Establishment of the Monastic Order was specified in the Article 1 of Chapter XIII of the Cathedral Code. The Order was established as the highest secular authority that was given full powers of the judiciary in relation to the clergy of all ranks. The Monastic Order formed an independent judicial institution of the monastic affairs office that existed under the Grand Palace Order, and was endowed with a fairly broad legislated administrative powers. In 1667, Great Moscow Cathedral acknowledged benefit of clergy. Later, in 1669, items, according to which investigation, trial and punishment of spiritual rank people belonged to the ecclesiastical authorities, were approved. As a result of it the Monastic Order lost its right to judge the clergy not only in fact but also legally. When emperor Fedor Alekseevich, many detective cases which had been in the hands of the Order of Secret Affairs (1676) were transferred to the Monastic Order, and the Order itself was abolished. In 1677, Tsar Fedor decreed the Monastic Order to stop its activities, and its proceedings were transferred to the administration of the Order of the Grand Palace. Chapter XVII of the Council Code (Articles 42-44) dealt with church ownership of land . Clergy and monasteries were forbidden to buy or take as mortgage ancestral lands as well as give ancestral lands to monasteries when their owners tonsure monks. As a result, the Church lost the legal possibility to increase its demesne. However, these measures did not stop the growth of church demesne growth, which went on mainly due to the Tzar's awards. The most extensive patrimony were received by the monasteries, newly built by Patriarch Nikon - Voskresenskiy (New Jerusalem), Iverskiy and Cross monasteries. In chapter I of the Council Code "About blasphemers and church rebels" formulations of criminal acts against religion were defined, protecting the Orthodox Faith and the church organization by the state. With that, identifying any action against the Orthodox Faith as blasphemy against God, The Code introduced the concept of "blasphemy" and determined for it death by burning. Thus, the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich was the time when the formation of the absolute monarchy was beginning and it largely determined the fate and development of Russian sovereign power. Tzar power has tried to create a system of state power and administration, in which the functions of all the authorities would be cut in favor of the Russian sovereign. With the lapse of time the shortcomings in the new model of power showed up, and it became necessary to change it.

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