The Right Conservative Views of the Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt

The  article  analyzes  the  political beliefs  of  the  Holy Righteous  John  of Kronstadt.  It is noted that  to  the  end  of his days he remained  a convinced  monarchist, a supporter of autocracy and an opponent of revolutionary ideas, defending the purity of the  Orthodox faith and opposing  the  penetration of Catholic, Protestant, liberal and  Masonic  ideas  into  the  church.  John  of Kronstadt supported by word and deed various rightist monarchical (blackhundredist)  organizations, both oﬀicial (parties, unions, societies) and unoﬀicial (circles, salons, including the salons of General Evgeny Bogdanovich and Countess  Sophia Ignatieva). He also allocated  money for the development of the largest Black Hundred organization, the Union of the Russian People, and other right-wing associations, joined the Union himself and expressed support for various Black Hundred initiatives by telegrams and letters.The article studies  some  of his public speeches, sermons, articles and diary entries. In his public speeches, Saint John of Kronstadt repeatedly pointed out that the death of the Russian monarchy would inevitably lead to the most negative consequences for Russia, up to its collapse. Special attention is paid to the attitude of the clergyman to the imperial power and the royal ministry, as he supported the  idea of the  divine origin of the  royal power.  Like many other conservatives, Saint John of Kronstadt considered the Holy Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky a kind of ideal monarch, pointing out the virtues of his rule. In his sermons, he rebuked the revolutionaries and spoke about  the danger of the revolutionary threat, pointing out that  Russia would perish if the  revolutionary  forces won. Saint John of Kronstadt explained the Russian defeat  in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905 by the decrease of faith in the Russian society and the decline of patriotism.The article notes  that the numerous  sermons  of the priest repeatedly showed  his concern about  the fate of Russia, prone to secession due to the activity of the liberal intelligentsia.