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4 Port of the Tsar: Material Monarchism and the End of Days

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Between Heaven and Russia
This chapter is in the book Between Heaven and Russia
82Hell is a democracy, but heaven is a kingdom.—St. John of KronstadtO pure one, who ever intercedeth for us together with the pious Tsar Nicholas and all the saints, grant us peace under the invincible dominion of the heavenly kingdom, keeping us from all subtle deception and blatant apostasy. For though the seal hath been removed, do thou thyself restrain the Antichrist by the might of the Heavenly King.—A West Virginia monk, sessional hymn to the Port Arthur IconOn a warm summer morning, I drove up the gravel mountain road that led to St. Basil’s monastery. Cresting the top of the hill, I gazed through my bug- splattered windshield down into the holler where a majority of the monastery’s buildings were grouped at that time. Something different caught my attention that morning. Across the porch railing of the trapeza (refectory) building was a large banner. On the left side was the coat of arms of the Russian empire with the phrase Slava Rusi (glory of Russia or Rus’) at the bottom; on the right side was an image of Tsar Nicholas II. These images were superimposed on a background made up of the black, yellow, and white Russian imperial flag.1 As I hiked up the trail from the parking lot to the refectory, Br. Patrick, a young monk with a long auburn ponytail, appeared behind the sign, leaning over the railing. “Isn’t it great? S prazdnikom (Happy Holiday)!” he asked and answered joyfully. “Happy feast day, Brother Patrick,” I replied as he ran into the church to avoid being late for the Divine Liturgy. That Tuesday in midsummer was 4Port of the TsarMaterial Monarchism and the End of Days19541-Riccardi-Swartz_BetweenHeaven.indd 821/21/22 12:37 PM
© 2022 Fordham University Press, New York, USA

82Hell is a democracy, but heaven is a kingdom.—St. John of KronstadtO pure one, who ever intercedeth for us together with the pious Tsar Nicholas and all the saints, grant us peace under the invincible dominion of the heavenly kingdom, keeping us from all subtle deception and blatant apostasy. For though the seal hath been removed, do thou thyself restrain the Antichrist by the might of the Heavenly King.—A West Virginia monk, sessional hymn to the Port Arthur IconOn a warm summer morning, I drove up the gravel mountain road that led to St. Basil’s monastery. Cresting the top of the hill, I gazed through my bug- splattered windshield down into the holler where a majority of the monastery’s buildings were grouped at that time. Something different caught my attention that morning. Across the porch railing of the trapeza (refectory) building was a large banner. On the left side was the coat of arms of the Russian empire with the phrase Slava Rusi (glory of Russia or Rus’) at the bottom; on the right side was an image of Tsar Nicholas II. These images were superimposed on a background made up of the black, yellow, and white Russian imperial flag.1 As I hiked up the trail from the parking lot to the refectory, Br. Patrick, a young monk with a long auburn ponytail, appeared behind the sign, leaning over the railing. “Isn’t it great? S prazdnikom (Happy Holiday)!” he asked and answered joyfully. “Happy feast day, Brother Patrick,” I replied as he ran into the church to avoid being late for the Divine Liturgy. That Tuesday in midsummer was 4Port of the TsarMaterial Monarchism and the End of Days19541-Riccardi-Swartz_BetweenHeaven.indd 821/21/22 12:37 PM
© 2022 Fordham University Press, New York, USA

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents ix
  3. Preface xi
  4. Abbreviations and Terms xv
  5. Introduction. East of Appalachia: The New Russian Turn in American Christianity 1
  6. 1 Foreign Faith in a Foreign Land: A Discursive History of the Russian Orthodox Church in the United States 23
  7. 2 Church of God: Traditionalism, Authenticity, and Conversion to Russian Orthodoxy in Appalachia 37
  8. 3 America the Beautiful: Of Guns, God, and Vodka 64
  9. 4 Port of the Tsar: Material Monarchism and the End of Days 82
  10. 5 Palace of Putin: Political Ideologies in Orthodox Appalachia 107
  11. 6 A People Set Apart: Intra-Community Politics and Regionalism 135
  12. 7 The “Holler Feast”: Spiritual Geographies and Temporalities 161
  13. Conclusion. In Soviet America, Russia Converts You 179
  14. Epilogue 185
  15. Acknowledgments 195
  16. Notes 199
  17. Bibliography 249
  18. Index 275
Readers are also interested in:
https://doi.org/10.1515/9780823299522-007

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents ix
  3. Preface xi
  4. Abbreviations and Terms xv
  5. Introduction. East of Appalachia: The New Russian Turn in American Christianity 1
  6. 1 Foreign Faith in a Foreign Land: A Discursive History of the Russian Orthodox Church in the United States 23
  7. 2 Church of God: Traditionalism, Authenticity, and Conversion to Russian Orthodoxy in Appalachia 37
  8. 3 America the Beautiful: Of Guns, God, and Vodka 64
  9. 4 Port of the Tsar: Material Monarchism and the End of Days 82
  10. 5 Palace of Putin: Political Ideologies in Orthodox Appalachia 107
  11. 6 A People Set Apart: Intra-Community Politics and Regionalism 135
  12. 7 The “Holler Feast”: Spiritual Geographies and Temporalities 161
  13. Conclusion. In Soviet America, Russia Converts You 179
  14. Epilogue 185
  15. Acknowledgments 195
  16. Notes 199
  17. Bibliography 249
  18. Index 275
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