Pan-Russian Orthodox Council

The Pan-Russian Orthodox Council was a planned assembly that aimed to reestablish the Russian Orthodox Church's independence from state control, a status lost since Peter the Great's reforms. The council's goal was also to restore the patriarchate. However, this assembly was only able to convene after the fall of the Russian Empire in 1917.1

The Russian Orthodox Church, one of the largest Eastern Orthodox churches, traces its origins to the 9th century in Kievan Rus. It experienced periods of both state control and significant spiritual influence, with figures like St. Seraphim of Sarov and writers like Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky engaging with its monastic traditions. The church's history is marked by reforms, schisms, and periods of persecution, particularly under Soviet rule, followed by a resurgence in the late 20th century.12