Chronology of the Schism in the Estonian Orthodox Church in the Light of Relations between the Moscow and Constantinople Patriarchates

The question of property rights of Orthodox Estonians as well as the problem of coexistence of the two parallel Church jurisdictions on the Estonian territory remains unresolved to the present day, despite the regular meetings conducted and agreements reached. The relations between the Moscow and Constantinople Patriarchates on the Estonian issue have reached an impasse. The article presents and analyzes the chronology of the dissent in the Estonian Orthodox Church (EOC) from the perspective of the actions of the Moscow and Constantinople Patriarchates. This allows us to take a glance at the history of the dissent from a special angle in light of the relations between the two Patriarchates in order to identify the features of the strategy of the two Patriarchates, to note the main turning points in this relationship, to estimate the role of the Constantinople Patriarchate in the events related to the split of the EOC as a wholeas well as to propose ways out of the conflict, which is being exacerbated at this time. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that the problem of the dissent in the Estonian Orthodox Church is considered only against the background of the analysis of the actions of the Moscow and Constantinople Patriarchates. The connection is established between the events of 20-70s of the 20th century which preceded the dissent in the 1990s as well as the direct intervention of Constantinople Patriarchate in the EOC activity in the 1990s. For a research on the designated topic for the first time are used materials (as historical sources) from the archives of the Chancellery of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. Based on the results of the study, the author comes to the conclusion that the dissent in the EOC was provoked by the Constantinople Patriarchate, whose campaign to seize some parts of the Estonian Orthodox Church was carried out with the tacit approval of the Estonian government circles. In this regard, the author sees a way out of the created crisis only in close cooperation between the Church and the state, namely at the level of the governments of Estonia and Russia.