Club of Orthodox patrons of the arts. Mission of the Orthodox Patrons Club

Why is it important in Russia to implement an economic model based on Orthodox ethics and make business religiously motivated? What should the image be like? Orthodox Christian in the world? Why is the thesis that only Protestant ethics in the economy will raise the Russian economy, is it a myth?

The Chairman of the Board of the Russian Club of Orthodox Philanthropists answered these and other questions in an interview with the Interfax-Religion portal Andrey Poklonsky.

– What do you see as the main goal of the Russian Club of Orthodox Patrons?

– The mission of our Club is a social service of Orthodox-oriented business with the goal of reducing social tension in the country. Such a big, even, I would say, grandiose task, but at the same time completely solvable provided that efforts are combined and well-coordinated teamwork. And one of our most important goals is to build our lives in accordance with our faith and beliefs, to finally stop being “Sunday Christians.” What does it mean? This means building your own professional life, in our case, the life of the business community, based on Orthodox ethics. I understand that it sounds very lofty and responsible, but if you don’t set serious, lofty goals, then you can’t solve any at all.

– What specific tasks do you have in mind?

– First of all, we are talking about the embodiment of the idea of ​​Christian economics. It's possible. Moreover, it is necessary. It's about not about some special “Orthodox economy”: economic laws are objective, and there is no alternative to a market economy. The whole question is which model of the market economy - industrial-technological or compador-raw materials - will be implemented in Russia. Orthodoxy can and must bring its ethics to the market economy. It is religious motivation that will be the incentive for social justice (for example, in many Orthodox catechisms it is directly written that withholding the legal payment of a hired worker is a sin crying out for vengeance to heaven), to careful attitude To natural resources, and to each other and to the country (“thou shalt not kill,” “thou shalt not steal”).

The Lord has endowed Russia with unique natural resources, but all of this can be taken away by Him if we begin to lose and squander this God-given wealth. Our Church is now given such freedom - it would be a sin not to use it. Now it is necessary, putting aside all differences, rolling up our sleeves, to work in the field of spiritual enlightenment of our people, missionary service, which should cover all spheres of our society. And there is a special demand from those who understand everything, know everything and can do a lot. That is why we, Orthodox business people, united in order to serve the Church and the Fatherland. Main aspect such service is, as I said above, the bringing of Orthodox values ​​into the market economy, the emergence of an Orthodox-oriented economic class. Let us remember how many times they tried to convince us that only the Protestant ethic in economics will raise the Russian economy from its knees, and Orthodoxy is supposedly a factor of regression and “neo-feudalism” in Russia. However, the reality is completely different. We have our own answer to Max Weber - the doctrine of “Orthodox ethics in the reality of capitalism.” It is Orthodoxy that is a factor in the modernization of Russia based on tradition.

The image of an Orthodox Christian in the world is no less important. The image of a strong and responsible person who strives to live not by lies. Preaching that an Orthodox Christian can and should be successful in economics, cultural and public life that an Orthodox Christian must be a strong, free and morally responsible person. Such preaching of active Christian actions in the world is all the more necessary in the context of propaganda by anti-church forces of the image of an Orthodox Christian as an infantile “voluntary marginal”, fearing and hating modern society, running from him to the “Penza cave”, anywhere, just not to take responsibility for himself, for his family, for his country. And, unfortunately, they are trying to impose such propaganda, such images on the Orthodox community.

Russia was already too “spiritually disarmed” in the 1990s. Seeing what this led to, we do not consider it possible to agree with the crafty calls for the voluntary departure of the Orthodox community to the “Penza caves” and “burnt areas” (the self-immolation of radical Old Believers in the second half of the 17th century due to the imaginary apostasy of the patriarch and the tsar - “IF”).

– Are there any examples in Russian history, indicating attempts to implement the Orthodox worldview in economic activity?

– The 20th century gave us amazing examples of such an economy. For example, Archbishop Anthony (Khrapovitsky), the great Russian theologian, being the Archbishop of Volyn, established a bank at the Pochaev Lavra that issued lifting loans to Little Russian peasants, and brought millions of Little Russian peasants out of economic dependence on financially strong diasporas, made Volyn a zone of prosperity and political stability. Without the blessing of Pochaev's confessors, not a single candidate in the region could get into the State Duma of Russia, there were no right-wing or left-wing extremists in the region, because the ground was cut out from under their feet, and the educational work was enormous - the circulation of "Pochaev's Leaflets" exceeded two million!

Another example is our great Orthodox saint Seraphim (Muravyov) Vyritsky, who before his tonsure was the largest fur trader in Russia. He created a trust-based credit society, where transactions were concluded without papers, and paid and took care of his employees in the most dignified manner, and fed thousands of beggars of St. Petersburg.

National Orthodox economic thought was also reflected in the intellectual life of the Russian emigration. Thus, in 1922, under the leadership of the same Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky), the Congress of the Economic Revival of Russia was held in the German city of Baden-Reichenhall, then, in the programs of emigrant organizations, such as the Russian All-Military Union, the term “people's capitalism” appears. In one way or another, these documents embodied Metropolitan Anthony’s ideas about Orthodox ethics in a market economy, about the religious responsibility of entrepreneurs, and about reconciliation between labor and capital.

Obviously, all this should be in demand now. It is in demand by that part of the economic and political elite that understands that the absence of Orthodox ethics in economics and the “wolf laws” will destroy this elite too. If these healthy forces not only realize this, but also begin to create “bushes” of such a healthy economy, as the Monk Seraphim Vyritsky did, they will help in enlightening society with the ideas and experience of those Orthodox saints whose efforts were aimed at churching economic life, then there will be a chance to create a strong and prosperous economic system in Russia, which is unthinkable without religious foundations.

– Please tell us about the projects implemented by the Club.

– The Russian Club of Orthodox Patrons has existed since 2003. We didn’t “promote ourselves”; we tried not to push ourselves, but to do specific things. For example, helping orphanages. One of these orphanages is for children whose fathers died in “hot spots” defending Russia. These children not only receive an education and Orthodox education, they do not remain abandoned. We help them get back on their feet, become independent, firmly standing Orthodox citizens of Russia.

We help our active member, famous composer Georgy Gladkov to implement a project to search for talented children. His worldview is unique and relevant: Gregory visits school after school in search of musically gifted children to help them realize their talent, especially if they are from low-income families. In my opinion, such a principle should be implemented both in the Church, and in the national economy, and in political sphere – talented people you need to search, grow, help. Personnel decides everything! And we, bearing responsibility for the future of our compatriots, being Orthodox people, must create these “social elevators”, ensure the future of our Church and our country.

Our members are already building their activities on the basis of the principle of Christian ethics. For example, the head of the Kemerovo regional branch of our Club pays each employee who has a child 150 thousand rubles.

The “Measured Icon” project is being implemented, when an icon is painted for a baby in his size after birth. This achieves several goals: every child has a shrine from childhood, this is a reminder of his heavenly patron for him and for the whole family. At the same time, hundreds of icon painters got work, reviving the great Orthodox tradition of “theology in colors,” icon painting that elevates the spirit and soul of a Christian to communion with God. However, our contemporaries need to explain the meaning of icon veneration in Orthodoxy, therefore the “Measured Icon” needs a catechetical supplement, a brochure, where accessible language It is written that icon veneration is impossible without connection with the Orthodox Church and its sacraments.

In general, we must understand that Orthodoxy in Russia will not triumph automatically, due to tradition. It is necessary to learn to explain Orthodoxy to your people in clear language, accessible to neighbors, business partners, co-workers, and not to hypocritically talk that, “Whoever is needed, the Lord himself will bring.” Therefore, our next project is the publication of a kind of “Theology for Beginners,” a book accessible to the average person who is in no way connected with the Church, where it would be clearly explained why all this is needed at all - God, faith, Church, long beards priests and services in Church Slavonic. Now more than ever such basic apologetics is needed for ordinary people, otherwise we will agitate ourselves. And this is a disaster.

It is impossible to ignore such an important project of ours as the mass construction of “ordinary”, that is, prefabricated churches, built “by the whole world” in one day. The main missionary territory is our megacities. Most of the churches in Moscow and St. Petersburg are concentrated in the center, and the center of Moscow is practically uninhabited. Most temples accommodate 200 people, which is tiny. Many residential areas of Moscow, where there are no churches, exceed entire local Churches in the number of baptized but not enlightened people. In Greece, for 10 million inhabitants there are 20 thousand parishes. The norm of church life is one parish per thousand people. Therefore, this problem must be solved. And we are implementing a project for the mass construction of prefabricated churches. Production has already started. First, such a temple will appear in Kemerovo, then in the centers of seven federal districts. Then - in the three capitals of “Holy Rus'” - Moscow, Kyiv, Minsk as a sign of the trinity of our people and the indivisibility of the Russian Orthodox Church. Further - in seven federal districts of Russia and... everywhere. With the blessing of the ruling bishops, we will promote the creation of communities in new microdistricts, so that “ordinary” churches are built “by the whole world” and become the centers of life in the microdistrict - so that there are lectures about Orthodoxy, children’s playgrounds near the churches, and so on.

Thus, the Club’s tasks have expanded dramatically. The Club itself has expanded: we have opened 12 regional branches throughout Russia, more than 35 regional branches and foreign representative offices are now at the opening stage. It should be noted that one of the main principles underlying our activities is independence and non-connection with any political, government or other institutions. Our members are young people who made themselves, these are not the oligarchs of the nineties, most of whom became them due to the possession, first of all, of administrative resources. Members of our Club are people who have achieved success solely through their work and intelligence.

We can't neglect public opinion and move on to active public activities. The first step was the creation of the Supreme Public Council of the Club, which included the famous theologian Deacon Andrei Kuraev, State Duma deputy Sergei Baburin, composer Grigory Gladkov, famous Orthodox journalist Kirill Frolov and many others. Now the task is to tell people about faith, about our values, that a successful and independent person cannot help but be an Orthodox Christian.

Orthodoxy will move to the masses through godbusters.

The Russian Club of Orthodox Patrons plans to participate financially in the creation of a number of high-budget feature films aimed at a wide audience. Chairman of the board of the public organization, entrepreneur Andrei Poklonsky told Izvestia about this.
- Now we are preparing a large-scale film about such a historical figure as Tamerlane. It is based on a unique script, which was written by specialists from Hollywood and combines an exciting plot, strong characters, serious drama.
According to the entrepreneur, the film will describe the story of the birth and development of the famous conqueror. The central event of the film will be Tamerlane’s invasion of Russian lands, which was prevented by the appearance of the Mother of God - the first miracle revealed Vladimir icon Mother of God.

- Long before the discovery of America, we already had a gigantic civilization. At the end of the 14th century, its existence was under threat, says Andrei Poklonsky, the idea behind the painting. - Tamerlane’s invincible army, consisting of 200 thousand soldiers who were taught to kill from childhood, approached our borders. On the Russian side there were only 35 thousand farmers who swapped the plow for the sword. It would seem that there was no chance, the whole country prayed tirelessly for salvation, and then the Mother of God appeared to Tamerlane 4 hours before the battle and informed him that this land was under her protection. The great conqueror decided to quickly deploy his troops. So faith saved the country.
The project became interested in the famous Hollywood producer Ralph Winter (the X-Men trilogy, Planet of the Apes, Fantastic Four), who had previously participated in the creation of films on Christian theme: “Three keys” and “And he came.” IN this moment The search for an American director is in full swing. Hugh Jackman is being considered for the role of Tamerlane.
According to Poklonsky, the film will be made without the financial participation of the Ministry of Culture and the Russian Cinema Fund - the entire budget (the exact figure has not yet been disclosed) will be formed from Russian private funds and funds from Hollywood studios.
In addition to the film about Tamerlane, the club plans to invest 100 million rubles in the creation of a large-scale historical film biography of Vladimir the Saint, “The Baptist,” produced by the Slovo film studio New Age" The project was presented on August 6 at the Cinema Fund pitching for projects from film companies that are not among the leaders in domestic production. Based on the results of the in-person defense, based on the average ratings of the members of the expert council, a rating of projects recommended for consideration by the Board of Trustees of the Cinema Fund was formed. "Baptist" took 34th place (out of 46)
The film is to be directed by Pyotr Buslov (“Boomer 1,2”, “Vysotsky: Thank you for being alive”). The script was written by the famous film playwright Yuri Korotkov with the assistance of experts from the Russian Orthodox Church. The creators are counting on 5 million viewers. The approximate budget is estimated at 450 million rubles.
Andrei Poklonsky emphasized that the participation of the “Russian Club of Orthodox Patrons” in the film process is a logical continuation of the organization’s previous activities.
- Our club pursues exclusively missionary goals - so that the Orthodox faith expands and strengthens, so that the country lives as one whole, with a single mission, so that peace is established and there is no discord, and the rich help those who have no means of subsistence. All our projects are designed to alleviate social tensions and affirm true values. As stated in Holy Scripture: “Faith without deeds is dead.” We love our country, we are one nation, and we try to help each other,” Poklonsky noted.
The head of the analytics department of the Film Distributor's Bulletin publication, Andrei Bely, expressed doubts that similar projects may have a commercial project - both international and domestic.
- Budget and star, of course, are important, but the theme doesn’t matter either. last role. What is global distribution? These are the USA, Europe and several Asian countries. They don't need Orthodox stories. If a Hollywood studio takes on such a plot, it will most likely distort the plot or modify it in some other way. Hollywood doesn't benefit from stories like this because they aren't widely known. Russia is a different matter, but implementation is important here. The “Orthodox plot” itself, without an emphasis on action and adventure, is doomed to box office failure, the analyst believes.
Culturologist, Chief Editor magazine "Art of Cinema" Daniil Dondurei was also wary of the possibility of missionary activity in the Hollywood field.
- There is a stereotype that the whole world watches American cinema. This is not entirely true. Hollywood hasn’t made “American” movies or movies “for Americans” for a long time. This is a universal cinema intended for global consumption. Consequently, if they take on stories with Orthodox motives, then this will be a story not so much for the Orthodox world, but for all people, regardless of country or religion,” the expert noted.
The “Russian Club of Orthodox Patrons” was organized in 2003 and united entrepreneurs from different areas business to revive the traditions of Orthodox charity. The organization has about 40 regional branches in Russia and abroad.
Club leads great job for the restoration, restoration and construction of churches of the Russian Orthodox Church, and also provides assistance to needy citizens of Russia, orphanages, and shelters. Also among the most important projects initiated and accepted for implementation by the club is the creation of churches within walking distance; the “Measured Icon” workshop, reviving the traditions of the 17th century; Order for modern ascetics “For good deeds”; creation in the Moscow region of a network of budget hotels for tourists with an average level of income, etc.

The Club's program, which is indeed quite extensive, evokes such a response among Russian entrepreneurs, which is then translated into specific good deeds and projects. On the one hand, the program affects the life of the business community (preparation and introduction of legislative initiatives to create favorable conditions for charitable activities of enterprises and individuals; popularization of Christian norms and rules of entrepreneurship, ensuring the reliability and security of business processes through their optimization, as well as the existing administrative resource of the Club); on the other hand, the most vital interests of society (participation in the restoration, construction and reconstruction of churches, assistance in the creation of Orthodox kindergartens and homes, schools, shelters, houses of mercy, Orthodox youth centers).

Concern for the widespread popularization and revival of the traditions of charity and patronage of the arts is dictated by the socially significant long-term project of the Club “Rewarding the Worthy,” which was inaugurated for the first time last week in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Order "For Beneficence" - worthy

It was a great joy that in our country there are so many people reviving cultural monuments, Orthodox shrines and helping their neighbors, sacrificing their time, effort, and money. And - what, in our opinion, is the most important thing - the motives for such work are not vanity, conceit, thirst for glory and honor, but love for God and reverence for His commandments. How can one not recall here the words of St. John Chrysostom, who noted that the essence of alms is not to give a lot or a little, but to donate no less than you can!

Order of the Club Not only entrepreneurs are awarded, but also politicians, representatives public organizations, clergy, cultural and artistic figures - in a word, all those who are restoring today in our society Orthodox traditions. According to Andrei Poklonsky, society should know about them so that selfless good deeds again, in in a good way, have become fashionable - this is why the Order “For Beneficence” was established.

The awards took place in five categories: for revival Orthodox culture, behind Active participation in the development of social projects, for an example of morality and asceticism, for Orthodox education, for asceticism in the revival of the Russian state. Agree, the very names of these nominations arouse keen interest. But this applies even more to the personalities of the laureates themselves. Let's name just a few of them.

In the second nomination - President of the Union of Cinematographers of Russia, film director, as well as philanthropist and philanthropist - Nikita Mikhalkov; Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Information Policy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Pavel Pozhigailo - for active support social program“In the Family Circle”, promoting the education of children and youth; Dmitry Mendeleev - author and host of the television program " Bible story", which is watched by both adults and children on the Kultura TV channel.

In the third category - National artist RF Alexander Porokhovshchikov, who participated in Orthodox film"Christmas Stories"; Nikita Nuzhny, who led the restoration of the main iconostasis of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and many other iconostases and icons in Russian churches and cathedrals; Abbot Theophylact Bezukladnikov, one of the organizers of forums aimed at overcoming the demographic crisis in Russia.

In the fourth category - editor-in-chief of the public-Orthodox TV channel “Spas” Ivan Demidov; Alexander Burkin, chairman of the All-Russian public movement “Orthodox Russia”, organizer of the arts festival of the same name.

In the fifth nomination - Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for the Central Federal District Georgy Poltavchenko; Colonel General Leonid Ivashov, author of the strategy for the famous march of Russian paratroopers in Yugoslavia.

Project "Measured Icon"

Even three centuries ago, the Orthodox, when a child was born, painted an icon of the saint whose name was given to the baby; Thus, the little Christian had special spiritual protection. Today Club Russian philanthropists, with the support of the Russian Orthodox Church, is reviving this tradition. Its organizers are confident that dimensional icons in our homes will not only protect children from harm, but will also help restore broken threads with Russia’s great past, strengthen weakened ties between parents and children, and strengthen the spirituality of society.

In fact, the tradition of measured icons is being revived from oblivion - for more than a year, the organizers of the project carefully studied it, collecting bits and pieces of knowledge of the technology of painting such icons and selecting the best icon painters in Russia, who necessarily have the Blessing of the Russian Orthodox Church. The club constantly monitors the entire cycle of creating a dimensional icon - from preparing a special board to applying the image of the Saint, and also organizes its consecration in the most revered holy places (Optina Pustyn, Holy Trinity Seraphim-Diveevsky Monastery, Trinity-Sergius Lavra). The measured icon must be accompanied by a certificate with the date, name of the temple and the name of the abbot who performed the rite of consecration.

“Children are the future of Russia”

Today, the peculiarities of the changed living conditions, when a highly developed civilization and deep spiritual ignorance are intertwined into a single ball, have led to a shift in the interests of children towards the material side and their spiritual impoverishment. There is an increase in drug addiction, alcoholism among children, the commission of illegal acts, homelessness (according to General Prosecutor's Office Russian Federation, the country has 2 million street children), finally, social orphanhood, when a child remains alone due to parental employment, replacing relationships in the family with “farm pay.”

The situation, according to Orthodox philanthropists, is truly catastrophic; the future of the younger generation, and therefore the entire country, is at risk. They see a constructive way out of the moral and ideological impasse in the education of a new competent and socially responsible generation, which determines the basic role of the school in social order. It is the school that introduces the child to traditional Russian culture that can become the main element new system relations in society.

The “Gift of God” project, the presentation of which took place in the spring of this year, is dedicated to these noble goals. To create a new type of school - this is the task the Club has set itself. Teaching methodology is based here on increasing the potential for the harmonious development of the child, organizing the learning process based on the emancipation of children, their full disclosure intellectual capabilities. Students should leave school knowledgeable, energetic, and capable of growth. Children will be admitted to school on a competitive basis, and a third of them will study for free - in order to support talented and gifted orphans, children without parental care, as well as those children whose families are not able to pay for education.

The formation of a new elite in Russia is the main goal of the program, notes Svetlana Zonova, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Club. - And the school acts as a basic structure here. Its fundamental principle is the upbringing of universally educated, intellectually strong, morally stable children. Our Club has started implementing this project and is ready to cooperate with everyone who cares about the future of Russia.

"The Mercy Complex"

This Club project provides for the training of graduates of orphanages, orphans and girls from disadvantaged families in the specialty “Junior nurse» with the issuance of diplomas of secondary medical education. Those wishing to continue their education at medical academies will be supported.

The Church of the Exaltation of the Cross in the city of Ivanovo will not only be the home church of the city clinical hospital and the Faculty of Sisters of Mercy, but also the only Orthodox church in this area with a population of more than 80 thousand people.

Demand and social significance of this project are obvious, since there is a great need for both junior medical personnel and social workers. In addition, opposite the complex of faculty buildings, which included the gate temple, there was the Spassky Church of the architect Shekhtel, destroyed in 1937. And the construction of the Orthodox “Complex of Mercy” with elements of the facade of the Spassky Church and the gate temple with the same name can be considered as the restoration of historical justice.

Instead of a conclusion

The Russian Club of Orthodox Patrons has many original ideas and socially significant projects.

The most main score Our activities have begun a good deed on an all-Russian scale,” concludes Andrei Poklonsky. - Continuing the traditions of Russian patronage, we will enrich them on a modern basis. It is important for us not only to implement charity projects, but to contribute to the formation of an Orthodox worldview in society at all levels - from children to entrepreneurs. And we hope that with God's help it will work!