The Popovtsy or Popovschina were from the 17th century one of the two main factions of Old Believers, along with the Bezpopovtsy.
Historical backgrounds
As none of the bishops joined the Old Believers, ordained priests of the Old Rite would have soon become extinct. Two responses appeared to this dilemma: the priested Old Believers and the priestless Old Believers. As opposed to the Bezpopovtsy, the Popovtsy recognised the validity of the priesthood of clergy ordained by the State Church, receiving them into their fold, creating their own ecclesiastical structure, which would later break into a number of smaller movements. The Popovtsy represented the more moderate conservative opposition, who strove to continue religious and church life as it had existed before the reforms of Patriarch Nikon. They recognised ordained priests from the new styleRussian Orthodox church who joined the Old Believers and who had denounced the Nikonian reforms. Popovtsy have priests, bishops and all sacraments, including the Eucharist.
In 1846, the Popovtsy convinced Amvrosii, a deposed Greek Orthodox bishop of Bosnia to become an Old Believer and to consecrate three Russian Old Believers priests as bishops. In 1859, the number of Old Believer bishops in Russia had reached ten, and they established their own episcopate, the so-called Belokrinitskaya Hierarchy.
Beglopopovsty; Novozybkovskaya hierarchy
Not all priested Old Believers recognised this hierarchy. These dissenters were called беглопоповцы and obtained their own hierarchy in the 1920s. The priested Old Believers are thus represented by two churches that have the same beliefs, but treat each other's hierarchies as illegitimate.
Modern situation
The Popovtsy were hostile towards the October Revolution of 1917. For some time, the Soviet regime was rather tolerant towards the Old Believers as a whole, but in the 1930s, Old Believers too were subjected to severe repressions. Most of their churches were confiscated or demolished. During the Soviet period, the social strata which had been traditionally the backbone of the Old Believer population - peasants, cossacks, craftsmen, artisans, merchants and entrepreneurs, were practically extinguished. Nowadays Old Believers' churches are restored and recognized by the State.
Edinovertsy
Around 1800, a group of Popovtsy, mainly merchants from Moscow seeking the abrogation of discriminating legislation which obstructed their commercial activities, offered to acknowledge the leadership of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox State Church, on condition that they would be allowed to use the old books and rites. They came to be known as Edinovertsy and are generally not regarded as Old Believers, but rather Old-Ritualists.
