Cerkiew prawosławna w systemie politycznym państwa rosyjskiego

This article presents the influence of the Orthodox Church on the development of the political system in Russia over the centuries. The Author makes a survey of figures (rulers and clerics) from different époques. On the one hand he depicts their influence on the development of Christianity in Russia. On the other hand, he presents the motives they were governed by while they subordinated the Orthodox Church to the central reign of tsars and further rulers of the Russian country. For a thousand years, the Orthodox Church has been co-creating the Russian nationality and culture. It has gone through various vicissitudes but has been closely connected with the country. The Author of the study points at relations between the Orthodox Church and the secular reign. The submission of the Orthodox Church’s hierarchy to the secular reign was the result of a conscious actions taken the tsars - rulers of Russia and later on (in the Communist period) was the result of persecution and unprecedented repressions towards the Orthodox Church. Nowadays, the Orthodox Church in Russia experiences the period of revival. Thanks to the favorable attitude of the establishment ruling the Russian Federation, we can observe a quick development of the Orthodox Church, which is open and willing to cooperate with the establishment and driven by the common ambition to rebuild the former power of Russia.