Paper short abstract:

Focusing on the property restitution to religious organizations in contemporary Russia, the relation between religion and politics, and the contribution of the dominant Russian Orthodox Church to heritagization and the creation of an ‘authentic’ Russian landscape are highlighted.

Paper long abstract:

In contemporary post-socialist Russia, an important part of the religious revival is the increasing public visibility of Russian Orthodoxy all over the country. First and foremost, this takes the form of newly erected or refurbished church buildings with their typical golden domes. Since 2012, this process has accelerated with the adoption of a new law on property restitution to religious organizations such as the Russian Orthodox Church. In my presentation I elaborate on the concrete circumstances surrounding the return of property to religious organizations and the analysis of the outcomes of this process.

Analyzing the property restitution in contemporary Russia, I argue, allows us to grasp and unpack religious place-making and the underlying relationship between Russian Orthodox religion and politics. Through the restitution of church buildings, the Russian Orthodox Church is able to regain power and to strengthen its rootedness on the local level. Thus, the Church is able to transform the land and to create an 'authentic' Russian landscape that is strongly influenced by religious notions and symbols. Moreover, the unity of religious, traditional and cultural aspects of Russian Orthodoxy is highlighted which contributes to the generation of a new Russian identity. This is important for political actors too because they are looking for the Church's potential to contribute to identity and legitimacy issues. Accordingly, this process is interpreted as a top-down identity-building and a heritagization of the Russian landscape.