Grigory Spiridonovich Petrov

Who was Grigory Spiridonovich Petrov?

Grigory Spiridonovich Petrov was a priest, public figure and publicist.

Petrov was born in Yamburg and graduated from St. Petersburg Theological Seminary in 1886 and St. Petersburg Theological Academy in 1891. From 1895 through to 1906, he served as a prior of the Church of Mikhaylovsky Ordnance Academy; while in 1902-04 he also worked as a lecturer of theology at the Polytechnical Institute. He wrote books, brochures and articles where he advocated Christian socialism. In 1899-1917, he contributed to Russkoe slovo newspaper. In 1901-03, he took part in various religious and philosophic meetings. In 1905, he joined the liberal renovated church movement in opposition to the Russian Orthodox Church, and published Pravda Bozhiya newspaper in 1906. In 1907, he was elected Deputy of the Second State Duma as a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party. The same year following his critical letter addressed to Metropolitan Antony he was banned from his ministry and sent for discipline to the Cheremenetsky Monastery. He was defrocked in 1908, and consequently was banned from living in St. Petersburg. He travelled around the country giving lectures. Petrov welcomed the February Revolution of 1917, although his attitude towards the Bolshevik overturn was negative. In 1920, he emigrated and lived in Bulgaria and Serbia. He died in Paris and was buried in Munich.