Because of what the clergy took up arms against Soviet power, the book by N. Rubakin "Russia in Figures" published in 1912 will help to understand.
Before the Decree on the Separation of Church and State, adopted in 1918, all priests of the Orthodox Church were actually state employees in their status and received a salary (salary) from the state budget, that is, they sat on the necks of Russian workers.
“The following facts allow us to judge the incomes received by the higher clergy: in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, the abbot received a salary of 1,800 rubles. per year, and had an income of 65,000 rubles. The economist received 20,000 rubles. annually, each monk had about 3,500 rubles. The bishops had huge incomes; apart from salaries and canteens, which went to them according to their position, they received a third of all fraternal incomes of monasteries and incomes from bishops' households - in full. For example, the Moscow Metropolitan received a salary of 6,000 rubles, dining rooms 4,000 rubles, income from the bishop's house 8,000 rubles, from the Chudov Monastery - 6,000 rubles, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra - 12,000 rubles, the Iverskaya chapel - 45,000 rubles, and in total - 81,000 rubles. in year. The St. Petersburg Metropolitan received a salary of 5,000 rubles, canteens - 4,000 rubles, from the Nevskaya Lavra 250,000 rubles, in total - 259,000 rubles. in year.
Metropolitan of Kiev - salary 5,000 rubles, dining rooms 4,000 rubles, from the bishop's house 10,000 rubles, Pechersk Lavra 65,000 rubles, in total - 84,000 rubles. in year. The archbishops of Kazan and Vladimir each had 10,000 rubles. in year.
To better understand these figures, you need to know that the average wage of a worker in 1912 was 214 rubles per year, the minimum was 171 rubles, and the maximum was 341 rubles per year. For comparison, a Ford car cost at that time from 2500 rubles and more. An interesting picture turns out. The monk, who did nothing but did nothing, and prayed in the intervals between these godly activities, had an annual income of 3,500 rubles and could easily buy a car. A worker who works 11.5 hours a day and has an income of 214 rubles a year would have to save up for a car for more than 10 years without eating or drinking.
To convert all the indicated amounts to the modern equivalent (as of the end of 2013), you need to multiply each amount by 1071, just don't fall off your chair when you see the result.
In 1918, the Council of People's Commissars of the Russian Republic adopted the Decree on the Separation of Church from State, a law that put an end to, among other things, financial relations between the state and the church. From that moment on, the clergy were deprived of the most important source of their wealth - the state budget.
Several points are devoted to this in the Decree:
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10. All ecclesiastical and religious societies are subject to the general regulations on private societies and unions, and do not enjoy any advantages and subsidies either from the state or from its local autonomous and self-governing institutions.
11. Compulsory collection of fees and taxes in favor of church and religious societies, as well as measures of coercion or punishment by these societies over their members, are not allowed.
12. No ecclesiastical or religious society has the right to own property. They do not have the rights of a legal entity (i.e., they do not have the right to conduct commercial activities - editor's note).
13. All property of ecclesiastical and religious societies existing in Russia shall be declared national property. Buildings and objects intended specifically for liturgical purposes are given, by special decrees of local or central state authorities, for free (namely, free - ed.) Use of the respective religious societies.
The draft Decree was published on December 31, 1917, signed on January 20, 1918. The day before the signing, January 19, 1918, Patriarch Tikhon declares anathema to everyone who supports the Soviet government, thereby actually issuing an ultimatum to the Soviet government. But the Decree was signed and entered into force anyway.
Pavel Soviet