The
Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church (or
Russian Orthodox Oldritualist Church,
Russian Orthodox Old-Ritualist Church) (
Russian: Русская Православная Старообрядческая Церковь) is an
Eastern Orthodox Church of the
Old Believers tradition, born from a
schism within the
Russian Orthodox Church following the liturgical reforms of
Patriarch Nikon in the second half of 17th century (
Old Believers). She is one of the two
Old Believers churches that belong to the
Belokrinitskaya Hierarchy - together with the
Orthodox Old-Rite Church, sometimes also called
Lipovan Orthodox Old-Rite Church.
Since the 18th century until the Council of 1988, the official self-designation of this Church was the
Old Orthodox Church of Christ (
Древлеправославная Церковь Христова) which should not be confused with
Russian Old-Orthodox Church, another church of the Old Believers.
Drevlepravoslavie ("Old/Ancient Orthodoxy") was the common self-designation of the Old Believers and their cause since the 17th century.
The head of the Church carries the title of
Metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia (since 1988), with residence at the
Rogozhskoye cemetery in
Moscow. The current head of the Church, Metropolitan Korniliy (Titov) (formerly, the archbishop of
Kazan and
Vyatka) was elected by the Most Holy Council on
October 18,
2005. He was installed as
Metropolitan on
October 23,
2005.
Korniliy, Head of Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church