The History of the Russian Church in Australia From Siberia to Sydney

In this comprehensive work, the history of the Russian Orthodox Church in Australia is diligently chronicled within the wider context of the place of Russians in the dominantly anglophone society of what was at first a British colony and then an independent state. The study begins with the first contact of Russian naval ships with the Australian continent in the early nineteenth century and spans the tumultuous history and successive waves of Russian immigrants of the 20th century. Together they created a unified organism, retaining a sense of heritage and purpose and taking their rightful place in Australia’s multi-cultural society. In writing this work the author has drawn on extensive archival sources spread over several continents together with his own life experience, having arrived as a small boy in Australia over six decades ago. This second edition includes a new chapter recounting the ongoing story from the beginning of the twenty-first century through to the end of 2020, covering the effects on the Church in Australia of major world events as diverse as the reunification of the Russian Church Abroad with the Patriarchate of Moscow and the global coronavirus pandemic.

Mitred Archpriest Michael Protopopov is chancellor of the Diocese of Australia & New Zealand of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. He holds a Ph.D. in History from Australian Catholic University. In addition to his pastoral duties, he has lectured in History and Theology at Melbourne University. For his years of service to the Russian community, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 1991.