"The City without Churches": Religiosity in Magnitogorsk in 1930-s

Abstract

The paper explores religiosity in a newly built Soviet city of Magnitogorsk. The author finds out that in spite of official antireligious policies and the declarative goal to create a “city without churches”, the population continued religious practices. The way religiosity was officially controlled and measured - by the number of churches, visible religious attributes, and open rituals - helped create a relatively calm life for believers with their “invisible” practices.