Old believers

More than 300 years ago Peter the Great decided to reform the Russian Orthodox church. Not everybody agreed with his decision, and some left the Russian Orthodox church. They call themselves Old Believers and fled to Siberia--far away from Saint Petersburg.

Small communities of Old Believers still exist in the Altai, and I’m staying in one such village called Multa. Men have beards and make babies, lots of babies. Women stay home and knit socks.

The Old Believers weren’t happy when in the early 90s newcomers--Russian hippies--came to live in their village. There were fights, and even black magic was practised to keep foreigners out.

Nowadays, the relations are a bit better although the Old Believers can’t be happy about the fact that slowly but surely outsiders are taking over their village. Artists from Russia settle down in Multa and adjacent Zamulta to realize their dream of a healthy life in a beautiful and inspiring environment. As my hostess Taja says, “It is dangerous to visit Multa. After that people sell their house, give up their job and come to live here for good.”