Detail of the painting Boyarynya Morozova by Vasily Surikov. A defiant Old Believer is being arrested. She holds up two fingers (instead of three) referring to the dispute about the proper way of cross-signing.

In the Russian Orthodox church history, the Old Believers (Russian: старове́ры or старообря́дцы, read starovery or staroobryadtsy) became separated after 1666-1667. They split from the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church as a protest against church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon. Old Believers continue liturgical practices which the Russian Orthodox Church followed before the reform.

Russian-speakers refer to the schism itself as raskol (раскол). This word comes from a Russian word расколоться, that means "to cleave apart"). view more...