CPOY 76 Team Picture Story Silver: Bryansk Region
The Bryansk Region is located in Central Russia southwest of Moscow and near the borders of Ukraine and Belarus. As a result of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on April 26, 1986, part of the territory the Bryansk region was contaminated with long-lived radionuclides. Currently, many of the residents continue to live in contaminated areas. During the Soviet era, it was a highly developed agricultural region. But after fall of the USSR it lost this importance.
Novozybkov, Bryansk district, 2021. Novozybkov is one of the Old Believers centers in Russia. The Old Believers is a religious movement that split from the Russian Orthodox Church in the 17th century. It currently numbers about 700k followers. Old Believers historically preserve the traditional order in family, church and social life. Women cover their heads in a special way, leaving their faces open, and wear floor-length dresses. In the hands of the Old Believer there will always be ‘lestvitsa’ - the beads for counting the short prayers that they utters during the day. The photo was taken on the day of Holy Trinity celebration. The church is decorated with fresh flowers, grass and trees.
