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''For information about records for non-Christian religions in Belarus, go to the [[Belarus Religious Records|Religious Records]] page.'' | ''For information about records for non-Christian religions in Belarus, go to the [[Belarus Religious Records|Religious Records]] page.'' | ||
==Historical Background== | |||
According to the census of as of November 2011, 58.9% of all Belarusians adhere to some kind of religion; out of those, Eastern Orthodoxy (Belarusian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church) makes up about 82%.[194] Roman Catholicism is practiced mostly in the western regions, and there are also different denominations of Protestantism.[195][196] Minorities also practice Greek Catholicism, Judaism, Islam and Neopaganism. Overall, 48.3% of the population is Orthodox Christian, 41.1% is not religious, 7.1% is Catholic and 3.3% follows other religions.[194] | |||
Belarus's Catholic minority is concentrated in the western part of the country, especially around Hrodna, is made up of a mixture of Belarusians and the country's Polish and Lithuanian minorities. In a statement to the media regarding Belarusian-Vatican ties, President Lukashenko stated that Orthodox and Catholic believers are the "two main confessions in our country".<ref> Wikipedia contributors, "Belarus", in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,'' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus, accessed 16 April 2020. </ref> | |||
== Church Registers (Metric books) General Information == | == Church Registers (Metric books) General Information == | ||
The Church acted as both a religious and civil agent in recording vital events and church sacraments such as baptism and burial. Peter the Great mandated the keeping of Orthodox books in 1722. The format was standardized in 1724. Printed forms were introduced in 1806. In 1838 a format was introduced that prevailed until 1920 when civil registration began. The priest made a transcript for the ecclesiastical court (''dukhovnaia konsistoriia'') having jurisdiction. Old Believer and Baptist transcripts were sent to the provincial administration (''gubernskoe upravlenie''). The distinction between the original and the transcript is often ignored by Belarusian record keepers. | The Church acted as both a religious and civil agent in recording vital events and church sacraments such as baptism and burial. Peter the Great mandated the keeping of Orthodox books in 1722. The format was standardized in 1724. Printed forms were introduced in 1806. In 1838 a format was introduced that prevailed until 1920 when civil registration began. The priest made a transcript for the ecclesiastical court (''dukhovnaia konsistoriia'') having jurisdiction. Old Believer and Baptist transcripts were sent to the provincial administration (''gubernskoe upravlenie''). The distinction between the original and the transcript is often ignored by Belarusian record keepers. | ||