Molokan

The Molokans (Russian Молокане, Turkish Malakanlar ), " milk drinker " because they take on fast days some milk, are a group of spiritual Christianity, who split from the Russian Orthodox Church. Similar secessionist movements are the Doukhobors and the Subbotniki.

They are from an Orthodox perspective as protestants friendly and leave only the Bible for their way of life apply. They see themselves as the successors of early Christianity. The churches date from the second half of the 18th century. The heyday of the community falls approximately in the year 1820 until 1830, when its main sphere of influence was on the middle Volga. They had since 1830 according to a plan of the tsarist government to emigrate to the south of the Caucasus. The goal was to remove religious " renegade " Russians from Central Russia and at the same time to settle ethnic Russians in Transcaucasia. Even today there are some villages inhabited by Molokans in Armenia.

After the Russo- Ottoman War 1877-1878 Molokans were (re Turkey after the First World War) resettled in the conquered by Russia Kars. From here, the most hiked in the middle of the 20th century in the USA and Australia. Even today live in Kars and Istanbul in a few Molokans families.