Porfiry Ivanov
Template:Short description Porfiry Korneyevich Ivanov (Ukrainian: Порфірій Корнійович Іванов) (February 20, 1898 – April 10, 1983) was a Russian mystic whose beliefs have attained a cult status, with followers estimated in the tens of thousands.<ref>Shnirelman, V., "Neo-paganism and Ethnic Nationalism in Eastern Europe" in Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, Bron Taylor, ed. London: Thoemmes Pres, 2005</ref> He was a self-proclaimed doctor, although he had no formal certification. The Russian Orthodox Church has considered his teachings to be heretical, and calls the cult "Ivanovites".<ref>Interfax, Argumenty i fakty, 29 January 1999</ref> Ivanov was imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital.<ref>Titova, Irina, "'Walruses' Find Their Winter Chill Out." The St. Petersburg Times January 28, 2003</ref>
Porfiri Ivanov's sect has its own hymn, written by Ivanov himself. The rhythm of the hymn was adopted from the French national anthem La Marseillaise.<ref>Cultological News</ref> Ivanov promoted Detka (literally - "baby", his usual addressing to the followers), a health system that included dousing. He based this system on the belief that it was healthy to remove one's clothing while outdoors in cold weather, in order to become closer to nature.<ref>Satter, David. Age of Delirium: The Decline and Fall of the Soviet Union New Haven: Yale University Press, Template:ISBN, 2001, p. 338</ref> Ivanov also advocated swimming in icy water, a belief that has been applied to the practice of ice swimming.<ref>Pawlak, Nicholas, "Ice Swimmers Brace Themselves for The Thaw." The St. Petersburg Times April 4, 2006</ref>
In his thirties he supposedly cured himself of cancer through spiritual cleansing and exposure to extreme cold weather<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
See also
References
External links
- Template:Webarchive
- Writings of Porphyry Ivanov
- Porfiri Ivanov: Russia's Naturalist Healer, A biography by Daniel H. Shubin.Template:ISBN
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