Alexander or Alexandr Ivanovich Vvedensky (; August 30, 1889 – July 26, 1946) was one of the leaders and ideologues of the Renovationist schism; he is considered the person "most identified with renovationism in the Soviet era".
Background
Vvedensky's paternal grandfather was according to unclear data a Jewish convert to Christianity and served as a psalmist (cantor) in the Diocese of Novgorod. In the process of converting his grandfather changed his surname to Vvedenskii after Vvedenie, the feast of the Presentation of the Virgin. Alexander's mother was a member of the provincial bourgeoisie and his father became a nobleman and was headmaster of a school at Vitebsk.
Vvedensky was born in Vitebsk in 1889. He graduated from the History department of St. Petersburg University in 1913. While a student at St. Petersburg, he played the piano and frequented the salon of Dmitry Merezhkovsky and Zinaida Gippius, important figures in the symbolist movement. With their encouragement, he wrote an article entitled "Reasons for Non-belief among the Russian Intelligentsia", published in the journal Palomnik, finding that the two main reasons for non-belief were The disparity between Christian dogma and scientific knowledge and The reactionary nature of the Orthodox clergy.
His desire to bridge the gap between religion and science and be an apologist and reformer of the church is seen throughout his subsequent career.
Vvedensky decided to enter the priesthood in 1910 and, as unmarried priests were forced to take monastic vows, he married prior to his ordination, though accusations of marital infidelity plagued him for the rest of his life. He received a diploma from the St. Petersburg Spiritual Academy in 1914, but was refused ordination due to his Jewish background and perception in intellectualism. He was finally ordained by the head Chaplain of the Army, Georgy Shavelsky, as a regimental chaplain in July 1914. He served as a regimental chaplain for two years before being assigned as Chaplain of the in Petrograd in 1916.
Vvedensky in 19221923
In May 1922, Vvedensky and group of priests named "Living Church" () were brought to Moscow with the assistance of the GPU. Vvedensky and two others met on May 10 in the Grebnevsky Church on Lubyanka Square with the church's pastor, fr. . They agreed to collaborate for the support among the Moscow clergy. Simultaneously supporting Archbishop Antonin Granovsky, the head of the movement to gain adherents in the provinces. The other goal of their agenda was to arrange the meeting with the Patriarch Tikhon in an effort to end what they saw as counterrevolutionary activity on the part of the Church. They typed up an appeal at the Revolutionary Military Council which was certified by Trotsky's personal secretary and, on May 12, distributed by Stalin to the Politburo, which approved it – in fact, the only type-written archival copy was signed by Stalin, Zinoviev, Kamenev, Molotov, Mikhail Tomsky, and Aleksey Rykov.
The same evening of the Politburo meeting, Vvedensky with several other renovationist priests confronted Patriarch Tikhon, at that time under his house arrest, with evidence that his anti-Soviet activities were leading to chaos in the Church. Tikhon denied such anti-Soviet activity, but readily agreed to step down from the patriarchal throne, and handed authority temporarily over to Metropolitan Agathangel (Preobrazhensky) of Yaroslavl until the new council could be convened to elect a new patriarch. Several days later, they got Tikhon to agree that the patriarchal chancellery should be run by the Living Church priests, yet he stipulated to have that be overseen by other two bishops. However, upon leaving the meeting, Vvedensky reported publicly that the Patriarch had approved the 1923 renovationist's local council as being the proper church administration until the local council could be convened for the election of a new Patriarch. Bishop Antonin (Granovsky) was proclamed the president of the Higher Ecclesiastical Administration () with Vvedensky as the vice-president.