The Gulag Archipelago [Volume 1]: An Experiment in Literary Investigation

by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Then there is a discussion of the term “blasphemy.” While they were requisitioning the valuables from the church of St. Basil the Great of Caesarea, the ikon cover would not fit into a box, and at that point they trampled it with their feet. But the Patriarch himself had not been present. The Accuser: “How do you know that? Give us the name of the priest who told you that. [And we will arrest him immediately!]” The Patriarch does not give the name. That means it was a lie! The Accuser presses on triumphantly: “No, who spread that repulsive slander?” The Presiding Judge: “Give us the names of those who trampled the ikon cover! [One can assume that after doing it they left their visiting cards!] Otherwise the tribunal cannot believe you!” The Patriarch cannot name them. The Presiding Judge: “That means you have made an unsubstantiated assertion.” It still remained to be proved that the Patriarch wanted to overthrow the Soviet government. And here is how it was proved: “Propaganda is an attempt to prepare a mood preliminary to preparing a revolt in the future.” The tribunal ordered criminal charges to be brought against the Patriarch. On May 7 sentence was pronounced: of the seventeen defendants, eleven were to be shot. (They actually shot five.) As Krylenko said: “We didn’t come here just to crack jokes.”