The Russian Orthodox Church excommunicated Leo Tolstoy in 1901.
The Holy Synod issued its formal declaration on 24 February 1901, according to the Gregorian calendar. The statement condemned Tolstoy’s religious views, especially his rejection of central Orthodox doctrines and church authority. Tolstoy’s writings had increasingly presented Christianity as an ethical way of life centered on nonviolence, moral self-improvement, and service to others.
The declaration did not technically expel Tolstoy from a parish in the ordinary sense. Rather, it announced that his beliefs were incompatible with Orthodox teaching and warned readers against following them. Tolstoy responded that he did not seek reconciliation on the church’s terms because he continued to reject doctrines he considered inconsistent with the teachings of Jesus.
The excommunication became one of the most famous episodes in Tolstoy’s later life. It also helped focus international attention on his religious philosophy, which later influenced pacifists and reformers, including Mahatma Gandhi.