Russian delegation" at 18:45 on Radio Russia! Theocratic Republic of Novgorod In 1147, a council of Russian bishops elected the Metropolitan of Kiev bypassing Constantinople. Novgorod did not agree, and a decade later he elected himself a bishop. It was chosen when a legitimate Greek metropolis was already expected in Kiev. Moreover, Novgorod elected the bishop not by the local clergy council, but by the whole city, by the Old Order. To ward off the reproach of non-canonicality, they were drawn. The loud choice of a bishop became a tradition until the end of the "Republic". The Metropolitan of All Russia approved the bishops-elect of Novgorod, and soon the archbishops, the first in Russia. The Vecha Church is more original than "Desire in Princes". The election of the bishop is more like the defining moment of the "Republic" than the expulsion of the prince and Sebolod twenty years earlier. Moreover, the "republic" becomes theocratic. Presenter: Rostam Rahmatulin - writer. Listen and subscribe to Radio Russia on Telegram MAX and download the official app of Radio Russia!