In 1666, the Russian Orthodox Church split apart. Those who did not accept reforms were persecuted. Many fled to remote parts of the Russian Empire where their descendents still live. They are known as the Old Believers. About 1,500 of them reside in Kazakhstan, most in the east. One of them, Valentina Murzintseva, 75, has built a church in Korobikha, in the Altay Mountains.
