Russian Palestinian society. Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society
“We assumed that in the new 21st century the flow of pilgrims to Palestine would increase. For them, with the support of the Palestinian Society, a hotel was built in Bethlehem... The armed confrontation in these lands had its destructive effect, but with God's help“We have overcome a number of difficulties,” the Patriarch stated, “and the hotel is currently hosting pilgrims arriving in Bethlehem.”
The correspondent of Pravoslaviya.Ru made a request to the chairman of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, corresponding member Russian Academy sciences, famous historian of Ancient Rus' and Russian Orthodox Church Ya.N. Shchapov with a request to answer a number of questions.
Yaroslav Nikolaevich, please tell us about the history of the creation of the Society and the revival of its activities in our days.
It can be said that among many public organizations in modern Russia there is one that differs in the nature of its activities, its composition, and, most importantly, its history. This Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society is one of the oldest in Russia, created back in 1882. Despite the name, it is a secular rather than ecclesiastical organization, although the Russian Orthodox Church, represented by its members - hierarchs, priests and laity - participates in its work.
The society was created more than 120 years ago, when people from Russia annually came to the Holy Land - the cradle of Christian faith hundreds and thousands of people to worship the places where the Son of God lived and taught. The gospel teaching came to life in their hearts, connecting with the wondrous images of this land. Make this difficult and difficult for them easier dear road, to make it possible to have a tolerable overnight stay in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth and other places, to ensure a return to their homeland - this was one of the first goals that the organizers of the Society set for themselves.
Along with this, there was the task of helping the Orthodox in Palestine, which then belonged to the Ottoman Empire. Not only Orthodox Greeks lived there, who had their own patriarch and their own schools, but also Orthodox Arabs who needed the spiritual and material support of such a great Orthodox power as Russia. The Catholic Church was active in the Holy Land, establishing churches and monasteries. And Russia also sought, through the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem, to provide support to the local Orthodox population and pilgrims, facilitating in every possible way the opening of children's schools and the construction of hospitals...
The initiator of the creation of the Orthodox Palestine Society and its first chairman was Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. After his assassination in 1905, the Society's activities continued under the patronage of the Grand Duchess, Martyr Elizabeth Feodorovna, whose relics rest in Jerusalem.
The society was supported by emperors and members of their families, and it was no coincidence that it received the honorary name Imperial. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the IOPS had about 5 thousand members, and up to 10 thousand people annually used the Society’s help in Palestine. Thanks to his activity and the efforts of Russian diplomatic representatives in Palestine, it was possible to acquire several dozen buildings and land plots and establish monasteries that served the goals of the Society.
The Russian hospital in Jerusalem was built with Russian money; In Palestine, Syria and Lebanon, there were more than 100 schools for Orthodox Arabs, where Russian was also taught.
After the revolution of 1917, thanks to the authority of the members of the Society - well-known scientists in the country - it was possible to maintain its existence, but only in one type of activity - scientific. The society began to be called the “Russian Palestine Society”, its periodical publication “Orthodox Palestinian Collection” began to be called simply “Palestine Collection”. It published articles on the history of the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and the Arab world.
Only in 1992 did the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR return it to the Society historical name, recommended that the Government take measures to restore its traditional activities and return its property and rights. A year later, the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation re-registered the Society as the successor to both the pre-revolutionary Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society and the Soviet-era Russian Palestine Society.
Now the IOPS is reviving its traditional activities, and we hope that in due time, with God’s help, we will be able to recreate - at least partially - the extensive activities that the Society conducted before the revolution.
At the meeting with the Patriarch, pressing issues of today's work of the Society were raised. Could you elaborate on this in more detail?
Let me start with the fact that the Society has a Committee of Honorary Members, who are elected at our general meeting. Traditionally, it consists of prominent figures Russia, and its Chairman is His Holiness Patriarch Alexy. IN Lately decided to update the composition of the Committee of Honorary Members so that they provide real help To society.
Was previously compiled new list, and His Holiness the Patriarch approved it. It includes the Patriarch himself, Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsky and Kolomna, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna as a representative of the Russian Imperial House, Chairmen State Duma and the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the mayor of Moscow, the mayor and governor of St. Petersburg, prominent scientists, public figures, entrepreneurs providing assistance to the Society.
The next issue discussed at the meeting with the Patriarch was about the Society’s property in the Holy Land. The fact is that under the Soviet leader Khrushchev, Russian property was sold to the state of Israel. The Society's property was abandoned without users. We went there several times and found out the possibilities of her return.
There are buildings in Jerusalem that belonged to the Society. They stand out because on their facade there is a sign of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society - an image of an egg, a cross, the letter XB, a quote from a psalm. First of all, there were several such farmsteads, in particular, the Sergievskoye metochion, named after the Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, as well as Aleksandrovskoye, Elisavetinskoye...
Now on the upper floors, for example, of the Sergievsky courtyard there is ecological society Israel, and on the lower floor there is complete devastation - the plaster is crumbling, the ceiling is leaking... This is how we found this building when we arrived there for the first time. By the way, the building itself was not sold to Israel; it was simply abandoned in 1956 by representatives of the Society due to the outbreak of war between Israel and Egypt.
The main task now is to return the Sergievskoye Compound to the ownership of the Society. After our trips, we reported the current situation to the Minister of Foreign Affairs S.V. Lavrov and Russian President V.V. Putin. Then the question of returning the farmstead was raised. Now this problem is being actively developed, and one of the results of the meeting with the Patriarch was a blessing to continue the process of returning the Sergius metochion.
In addition, the publishing and scientific activities of the Society were discussed at our meeting.
- First of all, we're talking about about the fate of the diary of one of the most active leaders of the Russian spiritual mission in Jerusalem - Archimandrite Antonin (Kapustin). This is the largest scientific publishing project, which will certainly find a grateful reader. Archimandrite Antonin is the creator of “Russian Palestine”; historians later said that Russia owes it to him alone that “it stood firmly at the Holy Sepulcher.”Father Antonin arrived in the Holy City in 1865, but became head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission only four years later. The main thing that he was able to do for the Russian Church was to strengthen the position of the Mission in Palestine, to create normal conditions for the stay of Russian people in the Holy Land. To do this, he began to buy plots of land throughout Palestine, on which, through his efforts, monasteries, temples, and shelters for pilgrims were built.
Archimandrite Antonin made his first acquisition in Hebron in 1862: it was a plot of land with a Mamre oak growing on it - a offspring of that oak grove of Mamre, under one of the trees of which Patriarch Abraham received the Lord, who appeared to him in the form of three wanderers. (Gen. 18:1-15). In 1871, Archimandrite Antonin bought an extensive plantation of olive trees in the village of Ein Karem near Jerusalem (Evangelical Mountain - “mountain country, city of Judah”, where John the Baptist was born; Luke 1, 39-80). Soon the Gornensky convent, well known today among Russian pilgrims, began to operate there. Over time, other women’s monasteries were established in Jerusalem and its environs: Spaso-Voznesensky on the Mount of Olives, Gethsemane with the Holy Church Mary Equal to the Apostles Magdalene in Gethsemane.
The acquisition of land in Palestine was associated with considerable difficulties. Not recognized by the Ottoman Empire legal entities- it was possible to buy land only in the name individual, but not a foreigner. Invaluable assistance to Father Antonin in acquiring land was provided by the Orthodox Palestinian Yakov Halebi, as well as the Russian Ambassador to Constantinople, Count Ignatiev.
Father Antonin also actively carried out archaeological research: in 1883, excavations were carried out near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, as a result of which the remains of the wall of ancient Jerusalem with the Threshold of the Gate of Judgment, through which they led to the execution of the Savior, and the propylaea of the Basilica of Constantine were discovered. A temple was later erected on this site in honor of the blessed prince Alexander Nevsky.
The diary of Archimandrite Antonin is a unique church-historical source covering a 30-year period. It is these 30 volumes relating to his activities in the Holy Land that are intended to be published. These truly precious manuscripts, stored in St. Petersburg, have already been transferred into digital format and are being prepared for publication.
Of course, this is a huge job, for the implementation of which the Society needs the help of the Russian Orthodox Church, the involvement statesmen and scientists, supported by sponsors. For this purpose, a Publishing and Trustee Committee is being formed, which His Holiness Patriarch Alexy and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov agreed to join. It is planned to complete the publication of the diary by 2017 - the 200th anniversary of the birth of Archimandrite Antonin (Kapustin).
- What is the assessment His Holiness Patriarch multifaceted activities of the Company?
The Patriarch highly appreciated the work of the Society for the period 2003-2005. We managed to organize Russian language courses for Palestinians in Bethlehem. Their goal is to strengthen friendly relations between our peoples and help the Palestinians master the Russian language. We can say that these courses are just the “first sign”; we know that they are in demand in other Palestinian cities.
We develop the traditions of the IOPS and in scientific activity. Every year, with the assistance of the Society, scientific conferences. Conferences dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the birth of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, the 100th anniversary of the death of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, and a conference dedicated to the Great Martyr and healer Panteleimon have already been held. We also held a conference dedicated to the division of the Western and Eastern Churches in 1054 - “Orthodox Byzantium and the Latin West.” The materials of the conference “Pilgrimage in the History of Russia” turned out to be very interesting.
But most importantly, we managed to organize one of the conferences in the Holy Land - with the help of the Russian Spiritual Mission and the Russian Embassy at the Israeli Scopus University. It was attended by specialists from Russia, as well as Israelis and Palestinians. The theme for it was the role of Jerusalem in Russian culture. By the way, we proposed to include those who helped us in organizing this meeting - both from the Israeli side (the rector of Scopus University) and from the Palestinian side (for example, Mahmoud Abbas - the head of the Palestinian Authority) into the list of associated honorary members of the Society.
A significant stage on the path of the Company was its registration in last year at the UN International Committee of Non-Governmental Organizations on Social and Economic Issues (ECOSOC). We are very grateful to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation for their assistance in this matter. I also had the opportunity to visit the embassies of Middle Eastern states: Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Syria. We asked them to support the organization of our Society’s activities in these countries.
Every year we publish the “Orthodox Palestinian Collection.” The Indrik publishing house has published art albums dedicated to the construction of the Church of Mary Magdalene on the Mount of Olives and Russian archaeological excavations in Jerusalem. Now we have also republished a book by one of the founders of the pre-revolutionary Society - V.N. Khitrovo about pilgrimage to Palestine.
Currently, the Company is represented in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod and even Moldova. But this is clearly not enough. Therefore, we asked the Patriarch for blessings to open branches of the Society in those dioceses where they existed before the revolution and assisted pilgrims from Russian provinces on trips to the Holy Land.
It must be said that at the beginning of the 20th century there were 52 such branches. The society then actively organized pilgrimage tours- Cheap steamships went from Odessa to Haifa, and already on the territory of the Holy Land our pilgrims were accommodated in houses specially built for them. Now the Society is not engaged in this (this is the function, for example, of the Pilgrimage Center of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Radonezh Society), but strives to create the maximum favorable conditions for pilgrims to stay in the Holy Land.
The Patriarch expressed satisfaction and gratitude to the Society for the work that has been carried out in recent years, and wished blessed success in future activities.
Vasily Pisarevsky talked with Yaroslav Nikolaevich Shchapov.
On December 3, 2017 at 18.00 in the Hall of Columns there will be a gala evening dedicated to the 135th anniversary of the oldest international public organization in Russia - the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (IOPS).
Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, created by Decree of the Emperor Alexandra III and the public initiative of outstanding Russian people of that time, its history dates back to 1882.
May 8, 1882 The Charter of the Society was approved, and on May 21 of the same year its grand opening took place in St. Petersburg, timed to coincide with the celebration of the day of remembrance of Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen, who erected the first Christian churches in the Holy Land and found Life-giving Cross Lord's.
The names of these saints are associated with the ancient churches of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, as well as the very principle of patronage of the Holy Land by Orthodox emperors.
Historical motto of the Society: “I will not remain silent for Zion’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest.” Initially the Society was called “Orthodox Palestinian”. The main goals of the Society are to maintain spiritual ties between Russia and the Holy Land, preserve cultural and historical heritage, develop friendly ties between Russia and the countries and peoples of the Middle East, humanitarian and educational missions in the Middle East region, promote Orthodox pilgrimage, maintain Orthodoxy - these noble goals are closely related to traditional spiritual and moral priorities of our people and foreign policy priorities of the Russian state.
The first Chairman of the Society was the Grand Duke Sergiy Alexandrovich Romanov, outstanding Russian state and public figure, Lieutenant General, Governor General of Moscow.
After the tragic death of the Grand Duke, the Grand Duchess became the Chairman of the Society Elizaveta Fedorovna– nee Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt, daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse Ludwig IV, granddaughter of the English Queen Victoria, elder sister Empress Alexandra Feodorovna - wife of Emperor Nicholas II.
Under her chairmanship, the Society solemnly celebrated its 25th anniversary in St. Petersburg.
Emperor Nicholas II honored Elizaveta Fedorovna with a rescript, stating that under the leadership of Elizaveta Fedorovna the Society retained the trust it had acquired among the population and its importance in the Holy Land. The Emperor summed up the results of a quarter of a century of activity of the IOPS: “Now, having possessions in Palestine worth almost two million rubles, the IOPS has 8 farmsteads, where up to 10 thousand pilgrims find shelter, a hospital, six hospitals for incoming patients and 101 educational institutions with 10 400 students. Over 25 years, the Society has published 347 publications on Palestinian studies.”
Elizaveta Feodorovna resigned her powers after the February Revolution and the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II. On April 6, 1917, the Council of the Orthodox Palestine Society, which had already lost the name “Imperial,” accepted the resignation of the Grand Duchess. The Society received the honorary name “Imperial” by the Imperial Decree on March 24, 1889. This decree also approved the transfer of the functions of the Palestine Commission to the Palestinian Society.
And earlier, on October 18, 1884, the general meeting of the PPO raised the issue of granting the Society the right to open departments in various cities of the empire. They were called upon to intensify the collection of donations in favor of Russian Palestine.
First department became the most distant Yakut department, opened March 21, 1893. It had 18 members.
On December 19 of the same year it was opened Odessa department IOPS. Further, from January 1894 to April 1895, 16 more departments of the Society were opened. They were also called upon to launch propaganda and popular science work among the population to familiarize themselves with the history of the Holy Land and the significance of the Russian presence in the East.
By the beginning of the 20th century Society belonged in Palestine 8 farmsteads. In Jerusalem alone: within the Old City - Aleksandrovskoe, near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher; as part of the so-called Russian Buildings - Elizavetinskoe, Mariinsky and Nikolaevsky; next to it is New, which after the death of Grand Duke Sergius Alexandrovich received the name Sergievsky Metochion, and nearby is another one - Veniaminovskoye, donated to the IOPS in 1891 by Abbot Veniamin.
At the beginning of the 20th century, farmsteads were built in Nazareth and Haifa. In total, the IOPS passed through the farmsteads more than 10 thousand pilgrims per year. In addition, land plots and real estate properties were in Bethlehem, Ain Karem, Nazareth, Cana of Galilee, Afula, Haifa, Jericho, Ramallah - a total of 28 plots.
The IOPS contained for pilgrims and local residents Russian hospital in Jerusalem and a number of outpatient clinics: in Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bet Jala, Damascus. The Society also had its own churches - two in Russia (Nikolo-Alexandrovsky Church in St. Petersburg, Sergius Skete in Kaluga province) and two in Palestine: the seven-domed Church of Mary Magdalene in Gethsemane, the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky at the Alexander Metochion, a small chapel in the Sergievsky Metochion. The canonical churches at that time were subordinate, like all foreign ones, to the St. Petersburg Metropolitan, and the material part - construction, repairs, maintenance - remained with the Palestine Society.
Nikolaevsky metochion of the IOPS in Jerusalem
On the eve of First World War the Society consisted about 3 thousand members, IOPS departments operated in 52 dioceses Russian Orthodox Church. By 1917 Russian Empire belonged 70 properties in the Holy Land.
In 1917, the word “Imperial” disappeared from the name, and in 1918 the word “Orthodox” was also removed. The Russian Palestine Society began to operate under the USSR Academy of Sciences, whose activities were reduced to scientific research by the Academy of Sciences of that period.
110 years later since the founding of the Society on May 22, 1992, the Presidium of the Supreme Council Russian Federation adopted a resolution to restore the historical name Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society and recommended that the government adopt necessary measures for the practical restoration and return to the IOPS of its property and rights.
It is noteworthy that in restoration activities historical justice was then hosted by the current Chairman of the IOPS Sergey Stepashin, at that time a deputy of the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation.
Today, under the leadership of S.V. Stepashin with the assistance of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Russian Orthodox Church, state and public structures Russia is returning to the Middle East in the format of its historical presence in the region, building cultural centers, schools, museums and park complexes, returns objects of Russian property.
As you know, in 1964, the USSR government declared itself the sole owner of most of this property and sold it to Israel for 3.5 million Israeli liras ($4.5 million). In accordance with the Agreement, called the “Orange Deal,” the house of the Russian Consulate General, the Russian Hospital, the Mariinsky, Elizavetinsky, Nikolaevsky and Veniaminovsky metochions in Jerusalem, several plots of land in Haifa, Afula and other holy places were sold, among other objects.
The list of objects of the “orange deal” did not include the buildings of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission and the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Jerusalem. December 28th symbol of the Russian presence in the Holy Land - the Sergievsky metochion was returned to Russian property and today the historical flag of the IOPS flies over it.
Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society as a non-governmental organization
- defends Russia's position in the Middle East,
- asserts the Orthodox presence in the biblical region,
- strengthens the diverse spiritual, cultural and humanitarian connections Russia with the peoples and countries of the Middle East,
- conducts serious scientific and pilgrimage activities,
- carries out humanitarian missions,
- defends the fundamental rights of Christians who experience better times, and in a number of countries in the region are subject to persecution and violence.
Society traditionally has a high level of trust in the Middle East region and is currently successfully developing public diplomacy. Since 2005 year IOPS has consultative status with the UN ECOSOC, which allows you to conduct international and human rights activities in this influential international institution.
Today the Society consists of more than 1000 people, professing age-old Christian values. Branches and representative offices of the IOPS, regional and foreign, are active in Russia and abroad.
In 2012 The Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society was awarded Gratitude from the President of the Russian Federation.
The history of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society continues.
There is an amazing connection between house number 3 on Zabelina Street, the Marfo-Mariinskaya Convent in Moscow and the Church of Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem.
In Jerusalem, on the slope of the Mount of Olives in Gethsemane, a small Orthodox church attracts attention, its domes shine brightly in the Middle Eastern sun among the greenery of the Gardens of Gethsemane.
This is the Church of Mary Magdalene, consecrated in 1888 in honor of the Russian Empress Maria Alexandrovna, who died in 1880, born princess Hessian.
The temple was built by the Russian Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (IPOS), created in 1882, for which a plot of land was purchased. The first chairman of the society was Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, son of Emperor Alexander II and Empress Maria Alexandrovna.
Nowadays, the IOPS has been recreated and registered in Moscow in house No. 3 on Zabelina Street.
The society was created to popularize Orthodoxy in the countries of the Middle East and organize Orthodox pilgrimages to the Holy Land.
In Palestine, Syria, and Libya, schools were created in which Russian was taught along with general education subjects.
Compounds were opened to receive pilgrims, where you could get one free lunch and leave your belongings in a storage room. At the farmsteads there were hospitals and shops with products and souvenirs cheaper than in the city.
Pilgrims traveled to the Holy Land by sea from Odessa to Jaffa, and a ticket on the ship cost forty percent less than for ordinary passengers.
The consecration of the Church of Mary Magdalene was attended by the grand dukes, members of the imperial family, including Sergei Alexandrovich’s wife, Elizaveta Feodorovna, as well as his mother, the Hessian princess. At the solemn ceremony, she bequeathed to be buried in this temple.
After the death of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, Governor General of Moscow, at the hands of the terrorist Kalyaev in 1905, his wife Elizaveta Fedorovna became the chairman of the Imperial Society.
In 1909, using her own funds, having sold valuables and jewelry, Elizaveta Fedorovna founded a monastery in Moscow on Bolshaya Ordynka, and she became its abbess. Elizaveta Fedorovna dedicated her life to mercy and helping the disadvantaged. The church at the hospital opened in the monastery was consecrated in honor of the myrrh-bearing wives Martha and Mary.
In addition to the hospital, the monastery operated a school and a free canteen for low-income people.
During the First World War, a hospital was organized in the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent.
In 1912, the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built in the monastery according to the design of A.V. Shchusev.
In 1917, the threat of reprisals hung over the abbess of the monastery because of her German origin; her good deeds were not taken into account. She repeatedly received offers from the British government to leave the country. Elizabeth Feodorovna was the granddaughter of the British queen, but she rejected all offers, deciding to share the fate of her new homeland.
In 1918, Elizaveta Feodorovna was arrested and taken with other members of the imperial family to Alapaevsk. There those arrested were executed by being thrown alive into an abandoned mine.
The bodies of the dead White Guards were lifted from the mine and taken to China. In 1921, following the will of the Grand Duchess, her remains were transported to Jerusalem and buried in the Church of Mary Magdalene.
Currently, there is a female Orthodox monastery in Gethsemane, founded in 1934.
The Marfo-Mariinskaya Convent was closed during the Soviet period, a club and a cinema were opened in the Intercession Church, and a sculpture of Stalin was installed in the altar.
Currently, the monastery has been revived, services have been resumed in the temple.
In 1992, Elizaveta Fedorovna was canonized as a holy martyr.
The modern IOPS, with the help of the Russian and Israeli governments, is trying to return the farmsteads in Jerusalem and this activity is bringing encouraging results.
The propaganda of Orthodoxy in the Holy Land continues.
Yuri Trifonov
Lisova N.N., candidate philosophical sciences, senior researcher at the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
"Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society: XIX – XX – XXI centuries."
National history. 2007 No. 1. P. 3-22.
The Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (IPOS) is the oldest scientific and humanitarian organization in Russia non-governmental organization. His activities and legacy in the history of Russian national culture are unique in their significance. The statutory objectives of the Society - promoting pilgrimage to the Holy Land, scientific Palestinian studies and humanitarian cooperation with the countries of the biblical region - are closely related to the traditional spiritual values of our people and the priorities of Russian foreign policy in the East. Likewise, a huge layer of world history and culture cannot be correctly understood without connection with Palestine, its biblical and Christian heritage.
Conceived by the founders of the Russian cause in the East, Bishop Porfiry (Uspensky) and Archimandrite Antonin (Kapustin) and created in 1882 by the sovereign will of Alexander III, the IOPS enjoyed state attention and support in the pre-revolutionary period. At its head were the leaders. book Sergei Alexandrovich (from the founding of the Society until the day of his death on February 4, 1905), and then, until 1917, leader. book Elizaveta Fedorovna. State and property interests associated with the legacy of the IOPS in the Middle East have allowed it to withstand the revolutionary cataclysm, survive the Soviet period and intensify its work today.
The activities of the IOPS have not been the subject of comprehensive research by historians for a long time. Until 1917, the only work on this topic was the unfinished monograph by A. A. Dmitrievsky “The Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society and its activities over the past quarter of a century” (the author brought the presentation only up to 1889 - the time of its merger with the Palestine Commission) 1. In the post-October period, only short anniversary notes were dedicated to the Orthodox Palestine Society, the Russian Spiritual Mission (RDM) in Jerusalem and other similar institutions in the corresponding issues of the “Palestine Collection” 2. The situation has changed only in recent years. Several articles related to this topic have appeared in historical and archival Byzantine publications and in periodicals. A monograph by the Israeli Arab historian O. Mahamid was published in St. Petersburg, dedicated to the history of the schools of the Palestinian Society, their significance for the formation of several generations of the Arab national intelligentsia 4 .
The author of this article prepared and published 2 volumes of documents, research and materials “Russia in the Holy Land” 5 and the monograph “Russian spiritual and political presence in the Holy Land and the Middle East in the 19th - early 20th centuries.” (M., 2006). At the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the history of Russian-Palestinian relations became the topic of the candidate's dissertation of I. A. Vorobyova 6 and the book of B. F. Yamilinets 7 .
In foreign historiography, the history of the IOPS is devoted to 2 generalizing works - “Russian interests in Palestine” by F. J. Stavrou 8 and “Russian presence in Syria and Pa-
lestine. Church and Politics in the Middle East" by D. Hopwood 9. Strength The first monograph is the use of Greek sources, while the center of gravity of the study shifts to the area of Russian-Greek church-political contradictions. Hopwood is a major Arabist, an expert on the political struggle between Russian and British diplomacy in the Middle East. A natural drawback of both works is ignorance of Russian archival material, which, regardless of the wishes or position of the authors, impoverishes and often distorts the overall picture.
This article not only gives a general overview of the history of the IOPS, which notes in this year 125 years of his service to Russia, national science and culture, but also opens some pages of his activity previously unknown to researchers.
“Asymmetrical response”: Paris Peace and Russian Jerusalem
Russia's relations with the Christian East (Byzantine and post-Byzantine world), dating back to the era of the Baptism of Rus', were not interrupted either during the era of the Mongol yoke or after the capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders (1204) and the Turks (1453). During the imperial period (XVIII-XIX centuries), when in international treatises and conventions the topic of holy places acquired an international legal character, and church-diplomatic issues became an integral part of foreign policy discourse, Russia only continued the centuries-old traditions of its ties with the Orthodox peoples of the Ottoman Empire - and its historical responsibility for them.
Not always clearly formulated, this theme of responsibility invariably acted as one of the factors in the political and military-political activities of Imperial Russia. A true watershed in this regard was the era Crimean War, the very emergence of which was associated, as is known, with the traditional Russian attempt to protect the rights of the Orthodox population of the Turkish Empire. After the end of the war, despite its difficult results for Russia, Russian diplomacy managed to make a breakthrough precisely in the Jerusalem direction, using the ancient, long-forgotten, but easily activated element of Russian Orthodox pilgrimage. If on his first visit to Palestine (1830) A. N. Muravyov met in Jerusalem only about two dozen Russian pilgrims stuck there in connection with the war, and by the middle of the 19th century there were from 200 to 400 of them in the Holy Land per year. year 10, then by the beginning of the First World War, up to 10 thousand people passed through the institutions of the IOPS annually 11. From an instinctive, uncontrollable popular movement, pilgrimage became an instrument of skillful - and not only church - politics. The peace treaty of 1856 had not yet been signed in Paris, but they were already talking about Russian penetration into the East... in Jerusalem. A new foreign policy approach was found, designed to compensate for losses and concessions, and it consisted, in the spirit of the times, in the formation of a sphere of their own interests in the Holy Land, and, therefore, their own springboard for penetration 12.
The first step was the creation in 1856 of the Russian Society of Shipping and Trade with its leadership in St. Petersburg and the main port base in Odessa. The founders of the Society were the aide-de-camp, captain 1st rank N.A. Arkas and the owner of steamships on the Volga N.A. Novoselsky. To encourage and support the Society, the government pledged to pay it per mile for 20 years (about 1.5 million rubles per year), to issue 64 thousand rubles. per year for ship repairs and purchase 6,670 shares of the company in the amount of 2 million rubles. (half of the amount was deposited immediately) 13. The speed of establishment of the Society, the attention paid to it by the highest echelons of power, the generous funding provided by the treasury - everything testified to importance, which the government gave him. By the end of 1857, the Company had 17 steamships at its disposal and 10 in shipyards. (For comparison: on the eve of the Crimean War, the entire steam flotilla of the Odessa port consisted of 12 ships). The first ship captains, officers and supercargo ROPIT were all from the Russian navy.
In order to centralize the management of the construction and operation of pilgrimage farmsteads in Palestine, on March 23, 1859, the Palestine Committee was created in St. Petersburg, headed by the king’s brother, Vel. book Konstantin Nikolaevich 14. Alexander II ordered the release of 500 thousand rubles from the State Treasury for his purposes. An annual church collection (the so-called “Palm” or “Palestine”) was also opened. Over the 5 years of the Palestinian Committee’s existence, its treasury received 295,550 rubles. 69 kopecks mug fee, on average - 59 thousand rubles. per year, which, according to the fair remark of A. A. Dmitrievsky, “one cannot but recognize a very favorable result for the era of the liberation of peasants from serfdom.” Other types of voluntary donations were also used. Thus, 75 thousand rubles were received from tax farmers of different provinces, and 30 thousand rubles from Chamberlain Yakovlev. According to the Committee's reports, by the end of 1864 its capital amounted to 1,003,259 rubles. 34 kopecks 15.
Without dwelling on the details of the acquisition of land and the construction of Russian buildings, I will only note that the launched flywheel of the pilgrimage movement required a further expansion of the material base in Palestine. Russian buildings received the first pilgrims in 1864. The main goal pursued in St. Petersburg by creating the Palestine Committee was achieved: “Russian Palestine” became a real spiritual and political factor in the life of the Christian East 16. True, her financial support was by no means brilliant. Over the years, the Palestinian farmsteads fell into disrepair and became crowded for the growing flow of pilgrims; the public sounded the alarm, and the bureaucratic reports of the Palestine Commission, which replaced the committee of the same name, remained government-friendly: they counted on the unpretentiousness and resignation of the common pilgrim mass 17 . A new reorganization of Russian affairs in the East was brewing, bringing to the fore (while still decisive role government agencies and church "circle") more free and democratic public initiative, the embodiment of which was the Orthodox Palestinian Society.
Creation of the Palestine Society
For the convenience of analyzing the activities of the IOPS, it is necessary to outline some periodization. The history of the Society knows 3 large periods: pre-revolutionary (1882 - 1917), Soviet (1917 - 1991) and post-Soviet (from 1992 to the present). Upon closer examination, the activities of the IOPS of pre-revolutionary times clearly fall into 3 stages. The first opens with the creation of the Society on May 8, 1882 and ends with its transformation and merger with the Palestine Commission on March 24, 1889. The second covers the period of time from 1889 to the first Russian revolution of 1905 - 1907. and ends for the Society with a number of tragic losses: in 1903 its founder and main ideologist V.N. Khitrovo died, in February 1905 the first chairman of the leader was killed by a terrorist bomb. book Sergius Alexandrovich, and in August 1906, secretary A.P. Belyaev died. With the departure of the “founding fathers,” the “ascending” heroic stage in the life of Palestinian society ended. The last, third period, located “between two revolutions,” is associated with the coming to leadership of the leader. book Elizaveta Fedorovna as chairman and Professor A. A. Dmitrievsky as secretary 18. It ends with the outbreak of the First World War, when the work of Russian institutions in the Middle East actually ceased and communications with them were severed, or, formally, February revolution and led the resignation. book Elizaveta Fedorovna.
Within the “Soviet” period one can also notice certain chronological gradations. I would define the first 8 years (1917 - 1925) as a period of “struggle for survival.” Having lost the old regime titles in the revolutionary upheaval and devastation, the Russian Palestine Society under the USSR Academy of Sciences (as it began to be called) was officially registered by the NKVD only in October 1925. After several “quiet” (i.e., not marked by any activity) years, during which they left
life and science, most of the pre-revolutionary figures of the Society, including academicians F.I. Uspensky (chairman of the RPO in 1921 - 1928) and N. Ya. Marr (chairman in 1929 - 1934), the RPO smoothly transitions into a completely virtual mode of existence: not formally closed by anyone, it peacefully ceases functioning. This “dormant” existence continued until 1950, when, by “highest” order, the Society was revived due to the change in the situation in the Middle East - the emergence of the State of Israel. The next decades are difficult, but we have to call them a “rebirth period.” The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the widespread political and economic crisis that followed seemed to once again call into question the very existence of the Society. Deprived of material and other support, it was forced to look for a new status and new, independent sources of financing. Taking advantage of the situation, the Society was able to restore its historical name: the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (resolution of the Supreme Council of May 25, 1992). The named date opens the newest period in the history of the IOPS.
Let's take a closer look at each of the periods. The initiator of the creation of the IOPS was the famous Russian Palestine scholar, a prominent official of the Ministry of Finance V. N. Khitrovo (1834 - 1903) 19 . His interest in the East arose long before the founding of the Society. In the summer of 1871, his first trip to Palestine took place. The difficult, helpless situation of Russian pilgrims and the bleak state of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church made a completely prosperous St. Petersburg official strong impression. Khitrovo was especially influenced by his acquaintance with ordinary pilgrims - commoners, as they were called then: “They attacked our fans a lot in holy places, and yet it was only thanks to these hundreds and thousands of gray peasants and simple women, moving from Jaffa to Jerusalem from year to year and vice versa, as if in a Russian province, we owe to the influence that the name of the Russian has in Palestine, an influence so strong that you and the Russian language will walk along this road and only some Bedouin who has come from afar will not understand you. peasant - and “Moskov”, the only one still supporting in Palestine, will disappear Russian influence. Take it away, and Orthodoxy will die out amid systematic Catholic and, in recent times, even more powerful Protestant propaganda." 20
It remained to answer a question that was incomprehensible to many in Russia at the time: why do we need Palestine? For Khitrovo, the situation was extremely clear: he considered the issue of presence in the Middle East to be key for the entire Russian foreign policy. He wrote: “Regarding political interests, I will only point out that we are the natural heirs of the Greeks wherever Orthodoxy exists, that the Turks can be beaten not on the Danube alone, not with the support of the Orthodox Slavs alone, but also on the Euphrates and the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, relying on the Orthodox Arabic population. Through Georgia and Armenia we are almost in contact with Palestine and embrace Asia Minor. It is not in the Hindu Kush or the Himalayas that the struggle for dominance in Asia will take place, but in the valleys of the Euphrates and in the gorges of the Lebanese Mountains, where the world struggle over the fate of Asia has always ended."21
Awaken the religious and even more so political interest It was not so easy for the Russian public consciousness to approach Jerusalem in those “positivist” years. The success of Khitrovo’s efforts at the turn of the 1870s - 1880s. contributed to a number of circumstances, both objective and subjective. A serious influence was exerted by the rise in society of Orthodox patriotic consciousness associated with the Russian-Turkish war of 1877 - 1878, when Russian troops almost captured Constantinople. The Eastern question and the Russian cause in the East acquired a completely new, victorious and offensive perspective. And although the wave of enthusiasm was soon replaced by disappointment that came after the Berlin Treaty, the very defeat of Gorchakov’s diplomacy in Berlin required revenge.
The note from Khitrovo, presented by the leader, is dated March 1880. book Konstantin Nikolaevich, who once headed the Palestine Committee. Khitrovo pointed to the alarming growth of the Catholic presence in Jerusalem. The prospect of a mass defection into the union of Orthodox Arabs (who were Russia's main ally in Palestine and Syria) was obvious 22 . After reading the note, he led. book On March 11, 1880, Konstantin Nikolaevich invited its author to his Marble Palace, and 2 weeks later, in the hall of the Imperial Geographical Society, a “reading” (something between a report and a public lecture) of Khitrovo “Orthodoxy in the Holy Land” took place. The published text of the report constituted the first issue of a new publication in Russian scientific literature - the "Orthodox Palestine Collection", published by the author at his own expense. On title page It read: “Published by V. N. Khitrovo” 23.
Public readings at Khitrovo and the book “Orthodoxy in the Holy Land” (1881) caused great public outcry. But the pilgrimage to the Holy Land on May 21 - 31, 1881 was of decisive importance in the history of the founding of the IOPS. book Sergius and Pavel Alexandrovich and led. book Konstantin Konstantinovich (their cousin, later the famous poet K.R., president of the Academy of Sciences). The immediate reason for the trip was the tragic losses in the royal family: the death of Empress Maria Alexandrovna (May 22, 1880) and the assassination of Alexander II (March 1, 1881). It is unknown who suggested the idea of a funeral pilgrimage to the great princes. Apparently, the idea arose spontaneously: although Empress Maria Alexandrovna was unable to fulfill her dream of a pilgrimage to Jerusalem due to health reasons, she always remained the patroness and benefactor of Russian institutions in Palestine.
Close contact with the head of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem, Archimandrite Antonin, contributed to Sergius Alexandrovich's personal interest in the problems of Russian Palestine 24. Soon after the return of the Grand Dukes to St. Petersburg, Khitrovo, with the help of their tutor Admiral D.S. Arsenyev and Admiral E.V. Putyatin, achieved an audience with the Grand Duke. book Sergius Alexandrovich and convinced him to become the head of the projected Orthodox Palestinian Society. On May 8, 1882, the Society’s charter was approved by the highest order, and on May 21, in the palace, it was conducted. book Nikolai Nikolaevich the Elder (who also made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1872) in the presence of members of the imperial family, Russian and Greek clergy, scientists and diplomats, after a prayer service in the house church, its grand opening took place.
Composition, sources of financing, management structure of the IOPS
It is interesting to trace the social composition of the society being created. Among the 43 founding members, who made up, in the figurative expression of F. Stavrou, the “picturesque group”, there were people different interests and occupations, which, as a rule, visited holy places or were engaged in the history of the East and had a certain understanding of their subject future activities. “The project required dynamism,” writes the historian, “and the founding members were determined to fulfill the assigned tasks” 25.
The success of the IOPS depended on the ability of its leaders to avoid the mistakes of their predecessors - the RDM and the Palestinian Commission. It’s indicative that he didn’t drive. book Konstantin Nikolaevich, nor Count N.P. Ignatiev were not included in the list of founders. There was neither Porfiry, nor Leonid Kavelin, nor Antonin, nor K.P. Pobedonostsev in it, despite his close relationship with Sergius Alexandrovich. The only veteran of the Palestinian Committee and the Palestinian Commission admitted to the founding members of the PPO was B.P. Mansurov. Most of the named persons became honorary members of the IOPS from the day of its opening, but their absence among the founders was a kind of litmus test, signaling that the new Society intended to plan and build its work with minimal regard to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Synod.
The main composition of the founding members can be divided into 3 groups: the aristocracy, the military and civilian high bureaucracy and scientists. There were 10 people belonging to the aristocracy: princes, counts, countesses. Of the great princes, besides Sergius Alexandrovich, only his cousin, Vladimir, was there. book Mikhail Mikhailovich. His appearance on the list of founders is difficult to explain; he did not participate in any way in the further activities of the Society and, due to a morganatic marriage, was even forced to spend the rest of his days outside of Russia. Much more serious participants were the famous poet and playwright, Prince. A. A. Golenishchev-Kutuzov (1848 - 1913) and Count S. D. Sheremetev (1844 - 1918), member of the State Council and honorary member Academy of Sciences, who wrote and published a lot on Russian history and the history of holy places. Charitable activities Admiral Count E.V. Putyatin and his daughter Countess O.E. Putyatin were known in favor of the Church and Orthodoxy abroad. Previously, Putyatin made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and tried to financially help the RDM. Now the Putyatin family became the largest benefactor in favor of the Palestine Society. The same group included colonel, later general, M.P. Stepanov, who accompanied Sergius Alexandrovich on his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in May 1881 and was soon elected first secretary of the IOPS.
The second group included, among others: a comrade of the state controller (later the state controller), a Slavophile writer, a historian of Russian-Greek church relations, and the author of the book “Modern Church Issues” (St. Petersburg, 1882). T. I. Filippov, who became the first vice-chairman of the IOPS, director of the office of the Ministry of Finance, future director Public library D. F. Kobeko 26 and Minister of State Property M. N. Ostrovsky.
The third group consisted of: the great Russian Byzantinist V. G. Vasilyevsky, M. A. Venevitinov, known for his research and the best edition of “The Walking of Abbot Daniel”, church historian and archaeologist, professor of the Kiev Theological Academy A. A. Olesnitsky, author of the only literature, the archaeological monograph “The Holy Land”, etc. The same group should include the literary critic and bibliographer S.I. Ponomarev, the creator of the first bibliographic index “Palestine and Jerusalem in Russian Literature” (St. Petersburg, 1876).
Membership in the Society was open to all who sympathized with its tasks and goals and were interested in the Holy Land. There were 3 categories of members: honorary, full and associate members. The number of honorary members was initially limited to 50. They could be people known for their merits or scientific works about the Holy Land, or those who have made a donation of at least 5 thousand rubles to the IOPS account. This made honorary membership available only to major scientists, secular and ecclesiastical, as well as to wealthy people. The latter group included members of the imperial family, the highest nobility and the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church. They constituted the main source of financing for various projects.
The number of active members was limited to 2 thousand. This group formed the backbone of the society. Who were among them? Let us consider, for example, the composition of the Chisinau department, which is quite typical for most regional departments. According to the list as of March 1, 1901, it consisted of: 2 honorary members, 3 full members, 26 employee members (of which 5 were life members). In total, there were 31 people in the department. In terms of social composition, 22 members belonged to the clergy, including: 1 archbishop, 2 bishops, 2 archimandrites, 3 abbots, 1 hieromonk, 3 archpriests, 10 priests. In other words, 2/3 of the department consisted of persons of clergy rank. The secular part of the department included 9 people. Among them were 2 directors of gymnasiums, a director of a real school, 2 teachers of a theological seminary, 1 merchant of the 1st guild, 1 local employee, 1 actual state councilor and a Chisinau craft head 27. Two years later, the department already consisted of 42 people. Replenishment was mainly provided by the same clergy. Exactly half of the department was now occupied by priests (21, of which 12 were rural). As a result, there were 33 spiritual people in the department, i.e. more than 75% 28 .
On January 20, 1902, a department of the IOPS was opened in Tambov. The list of active members of the department allows you to get an idea of its social composition. Among the active members were the ruling bishop, the governor, the provincial leader of the nobility, 1 lieutenant general and 1 hereditary honorable Sir. The collaborating members included the chairman of the Tambov Treasury Chamber, the rector of the Theological Seminary, 2 archpriests, a member of the Tambov consistory, the abbess of the Ascension Convent, the mayor, the district military commander, the director of the Tambov Catherine Teachers' Institute, the director of a real school, the provincial treasurer, and the caretaker of the Second Theological School. As we see, in Tambov the clergy did not make up the majority, and in general social status members of the department was higher than in Chisinau.
Palm tax remained one of the main sources of funding for the Palestine Society. According to the calculations of the always careful and accurate V.N. Khitrovo, the Society’s income had the following structure: “In each ruble of the parish: membership fees - 13 kopecks, donations (including Palm tax) - 70 kopecks, interest on securities - 4 kopecks, from sales of publications - 1 kopecks, from pilgrims - 12 kopecks." 29. Obviously, the Russian cause in Palestine continued to be carried out primarily by the selfless help of ordinary believers. Accordingly, the structure of IOPS expenses (in percentage, or, as Khitrovo liked to say, “in every ruble of expenditure”) looked like this: “for the maintenance of Orthodoxy (i.e. for the maintenance of Russian schools in Syria and Palestine. - N.L.) - 32 kopecks, for benefits to pilgrims (for the maintenance of Russian farmsteads in Jerusalem, Jericho, etc. - N.L.) - 35 kopecks, for scientific publications and research - 8 kopecks, for collecting donations - 9 kopecks, for total expenses - 16 kopecks." thirty . Or, in round figures, the main expenses of the Society were reduced to “1 pilgrim and 1 student: each pilgrim cost 16 rubles 18 kopecks in 1899/1900, with the exception of 3 rubles 80 kopecks received from each - 12 rubles 38 kopecks.” Each student of Russian Arab schools costs 23 rubles and 21 kopecks." 31. The IOPS estimate for 1901/1902 was approved at 400 thousand rubles. (not counting one-time construction costs) 32.
The diocesan departments of the Palestine Society, which began to emerge in 1893, were primarily called upon to intensify the collection of donations in favor of Russian Palestine. Oddly enough, the first of them was the most remote Yakut department, created on March 21, 1893. It included 18 person, the department had 3084 rubles at the cash desk. (of which 1,800 rubles are one-time contributions, 375 rubles are annual membership fees and 904 rubles are donations). At the end of the same year, on December 19, the Odessa department of the IOPS was opened, and from January 1894 to April 1895, 16 more departments were opened. The purpose of their creation was twofold - to find new means of financing the activities of the IOPS in the Holy Land and to develop popular science and propaganda work among the general population to familiarize people with the history of the Holy Land and the significance of the Russian presence in the East.
Unlike the Chisinau and Tambov departments, others were numerous. Thus, there were about 200 members in the Yekaterinburg department. In Donskoy, in one year after its opening, 334 people were accepted into the Society; by 1903, the number of members had increased to 562 33 . The amount of funds collected grew proportionally. For 1895 - 1900 The Don Department of the IOPS contributed almost 40 thousand rubles to the Society's cash desk, not counting the Palm Collection, of which 14,333 rubles were collected over the same years 34 . In total, from the opening of the Department to January 1, 1904, they sent 58,219 rubles to the Council of the IOPS as membership fees and one-time donations (not counting Verbny). The number of pilgrims from the Don region has also increased significantly. During the indicated 5 years, 922 pilgrims were noted, while in the previous 7 years, before the opening of the Department, only 140 35 of them went to Palestine.
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