PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND IN THE CONTEXT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF RELATIONS BETWEEN THE RUSSIAN CHURCH AND THE ANGLICANS IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE XIX CENTURY
Authors:   Central Russian Institute of Management, Branch of RANEPA, LIVTSOV V.A. , FEDOTOV S.P. ,   Central Russian Institute of Management, Branch of RANEPA
Published: December 2024

The purpose of the article is to study the peculiarities of the development of pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the context of the dialogue between the Russian Church and the Anglicans in the second half of the 19th century. This process was inextricably linked with the diplomatic relations of the Russian Empire and Great Britain. In the 19th century, the territory of Central Asia and the Middle East attracted the attention of Russia and England. In addition to diplomatic methods of expanding the sphere of influence in this region, missionary work was also used.
The problem of the article is to determine the relationship between the pilgrimage process and church diplomacy in the relations between the Russian Empire and Great Britain. The intensification of pilgrimage activity in Russia was associated not only with the desire of believers to visit holy places. This process was also associated with the state ideology of Russia at that time. It is necessary to determine the relationship between the relations of the Russian Church with the Anglicans, the interaction of the Anglicans with the Orthodox of the East in the context of the development of missionary work and pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the context of the confrontation between the Russian and British empires.
The historical and genetic method was used in the process of preparing the article. This method made it possible to clarify the initial period of interaction between the Russian Church and the Anglican Church, as well as to trace the development of missionary activity of the Anglicans in the Holy Land. The historical-chronological method was also used. Thanks to it, it was possible to establish the main stages in the development of relations between the Russian and Anglican churches in the context of the development of missionary activity in the Holy Land. The historical-problem method made it possible to identify the relationship between church diplomacy and politics in relations between the Russian Empire and Great Britain in the period considered in the article. The conducted research made it possible to identify the conditions for the development of pilgrimage. It is noted that the intensification of this process occurred against the background of an intensified dialogue between the Orthodox and the Anglicans. It is determined that pilgrimage to the Holy Land intensified in the mid-19th century, when the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission began its activities (1847). Later, this activity was actively supported by the Orthodox Palestine Society founded in 1882. Based on the conducted research, it is possible to further work on studying the features of the development of pilgrimage activity in the context of the dialogue between the Russian Church and the Anglicans at the beginning of the 20th century.
As a result of the conducted research, the conditions of the pilgrimage of Russian Orthodox to the Holy Land were determined. The importance of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Palestine in organizing this process was noted. The prerequisites and reasons for the emergence of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society were identified. The characteristics of the foreign policy situation during the period of intensification of pilgrimage activity were given. It is indicated that the pilgrimage to the Holy Land took place against the backdrop of the desire of the Russian Empire to strengthen its position in the Middle East during the period of rivalry with Great Britain in this region. The process of foreign policy interaction between Russia and England took place in the context of the dialogue between the Russian Church and the Anglicans.