The Quarterly Journal of St. Philaret’s Institute

This article examines the Russian spiritual presence in the Holy Land (Palestine) through an analysis of the writings (notes, diaries, and private letters) of Orthodox pilgrims. The analysis examines the texts of more than a dozen authors who visited the birthplace of Christianity between the mid-19 th and early 20 th centuries. The article identifies directions and results of Russia’s influence in the region, including the use of the Church Slavonic language in liturgical practice, the Orthodox rites of the Greek clergy of the Jerusalem Patriarchate, the expansion of the number and geographic distribution of institutions of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission and the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, and the participation of pilgrims in the baptism of Arab Christian children as godparents. The instruments of influence include regular contacts between Russians and the Palestinian population during visits to holy sites, religious services, travel, and trade, as well as Russia’s material support for the Jerusalem Patriarchate. It is also noted that the relationship between Russian pilgrims, on the one hand, and the Christian population of Palestine, on the other, was generally friendly and mutually beneficial. The development of a complex set of manifestations of “folk” religiosity among Russian pilgrims, a system of customs and rituals observed in the Holy Land, is noted. It is concluded that the Russian spiritual presence in Palestine was constantly expanding and becoming increasingly visible, reaching its peak in the early 20 th century. However, by the end of the period under review, elements of skepticism and rationalism appear in the writings of women pilgrims, the emergence of which should be associated with the influence of the Western literary tradition.