The Emergence and Main Trends in the Activities of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society in the Sphere of Organizing Pilgrimages (1882-1905)

The article considers the problem of the emergence and main trends of the pilgrimage activity of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society in 1882-1905. It is established that during this period there was an actualization of the Eastern issue and increased competition between the leading states in the Middle East, who covered their geopolitical goals with religious arguments. This posed an imperative for the Russian Empire, a world power that traditionally defended Orthodoxy in the Holy Land and had its own interests in the region, to respond. After the Crimean War, the idea of forming a sphere of Russian presence in Palestine was put forward at the state level. There has been an increase in Russia's diplomatic and spiritual influence in the Holy Land, which has manifested itself in the functioning of a number of relevant representative offices here, the creation of infrastructure and the activation of the Orthodox pilgrimage movement. Subsequently, in order to systematize and increase the effectiveness of efforts, the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society was founded, an organization with a special status, state and church support, which became the main coordinator of the humanitarian presence of the Russian Empire in the Middle East region.  The methodological basis of the research is the synthesis of systemic and geopolitical campaigns, the expediency of which interaction is justified by modern trends in the development of the methodology of social sciences and humanities. This led to the use of research methods. The historical and genetic method made it possible to study the peculiarities of origin, establishing appropriate cause-and-effect relationships. The application of the institutional method helped to determine the importance of various institutions in the process of functioning of Society. Based on the analysis of a wide source base and numerous studies, it was revealed that during the period under review, along with charity, education, scientific and publishing activities aimed at maintaining and developing Orthodoxy in Palestine, one of the main tasks of the Society was the organization of a Russian pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It was characterized by the following manifestations: dissemination of information about pilgrimage trips; reduction of tariffs for participants of pilgrimage trips; establishment of transport links between Russia and Palestine; publication of relevant auxiliary, educational and scientific literature; acquisition of new land plots in the region; repair of existing and construction of new infrastructure and religious buildings in Palestine; systematization and improvement of pilgrimage routes; conducting special educational events by the Society.

Russian Empire, Palestine, Middle East region, Jerusalem, pilgrimage activities, Russian Orthodox Church, Orthodox Palestine Society, IOPS, pilgrimage, public organization