Pilgrimage to Holy Places in History of Vyatka Province (Second Half of 19th — Early 20th Centuries)

Abstract

The article analyzes the reasons for the growing interest in holy places, primarily Palestine, associated with Russia’s state policy, based on published sources. It also examines the forms and methods of educational work. In 1894, the Vyatka department of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society was established in the Vyatka province to disseminate information about the Holy Land and support Russia’s activities in the Middle East. The department raised funds for the society’s work in the Holy Land and organized lectures on the history and activities of the society. Significant results were achieved through this educational work, including an increase in the number of members in the Vyatka department, particularly at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and a growing interest in the Holy Land. Additionally, in the second half of the 19th century, some representatives of secular and spiritual society in the Vyatka province visited Orthodox holy sites, primarily the Holy Land and Mount Athos, and left memoirs about their pilgrimage experiences. Thus, the remote Vyatka province became spiritually closer to the Holy Land in the second half of the 19th century.