Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem
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The Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem (
History
1847-1920
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The first Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem was sent in 1847 under the leadership of Archimandrite Porphyrius Uspensky, but was not recognized by the Ottoman Turkish government that at that time ruled Palestine. This first mission was sent to conduct archaeological research and organize pilgrimages from Russia to the Holy Land. The outbreak of the Crimean War between the Ottoman Empire and Russia, however, led to the return of the Mission's members to Russia.
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It wasn't until 1857 that the Mission returned, this time with the official recognition of the Ottoman Turkish government. The Mission resumed its previous work of organizing pilgrimages from Russia to Palestine and also began sponsoring charitable and educational work amongst the Orthodox Christian Arabs forming the majority of the membership of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem.
The restored Mission was led by Bishop Cyril Naumov of Melitopol and arrived in Jerusalem in January 1858. He was succeeded by Archimandrite Leonid Kavelin, under whose leadership the Mission transferred its headquarters from its first home at Holy Archangels' Monastery to its own property, now known as Jerusalem's Russian Compound.
Under Fr. Leonid's successor, renowned Byzantologist Antonin Kapustin, the Mission significantly expanded its presence in Palestine, acquiring multiple properties in an effort to preserve Orthodox Christian holy places and care for the needs of the many pilgrims flocking to the region. Among other properties Fr. Antonin acquired the land on which the Oak of Mamre stands, the summit of the Mount of Olives, and the tomb of St. Tabitha in Jaffa.
Fr. Antonin's work, which continued to be supported by the imperial government in Russia, was continued by his successors, Archimandrites
The start of World War I froze the work of the Mission. As Russia and Ottoman Turkey were on opposite sides of the conflict the beginning of the war saw the expulsion of Fr. Leonid together with all the clergy and staff of the Mission and the closing of its churches, although not of its monasteries and convents. It wasn't until 1919 and the establishment of the British Mandate for Palestine that the Mission's personnel were able to return from Egypt.
Due to Fr. Leonid's repose in 1918 Fr. Meletius, the Mission's second in command, took charge of its administration. As a result of the war and the
Division after the Russian Revolution
In addition to the financial difficulties faced by the Mission in the post-World War I era it also had to deal with the divisions within Russian Orthodoxy that came about following the imprisonment of Patriarch St.
The Synod Abroad sent Archbishop Anastasius Gribanovskiy, later the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia's second leader, to Jerusalem to help establish the Mission on firm legal grounds in the new situation caused by the unrest in the former Russian Empire and the founding of the Mandate.
The unity of the Mission under the Synod Abroad ended with the division of the British dominion between the newly-created State of Israel (established in 1948) and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, with its properties in Israel being appropriated by the pro-Soviet Israeli government and transferred to the Soviet-backed Moscow Patriarchate, which established its own Mission administration under Archimandrite Leonid (Lobachev).
The original Mission's administration, headquartered in the Russian Compound that had been given to the Moscow Patriarchate, was transferred first to Gethsemane and then to the Mount of Olives. Despite the losses to the Moscow Patriarchate, the original Mission was able to purchase the site of the first great monastery in the Holy Land, St. Chariton's Monastery in Wadi Faran, and establish a skete there under the leadership of Archimandrite Demetrius. Fr. Demetrius together with Archbishop Alexander of Berlin led the Mission in the celebration of its 100th anniversary in 1958.
In early 1991
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In the 1990s tensions between the two Missions flared when the Israeli government, acting under Russian pressure, transferred properties of the original Mission in Hebron and Jericho to the patriarchal Mission. The forcible expulsion of their monks and caretakers soured the already strained relations between the two Missions, which did not begin to recover until the reconciliation of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia in 2007. (Today the Jericho properties are jointly administered by the two Missions.)
Present day
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As church life continues to recover in the former Soviet Union growing numbers of pilgrims from Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet republics are flocking to the Holy Land. The two parts of the Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission share the work of caring for these pilgrims and administering the holy places under Russian Orthodox jurisdiction.
The patriarchal Mission at this time is led by Archimandrite Alexander (Elisov), who has served in this capacity since 2009.
The current (as of February 2013) Acting Chief of the ROCOR Mission is Hieromonk
Sites
- Russian Orthodox Convent of the Ascension, Jerusalem with the Russian Orthodox Church of the Ascension, Jerusalem
See also
- Holy Land
- Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem
- Joasaph (McLellan)
- Moscow Patriarchate
- Russian Orthodox Church
- Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
- Tomb of the Prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi
External links
The official websites of the two branches, ROCOR and ROC (Moscow):
- Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission of the Synod Abroad
- Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission of the Moscow Patriarchate
Other websites:
- Church of Jerusalem
- Russian Orthodox Church
- Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
- Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society
References
- ^ "Hieromonk Roman (Krassovsky) is Appointed Acting Chief of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem". ROCOR Official Website. Retrieved 7 February 2013.