Petrunina Olga Evgenievna

It is a first publication of an unknown diplomatic document. It describes the consular services of European countries in the Ottoman Empire, their organization, field of activity, income and expenses. The publication is preceded by an introductory article, which analyzes the historical conditions of the formation of European consular offices and the beginning of the creation of a network of Russian ones, as well as the activities of one of the first Russian consuls in the Middle East, Ivan Voinovich.

For almost two hundred years, the Arab Orthodox population of Syria and Lebanon, which constituted the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, was under the ecclesiastical authority of the Greeks. The growth of the national consciousness of the Middle Eastern Arabs caused a desire to free themselves from this power, which at the end of the 19th century led to a protracted churchpolitical conflict in the Orthodox world. For the first time in Russian science, the article examines an important episode in the struggle of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch for its independence  — the patriarchal elections of 1906. The paper is based on the reports of the Russian consuls in Damascus and Beirut, which contain valuable information about the course of the struggle for the patriarchal throne, its participants, as well as the subsequent struggle for the recognition of the new patriarch by the Greek Churches.

For almost two centuries, the ancient Patriarchate of Antioch, domestic Church for orthodox population of Syria and Lebanon, was under the control of the Greek patriarchs. At the beginning of the 20th century it regained its independence. Though it was not only a benefit, but also a real challenge, including internal crises. One of the first was the crisis of 1913. At the beginning of the year, Patriarch Gregory IV of Antioch visited Russia, and soon after his return, a sharp conflict broke out inside the patriarchate. On the basis of Russian diplomatic documents, the article analyzes the causes and development of the crisis in the Patriarchate of Antioch, clarifies the role of Russian diplomacy in resolving the conflict between the patriarch and the synodal opposition, and determines the impact that the patriarch’s trip to Russia had on the progress of the crisis.

In view of the increasing importance of the Middle East direction in Russian foreign policy, it seems relevant to study the history of ideas about Russia and attitudes towards it in the region. The article examines the evolution of the image of Russia in the Greek environment of the late Ottoman period. Traditionally, Orthodox Greeks, counting on Russian patronage to protect their rights and help in the liberation struggle, acted as allies of Russia in the fight against the Ottoman Empire. However, the acquisition by the Greeks of their own national statehood, the growth of national movements in the region and the defeat of Russia in the Crimean War contributed to the revision of the previ- ous positive image of our country, which was gradually subject to peyorization and demonization.