Beirut schools of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (1887-1914): a religious and political project of M. A. Cherkasova (based on materials from Archive of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire)

Abstract

The article examines the phenomenon of Maria Alexandrovna Cherkasova, the founder and permanent head of the Beirut schools of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society in 1887-1914. This woman implemented a project in which educational activities were organically combined with religion and feminism. The main message of M. A. Cherkasova is “a man and a woman are equal in the eyes of God.” High level of intelligence, deep religiosity, intolerance to hypocrisy and formalism, willingness to fight uncompromisingly for their ideals allowed M. A. Cherkasova will become one of the recognized leaders of the Beirut Orthodox community. Acting “for the Glory of God,” M. A. Cherkasova clashed with influential men: N. M. Anichkov, curator of Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society educational institutions, inspectors, Russian consuls in Beirut, Arab Selim Shkhade.The article is based on a study of a large number of unpublished sources stored in six files of the RIPPO Foundation from the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire. Of the greatest interest is a long letter from M. A. Cherkasova addressed to the chairman of the society, Elizabeth Fedorovna: a kind of confession, a “cry of the soul”, a final story about the activities of Beirut schools, as well as an alternative history of the activities of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society in the Middle East. The subjective opinion of M. A. Cherkasova is balanced by the assessments of other Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society employees: teachers A. S. Dubenskaya and A. F. Klementovskaya, inspector M. M. Nikanorov, as well as N. M. Anichkov and Elizaveta Fedorovna.The study of a large number of unique, previously unpublished documents makes it possible to make a psychologically reliable portrait of M. A. Cherkasova and objectively assess her achievements.