Pyotr Chaadaev’s Journey to Italy. Part Two: Rome - Venice (1825)

Abstract

The article continues the study of the circumstances of the journey of the Russian philosopher Pyotr Yakovlevich Chaadaev (1793-1856) in Italy in 1824-1825. This time we examine the stay of Chaadaev in Rome (March -April 1825) and Venice (late May - early June 1825). A special attention is paid to Chaadaev’s intensive communication during the Holy week in papal Rome with two outstanding Russian intellectuals: the major theorist of Russian liberalism, historian and economist Nikolai Ivanovich Turgenev (1789-1871) and the hero of the anti-Napoleonic wars, future prominent Decembrist Mikhail Fotievich Mitkov (1791-1849). The author believes that the personal experiences of Rome and meaningful creative debate with also prone to philosophizing Turgenev and Mitkov helped Chaadaev to develop main theoretical positions regarding the fate of the Catholic world. The author investigates the influence of “Roman meetings” with talented Russian artists and sculptors - Sylvester Shchedrin, Fyodor Bruni, Samuel Galberg. Based on the analysis of new sources, the author disputes the established conclusions in the literature about the circumstances of Chaadaev’s stay in Venice. The article also analyzes the circumstances of Chaadayev’s return to Russia in 1826, in the midst of the investigation of the “Decembrist conspiracy,” as well as the dramatic fate of Mitkov and Turgenev, his friends during the “Roman walks.” The article concludes that in Russian philosophy and culture Pyotr Chaadaev was the founder of research into the fruitful “Coliseum topic” on the ratio between the ancient and Christian traditions in European culture.