Vladimir Solovyov’s idea of ecclesiastic unity and the Holy See

Abstract

Summary Vladimir Sergeevich Solovyov (1853–1900) was the central figure of Russian religious thought, which had its heyday at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century, rich in wonderful and deep thinkers such as Pavel Florensky, Sergey Bulgakov, Nikolay Berdyaev, and Simon Frank among many others. Solovyov was the first classical Russian philosopher, in the sense that he had his own philosophical system at a time when systemic philosophy was being abandoned in the West. It was Solovyov who deepened Russian philosophy and firmly entrenched Christian metaphysics in Russian philosophical discourse. He introduced Russian philosophical thought to Europe. His project of a free universal theocracy intended to fundamentally change the course of social history. In fact, the project of a universal free theocracy and the reunification of Christian churches associated with it became the most prominent idea of the philosopher in the Western intellectual environment. Moreover, the question about Solovyov’s pro-Catholic leanings, including his contacts with catholic clergy and theologians, as well as the issue whether Solovyov converted to Catholicism came into prominence after the book of Michel D’Herbigny Vladimir Soloviev: Un Newman russe was published in 1911. This article focuses on the narrow but important issue of reconstructing the historical context of the philosopher’s ideas. The focus is on the history of Solovyov’s contacts with the Holy See. The author analyzes the existing historiography, which testifies to the indirect contacts of the philosopher with the Holy See, the philosopher’s published correspondence, contemporary research articles, as well as materials from the Vatican and Russian archives. As a result, the article presents a new look at the history of the relationship between the Holy See and Russian philosopher, who is currently recognized by most researchers as the ancestor of the ecumenical movement of the 20th century.