Church fundraisings for the needs of the Holy Land and orthodox pilgrims in Palestine in the mid-19th - early 20th centuries

The article discusses issues related to “in mugs and plates” fundraisings for the needs of the Holy Land and Orthodox pilgrims in Palestine, which were organized and held in Russia in the mid-19th - early 20th centuries. Four of such collections were singled out: “for the benefit of the Holy Sepulcher” (since 1834), “to improve the life of Orthodox Russian worshipers in Palestine” (since 1858), the Palm one (since 1886) and “in mugs” fundraising by the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (since early 1890s). The amounts of donations for these purposes in various periods are shown, their total amount being more than 7.1 million rubles. The key role of individual representatives of the royal family (Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich) and office bureaucracy (B. P. Mansurov, V. N. Khitrovo) in initiating fundraisings is noted. The conclusion is made that if in the 1850s and 1860s the state played a decisive role in organizing fundraisings, at the end of the century public initiative was of increasing importance, although the highest authorities were still the first to launch the process.