Church Policy of the Russian Empire in the Danubian Principalities at the end of the 18th — first half of the 19th centuries

The article is the text of a report read at the Scientific and Practical Conference “Empire and the Church”, held on March 12–13, 2020 at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. The report examines the main stages of the assistance of the Russian Empire to the Danubian principalities in liberating them from the yoke of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 18th — first half of the 19th centuries. Particular attention is paid to the protection of the Orthodox population in the territories of Wallachia and Moldova, as well as to various aspects of the diplomatic and political settlement of religious conflicts. The activity of metropolitan Gavril Bănulescu-Bodoni in the rapprochement of the Russian and Romanian peoples is also considered.