Archpriest Evgeny Smirnov and church life in England in 1890s on the pages of journal “Russkoe obozrenie”

The article is devoted to the investigation of English Church topics in the pages of the conservative journal “Russkoe Obozrenie” in 1890s. As a result of analysis of published and unpublished materials there are detected the two centres that produced two points of view on the church life in England, namely Olga Novikoff’s circle and Rev. Evgeny Smirnov circle. The peculiarities of their analysis of the congresses of the Church of England in Norwich and Shrewsbury are shown. The special attention is drawn to the activity of Anglo-Russian Literary Society as well as to the background of Orthodox-Anglican relationship, especially in connection with Victorian celebration in 1897 and the official visit of Russian delegation. The role of William Birkbeck as the main defender and apologist of Russian Orthodox Church in England, of his efforts to convergence between the Church of England and Orthodoxy is demonstrated. There is also touched a question of Konstantin Pobedonostsev’s influence to the editorial policy of the “Russkoe Obozrenie” journal on the Anglican issue.