National Self-Discovery through the Experience of Russian Religious-Philosophical Pilgrimage (N.N. Strakhov's Journey to Mount Athos)

Abstract

The study introduces into scholarly circulation a previously unknown censored version of this text published in Kurskiye Eparkhialniye Vedomosti (Kursk Diocesan Gazette, KDG) in 1902. Through a comprehensive review of the KDG corpus from 1871 to 1918, the authors identify and analyse the editorial amendments made to the original text. Their examination reveals the specific ideological guidelines promoted by church censorship, as represented by Protopriests M. Krasnitsky and Y. Novitsky, and reconstructs the mechanisms of forming the official church discourse on religious experience in the late imperial period. Substantively, Strakhov's work is examined through his key dichotomy: the opposition between "European self-referentiality" and "Russian receptivity." The scientific novelty lies in conducting a detailed comparative analysis of Strakhov's polemic with the French writer E.-M. de Vogüé. This reveals a fundamental conflict between two cultural and religious paradigms: asceticism as a path to spiritual freedom (Strakhov's Orthodox worldview) and asceticism as a form of social escapism (Vogüé's Western perspective). The authors conclude that Strakhov's Athos narrative is a valuable source for understanding the dialogue between Russian and European cultural traditions, while reconstructing the text censorship history opens new perspectives for studying religious identity in Russia at the turn of the 20th century.