Evgeny M Kopot’ Maria A. Cherkasova’s Russian Schools in Beirut: the Formative Period (1887–1897)

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide a detailed reconstruction of the history of the establishment of the network of Russian schools of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (IOPS) in Beirut between 1887 and 1897 — a topic that has not yet been the subject of a focused analysis in historiography. The relevance of the study stems from the need to critically reassess the «anniversary myths» that have become entrenched in later historiography. The empirical foundation of the research consists of materials from the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire, introduced into scholarly circulation for the first time. The study of this phenomenon makes it possible to reveal the complex and contradictory nature of the Russian educational mission in the Orthodox East. The main focus of the article is on the missionary and pedagogical activities of Maria A. Cherkasova, known as «Mama Moskobie». Sent to Beirut in 1887, at a time when the leadership of the IOPS lacked both a detailed work plan and scholarly assessment of the region, she encountered a low level of education and the dominance of heterodox influences within the local Orthodox community. On her own initiative, she founded the first Russian school for girls. The article provides a detailed account of the opposition she faced from corrupt dragomans of the Russian consulate, the peremptory demands of the Society’s leadership in St. Petersburg that conflicted with local conditions, the shortage of qualified personnel, the indifference of representatives of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and threats to security from the surrounding Muslim environment. The phenomenon of Maria A. Cherkasova’s uninterrupted thirty-year teaching career in Beirut has no parallel in the history of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society and is unique in its nature. The significance of this work lies in substantiating the thesis that the successful and lasting development of the IOPS’s educational activity in the region was ensured not by systematic institutional support, but solely by Maria A. Cherkasova’s personal energy, sincere faith, and self-sacrifice.

Keywords

Patriarchate of Antioch, the Orthodox Arabs, Russia and the Orthodox East, Syria, Lebanon, Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, Orthodoxy, M.A. Cherkasova, V.N. Hitrovo, Elisaveta Fedorovna.

For citation

Kopot’ E.M. Maria A. Cherkasova’s Russian Schools in Beirut: the Formative Period (1887–1897) // The Historical Reporter. 2025. Vol. LIV. P. 216–263. DOI: 10.35549/HR.2025.2025.54.006

Evgeny M. Kopot’

Senior Lecturer, Institute of History and Politics, Moscow Pedagogical State University (MPGU). Moscow, Russian Federation.

e-mail: em.kopot@mpgu.su

SPIN-код: 4877-1419

AuthorID: 682530

ORCID: 0009-0009-4145-2349

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