The Holy Places: A Russian Travel Perspective

The renowned sacred sites ofJerusalem attracted the curiosity and devotion of countless Russian travelers over the centuries, and many of these pilgrims recorded their impressions and observations of the holy places. 1 This article presents selected passages from the virtually neglected travel account penned by Russian writer and diplomat Dmitrii V. Dashkov (1784-1839), who visited Palestine in 1820. His work provides eyewitness information and telling detail on a variety of topics, including the exact location of the most important shrines in Christianity and the renewed discord among Christian denominations over worship and custodial rights at these consecrated, and contested, sites.