РУСИЈА У РАНОМ СТВАРАЛАШТВУ НИКОЛАЈА ВЕЛИМИРОВИЋА
RUSSIA IN THE EARLY WORKS OF NIKOLAJ VELIMIROVIĆ

Summary/Abstract: In the literature and existing biographies of Nicholaj Velimirović (1881– 1956), there are several characteristic claims about the young Velimirović’s attitude towards Russia. Thus, among others, the following claims are found: that he was an opponent of the Russophile circles in the Serbian Orthodox Church, that he wanted to continue his education in the West and not in Russia, and that he was sent to Russia in order to be “orthodoxed” (i.e. become really Orthodox) there. On the other hand, there are also claims that Velimirović in Russia established close ties with high hierarchs and officials of the Russian Orthodox Church, that he studied at the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy, and that he wrote a doctorate in Russian history there, which was later stolen from him. In this paper, in the light of reading the available material and literature, the mentioned claims will be looked at and in a broader context, the attitude of the young Nicholaj Velimirović towards Russia and Russian culture in general – primarily through the reading of his works. The paper is limited to the period until the end of the First World War, that is, until 1919, more precisely until the election of Nicholaj Velimirović as a bishop. As the preliminary reading of the sources and historical material indicates, certain claims from Velimirović’s biographies need to be critically reexamined. First of all, it is not true that Velimirović was not interested in studying in Russia, since in 1902 he applied for admission to the Kiev Theological Academy. For certain reasons, Velimirović did not travel to Kiev. On the other hand, there is no known confirmation that Velimirović studied at the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy – it seems that Velimirović’s trip to Russia in 1910/1911 was of a more informal character. Finally, the writings of young Nicholaj Velimirović do not present him as an enemy of Russophilism, but on the contrary – as a distinct Russophile and Slavophile. These writings also do not present him as an irreconcilable critic of Europe, but as a person respecting the values of the European society based on Christian belief and an enthusiastic preacher of pan-Christian and pan-human community.

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