Luckily, the archives of Porphyry are now in a good condition and conserved in the St. Petersburg Department of the Archives of the Russian Academy of Sciences (fond 118). The Imperial Academy of Sciences acquired them after his death on April 19, 1885, as it was stated in the Porphyry’s testament.
Porphyry left the Academy a capital, the interest of which would fund the publication of his scientific works. In 1886 two members of the Russian Imperial Academy, Bychkov and Büler, reported about their preliminary work on systematization of the archives. At the same meeting of the Academy it was decided that Polychrony Syrku, a specialist in Byzantine and Old Slavonic studies would undertake the work of further systematization and description of Porphyry’s archive. The outcome of this work was impressive. Already in 1891 a printed catalogue of Porphyry’s papers appeared. Between 1894 and 1901 the Academy of Sciences published eight volumes of the Porphyry’s Journals. Finally, another important publication of
the “Porphyry’s Commission” are the two volumes of documents and official correspondence, prepared by the byzantinologist P. Bezobrazov. Based on both the published and unpublished archival material several research studies on Porphyry’s activities were made.
The fonds 118: an overlap between official documentation and personal papers:
The first set of documents, concerning Porphyry’s appointment to Jerusalem, refers to the official papers of the Holy Synod and to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Most of them are preserved in at least two copies—one or more in Porphyry’s archive, and the other in the archive of the Holy Synod. A third copy may be found in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Among them are the following: Porphyry’s letters to the over-prosecutor [ober-procuror] of the Holy Synod Count Nikolay Protasov (16), and to directors of the departments of the Synod (Serbinovich (85), Voitsehovich (2), Karasevsky (8). The next file (45) also contains official letters of Porphyry addressed to the Russian Ambassador at Constantinople Vladimir Titov (74) and to the Asian department of the Ministry of Foreign affairs. Many of them represent detailed
reports on the state of affairs in the Near East. Dossiers 46 and 47 contain 143 letters (from the 1848-53 period), addressed by Porphyry to the Russian Consul general at Beirut Constantine Basili, as well as one report about the Holy Sepulcre written for Emperor Nicolas I. The official answers of these persons form a separate file (49). Another group of interesting letters are addressed to Porphyry by the Russian consuls in Jaffa (G. Mostras) and in Beirut (C. Basili, file 50). Porphyry also corresponded with Boris Mansurov, the founder of the Palestine Committee. Most of the letters are focusing on Mount Athos, but one of them concerns the new head of the Russian mission in Jerusalem after the Crimean war, bishop Cyril Naumov. Porphyry found the appointment of a Russian bishop to Jerusalem completely wrong: first of all because the presence of two bishops in one town was against the church canons, and second, because the Cyril’s behavior was in his opinion “inappropriate”. Among the letters written by Porphyry to Russian high ecclesiastics, his correspondence with Metropolitan Filaret of Moscow should be specially pointed.
The papers of the Russian mission eo ipso are conserved in two big files (238 and 352 ff.), containing official correspondence of Porphyry with different persons in Russia and abroad, dating from the period 1842-54. Apart of letters by Basili and Titov, one can find here financial papers of the mission and also an architectural plan of the future house of the Russian mission, which was built in 1853. Of special importance is also a summary of the activities of Porphyry in Jerusalem, written by himself. During Porphyry’s absence from Jerusalem he was informed about the state of affairs by his assistant and member of the mission, hieromonk Theophan (8 letters dated 1851-52). Of course information on Jerusalem is dispersed in all his private correspondence from the period of his stay there. 19 letters are addressed to Greek high ecclesiastics, among them 11 to Patriarch of Jerusalem Cyril (1848-1854, 40 ff.). During his stay in Jerusalem, Porphyry wrote detailed notes on the history, geography, ethnography and statistics of Palestine. In a separate file he collected copies and translations of descriptions of the Holy Land by other persons, as well as journals of pilgrims of different countries and centuries. Among the copies of documents written by other persons, most important is the printed report of Boris Mansurov (the founder of the Palestine Commission, dated 1858), written after his visit to Jerusalem, followed by a letter of the Grand Duke Constantine Nikolaevich to Porphyry, and Porphyry’s opinion on Mansurov’s proposals.
Another note, which was also published later, belongs to Consul Basili (on the statistics of Syria and Palestine).20 The collection of Porphyry is rich in illustrative materials—gravures, sketches, drawings, and photos. Some of them are related to the Holy Land and Jerusalem.
The oldest documents in the Consulate fonds date back to 1843, to the foundation of the Consulate of Palestine during the Kingdom of Sardinia. According to the papers the Consulate closed in 1849 leaving the defence of the citizens to the Consulate of France.
The Royal Decree dated November 17th, 1871 establishes the Italian Consulate in Palestine. The papers cover the history of the Consulate until its closure, in June 10th, 1940. At that date the protection of Italian interests was entrusted to the Spanish Consulate. The activity of Consul Quinto Mazzolini and his Bureau in Rome (Ufficio Stralcio) lasted during 1943.
Sans titreThe RG 84 series (US-NARA) includes the rapatriated records from US embassies and consulates around the world. It is mainly constitutes of correspondence.
For the period between 1856 and 1935, we can find 261 volumes. It is both sent correspondence (copies or minutes) and received correspondence (the received letters are stuck together to form registers).
Most of these registers date back to the 1912-1935 period (160 volumes).
The selected items come from Volume 22 (Years 1857 to 1870), Volume 47A (Years 1871 to 1886), Volume 47B (Years 1886 to 1896), Volume 47C (Years 1897 to 1908) and Volume 47D (Years 1904 to 1909).
Description of his journey in Syria and Palestine (from Beyruth to Jerusalem), his arrival in Jerusalem on December 20 and first activities in Jerusalem. Meetings with Greek ecclesiastics and European diplomats. Details about the Greek brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre, the repairing of the Temple. Suggestions about the improvement of the Orthodox church in Jerusalem (organisation of an ecclesiastical school in the Patriarchate with students from all Orthodox nations). Suggestions on the future organisation of the Russian mission.
This part of the Journals is written in a note-book "Harwoods improved paper-memorandum book No. 34. London, with a mark of the firm. Fol. 1-4 are an English printed text (title and explanations about different memorandum-books). The last 3 folios were damaged by water in the upper part, but the text can be read clearly.
Meetings with ecclesiastics in Jerusalem. Journey to Nazareth (since February 23 till March 16). Detailed description of the sites and historical places of the country, meetings with the locals. Stay in Jerusalem since March 27. Meeting with the Armenian Patriarch at Jerusalem. Details about the relations between Muslims and Christians, Armenians and Greek Orthodox. About the economics of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Metropoly of Bethlehem.
Description of his journeys to Chevron, Chermen, Maon, Iutta, Gaza and Askalon. Stay in Jerusalem May 11-26. Journey to the Laura of St. Savva. Meetings with Greek ecclesiastics, description of the country and its historical sites, scenes with the locals. In Jerusalem: relations with the Anglicans. Contest of the long discussion with the Armenian Patriarch Zakharias.
In Jerusalem since June 22. Description of Porpyrij's help in a family affair of the Arab Daud.
Detailed reports of meetings and discussions with Greek bishops and the Anglican bishop Alexander. Further details on the economic and administrative situation in the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, life of the bishops. Journey to Bethlehem, Evrapha (Beth-Djala) and Khevron.