Archimandrite Leonid’s (Kavelin) contribution to biblical archaeology

Abstract

Among Russian researchers of Palestine, there is the name of Archimandrite Leonid (Kavelin) (1822–1891) who was a prominent church figure of the second half of the 20th century and was mainly known for his guide to the Holy Land. However, other aspects of his scientific research in Palestine have not been revealed or examined yet. Moreover, his major archaeological discovery has gone completely unnoticed both in foreign and national science. The article deals with the main areas of Father Leonid’s research, which is thematically related to the Holy Land. One of these areas for him was always the study of Christian shrines and antiquities of Old Jerusalem. The author of the article highlights the scholar’s special interest in the history of Eastern monasticism. For the first time, the author summarizes the experience of Father Leonid’s archaeological expeditions to the northern, eastern and southern regions of Palestine, which became the second most important center of Eastern monasticism in ancient times. Special attention is also paid to the scholar’s important discovery — the location of the Pharan Lavra founded by Saint Chariton the Confessor in En Prat in the 4th century. The history of the pilgrimage to the Holy Land was of paramount importance for Father Leonid. As an archaeographer, he focused on studying the monuments of pilgrimage literature, a major part of which was dedicated to the descriptions of shrines and antiquities of Old Jerusalem. The author notes the scholar’s significant contribution to the creation of a source-study base of research, the development of textual study and paleography, and the development of methods for studying pilgrimage writings. An analysis of the scholar’s most significant studies related to the Palestinian theme makes it possible for the reader to better understand the contribution of Father Leonid to biblical archeology at the early stage of its formation as an independent branch of theology.