“The Holy spy”. Saint Mardary Uskokovich during his studies at Petrograd theological academy
Abstract
The article is devoted to the activities of the recently canonised Serbian saint Mardary Uskokovich during his studies at St. Petersburg (Petrograd) Theological Academy. The emphasis is on the intermediate and fi nal study results in the context of his participation in various Slavic societies in the early years of the First World War. The article is based on an analysis of the Mardary’s student case preserved in the Central State Historical Archive of St. Petersburg, still unused as a historical source, as well as some other cases from the same archive (some of them are publishing in the appendix to the article) and the text of his candidate (PhD) thesis from the National Russian Library collection, also not studied earlier. As a result, the article presents a reconstruction of the events that led to the accusation of Hieromonk Mardary of espionage in favour of Austria-Hungary and his removal from Petrograd, and later to his departure from Russia. It also analyses Mardary’s attitude to study and social activities, reveals his inclination to the studied sciences. Mardary’s studies at St. Petersburg Theological Academy and his activities in St. Petersburg were not studied in detail. It is concluded that, despite the extremely low results, the study at the theological academy in Petrograd had a great influence on the future saint, primarily through his acquaintance with the works of Russian religious philosophers, in particular A. Khomyakov. Mardary himself highly appreciated this acquaintance with the Russian thought, rather than formal results of education. Thanks to his studies at the academy, he gained an opportunity to take part in the activities of social movements and attract the attention of the political elite.
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