Russian Orthodoxy in Spain: a Look through History

In the article on the basis of the collection “Russian Orthodox Church in Spain from the middle of the XVIII to the beginning of the 21st century” published in 2023. Archpriest Andrei Kordochkin, Doctor of Philosophy and Candidate of Theology analyzed the history of the formation and development of bilateral Russian-Spanish relations in the context of their spiritual and cultural component, namely the activities of Orthodox parishes, priesthood on the Pyrenee peninsula at the indicated time. One way or another, the presence of the parish church testified to the strengthening of Russian-Spanish relations. The author of the article, based on a civilizational approach, discusses the spiritual and cultural mission of the most prominent priests who served in Spain, such as Fr. Konstantin Kustodiev, about. John (Shakhovskaya), Hieromonk Arseny (Sokolov). They acted as researchers of the features of Spanish Catholicism, national cultural and religious traditions, conveyed their sympathy for the object of study in publications to the Russian reader and made a lot to strengthen horizontal friendly ties with the Spaniards. A change in state-confessional relations on the 1978 Constitution and the proclamation of the principle of freedom of conscience made the legal existence of the Russian Orthodox parish, along with the parishes of other Orthodox nationalities in Spain. But the issue of their legal status is still not completely regulated, and we hope that the coverage of the issue of the history of Russian Orthodoxy in Spain will create the basis for its full resolution.