Доклады Международного конгресса ИИСАА. Т. 1

II. Middle East, Caucasus and Central Asia / Ближний Восток, Кавказ и Центральная Азия 264 Proceedings of the International Congress on Historiography and Source Studies of Asia and Africa.Vol. I. 2020 Orthodox Christians not only suffered the vexations of the Ottomans but were also shaken in their Orthodox faith because of the European Catholic missionaries who tried to convert them. Patriarch Makarius met with a group of Christians and discussed with themways to solve the financial problems of the Patriarchy. They agreed that the Patriarch should go to the “Land of Christians” to ask for help, especially because the son of the voivode of Moldavia called Vasily had invited him to his country and had promised to pay their debts. This governor had already paid the debts of the Church of the Resurrection, as well as those of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople and the Patriarchate of Alexandria. Consequently, Makarius chose Sylvester as a substitute ( locum tenens ) at the Patriarchal seat, then Gerasimus, after the death of the former, and started his first voyage which lasted seven years (1652–1659) 1 . He first went to Constantinople, then toWallachia, then toMoldavia where he was well received by the Romanian voivode s, then to Kiev and Putivl in Ukraine, and then to Moscow and Kolomna. Several people accompanied the Patriarch. Besides his son Paul, there was the Hegoumene of the Convent of Balamand called Sabbas, son of Joseph of the al-A‘radj family of Tripoli, as well as the priest Musa al-Bayassi, the deacon Gregory, and two laics whose names were Nicolas and Peter 2 . During this trip, in January 1655, the Patriarch was well received by Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich, or Alexis I (1645–1676), who gave him a warm welcome, even better than that which had been granted to Joachim Ḍaww in the 16 th century 3 . Since the Tsar hated the Turkish language, Makarius spoke to him in Romanian (or Greek). The Tsar invited him to his own table, which was a sign of honour bestowed by the Czar on Makarius. The next day Paul gave the Tzar the gifts of the Patriarch of Antioch 4 . After this meeting, the Tsar granted himwhat he wanted in terms of help. During his long journey, Makarius visited several cities and religious sites, whichArchdeacon Paul described in detail in his book on this trip, focusing on the political, economic, artistic and religious features of all the places he visited. The author makes a special emphasis on the piety and knowledge of the Tsar and Patriarch Nikon, and their favour for Byzantine rites. 1 Juliette al-Rassi. Riḥlat Makāriyus Ibn al-Zaʿīm. P. 67–68 and 91, note 16; see also: Nukhba min safrat al-batriyark Makārius al-Ḥalabī. P. 68–69. 2 We found these names not in the text of the “Voyage of Makarius” written by his son Paul (i.e., the above-mentioned Safrat al-batriyark Makāriyus al- Ḥ alabī ), but in another work written during the trip, “Wallachia” by the Hegoumene of Balamand, who accompanied the Patriarch of Antioch. See: Nukhba min safrat al-batriyark Makāriyus al-Ḥalabī. P. 70, note 1; Juliette al-Rassi. Riḥlat Makāriyus Ibn al-Zaʿīm. P. 68–69 and P. 92, note 19. 3 Juliette al-Rassi. Riḥlat Makāriyus Ibn al-Zaʿīm. P. 84–85. 4 Ibid. P. 85.