Zhukova L.V. The icon in war (on the material of the Russo-Japanese War and the First World War)

Abstract: The article, based on the examples of two wars from the beginning of the 20th century, reviews the role of icons in wars, the relationship of the clergy and the military towards them, as well as that of their enemies. Additionally, the article sheds light on the history of two specific miracle-working icons – the Port Arthur and the Augustów icons of the Theotokos. Special attention is given to the activity of the Extraordinary inquiry commission for investigating the violations of laws and war usage by the Austro-Hungarian and German troops and for the disclosure of instances of icon defilement and destruction. Based on the research of various source groups, the author reveals the designation of icons in wars, analyses the traditional rituals of carrying-out icons and the propagandistic endeavours where an icon was featured in a key role. The issue of the reasons for the change in attitude towards icons is also addressed, including change not only on the part of the soldiers and officers, but also on the part of the clergy itself, of the protopresbyter and military and naval clergy. Moreover, the article discusses the most venerated icons in these wartimes, traces the fate of individual icons connected with the history of the named wars, their ruin and salvation, their defilement and deliberate destruction by enemies. The author addresses the topic of the recognition of two icons as miracle-working, analyses the question of iconography and its assessment by the Synod, the problems of reproduction and preservation of the lists of these icons, as well as the circumstances of their loss and acquisition. The article furthermore studies the reasons for the failure of religious propaganda in the years of the Russo-Japanese War and the First World War.

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