Wandering Russia. For the sake of Christ

The name of Sergey Vasilyevich Maksimov, a writer, ethnographer, researcher of folk life, is well known to experts and enthusiasts of Russian history and culture. The book "Wandering Russia For the Sake of Christ" (1877) was written by Maksimov based on impressions from a trip to the Northwestern region, where he was sent on a mission in 1868 by the Imperial Russian Geographical Society: the writer traveled through the Smolensk, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Vilnius, Grodno, and Minsk provinces. In the book, Maksimov explores the phenomenon of wandering in the life of the people, with its various socio-cultural and domestic peculiarities. Bogomoltsy, Christ-lovers, hermits, wanderers, beggars, and others - among them were true professionals in their field, experts in customs, beliefs, omens, performers of spiritual verses and epics. Wandering is presented not only as a way of life, but also as a spiritual search for an Orthodox person, for whom the value and meaning are inherent in the very idea of the path.