Travel of Russian subjects to the Holy Land is an important component of the Russian presence in the Middle East and is one of the aspects of diplomatic relations between Russia and the Ottoman Empire. The pilgrimage of Russian subjects to Jerusalem in the first quarter of the 19th century is insufficiently studied in Russian historiography. This paper is devoted to a comparative analysis of the diaries of journeys to the Holy City left by the Russian nobles Veshnyakov brothers and peasant Kir Bronnikov, as well as their comparison with the earlier pilgrimage to Jerusalem of Hieromonk Meletius. Keywords: Middle East, Ottoman Empire, Eastern Mediterranean, Holy Land, Jerusalem, Cyrus Bronnikov, Veshnyakov brothers, Meletius. The article is based on documentary materials stored in the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire (AVPRI) and diaries of Russian pilgrims. The victories of the Russian army over the Ottoman forces in the wars of 1768-1774 and 1787-1791 changed the nature of bilateral relations. Russia has become a more powerful military and political power. This order of things was recorded in the Kyuchuk-Kainardzha (1774) and Iasi (1791) peace treaties, which for decades determined the evolution of relations between the two empires and served as an impetus for the development of Russian pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The articles of these treatises confirmed the right of Russian pilgrims to free, duty-free and unhindered visits to the holy sites of Palestine, Sinai and Mount Athos. After the Bucharest Peace Treaty of 1812 and the Congress of Vienna of 1815, the Russian government began to pay increased attention to the pilgrimage presence in the Middle East. Until the mid-19th century, the situation of Russian citizens traveling to the Holy Land was extremely difficult, mainly due to the lack of pilgrimage infrastructure, including consular offices and consular assistance to Russian citizens on the main routes of pilgrims: in Odessa, Constantinople, Jaff ... Read more