A. V. Rozhina. Insurance of Church Real Estate in Russia 1860–1870: The First Experience
of Alexander Nevsky Lavra // Petersburg Historical Journal, no. 4, 2025, pp. 162–170.
DOI: 10.51255/2311–603X_2025_4_162
Abstract:
The study of insurance of church real estate commenced in the late 19th century, yet this subject
remains under-researched. The church was a prominent socio-cultural institution within the Russian Empire during the 19th century. The article presents the findings of a study conducted on the insurance of buildings at Alexander Nevsky Lavra, which was undertaken in conjunction with an initiative to establish economic provisions for the compensation of expenses incurred in the event of a fire. In the 1860s and 1870s, the following structures were insured: the buildings of Lavra in Saint Petersburg, located on Nevsky Prospekt, Shlisselburg Prospekt, the embankment of the Black River, the embankment of the Great Neva, the music hall, the stable yard on Blackcrake Street and the brick factory. A thorough analysis of archival materials and published legislative acts has been conducted, revealing the features of insurance of church real estate in commercial societies on a voluntary basis. The acceptance of ‘on a risk’ of church property proved to be a lucrative undertaking for insurance companies. Initially, two companies claimed to insure the Lavra property: the Russian Insurance Company and the Saint Petersburg Insurance Company. This occurred during the 1970s. In the 19th century, the insurance of real estate was conducted by the Commercial Insurance Society. Insurance played a pivotal role in the preservation of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra property, as evidenced by the compensation paid in the event of fires, thereby enabling the restoration of damaged structures. The practice of insuring church buildings on a voluntary basis in the late 19th century was highly relevant, as it facilitated the effective organisation of the process of mutual insurance of church real estate on a mandatory
basis at the beginning of the 20th century. An examination of the insurance business and acceptance ‘on fear’. The buildings belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church contribute to our understanding of the specifics of economic development in Russia during the years of the Great Reforms. They also demonstrate the search for solutions to economic mechanisms that protect property from fire.
Key words: history of fire insurance in Russia, insurance, insurance company, Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
Author:
Rozhina, Anastasia Vladimirovna — PhD in History, Associate Professor, the Department of
Social Sciences, North-Western Institute of Management, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (St. Petersburg, Russia).
Е-mail: arojina@bk.ru
ORCID: 0009-0006-8971-860X
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