The article examines the situation of Orthodox monasteries and the activities of the monastic community in Crimea during the Crimean War. It is shown that military actions brought about significant adjustments to the life of the monastic community: the Balaklava St. George Monastery was occupied by Anglo-French troops, the Chersonesos Monastery was completely destroyed, and the Inkerman Monastery was subjected to fierce shelling. At the same time, the monastic community tried to make a feasible contribution to the fight against the enemy: among the Crimean monks were participants and heroes of the defense of Sevastopol, hieromonks who provided spiritual guidance to wounded and sick soldiers in the hospitals of Bakhchisarai. It is emphasized that the history of the monasteries and monastic community of Crimea in 1854–1856 adds important touches to the study of both the formation of Crimean Athos, and the military-everyday and spiritual-religious component of the Crimean War.

The article examines the causes, course and results of the Greek-Russian conflict that arose in the first half of the 1870s in the Athos St. Panteleimon Monastery. It is shown that the conflict was caused by the aggravation of a number of contradictions between different ethnic communities in the monastery itself, the general rise in the Greek environment of anti-Slavic and anti-Russian sentiments caused by Russia's position in the Greek-Bulgarian church issue, as well as the actions of British diplomacy which sought to weaken Russian influence in the Balkans and the Middle East. The article considers the emergence of the New Athos Simon-Cananite Monastery in the Caucasus, which became one of the results of the «Greek-Russian Panteleimon process».

The article analyzes the letters, diaries and memoirs of regimental priests who participated in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877–1878: Bacchus Guryev, Alexander Tsitovich, John Sofronov, Alexander Lebedev, Grigory Lapshin. They reflect the direct activities of army priests, their relations with soldiers and officers, the significance of religion in the life of a Russian soldier, and the perception of Bulgarian brothers by priests. It is emphasized that the notes of the regimental priests contain many valuable observations of the events taking place, and reveal to researchers not so much the external as the internal (everyday, spiritual and moral) side of the war.