The article is focused on the history of the relations between Russia and the Patriarchate of Alexandria in the mid-19th century. Russia followed its traditional line of supporting Orthodoxy in the Near East: the Bishop of the church of Alexandria Nikanor lived in Moscow for eleven years, gathering enormous donations for his church. Russia, however, did not profit from the material aids: the money was stolen, and the appointment of Nikanor to the Patriarchal see led to long turbulence in the patriarchate. The attempts of Russian diplomacy to settle the conflict were not so effective due to the weakness of Russian influence on the Greek communities in Egypt. Finally, in 1870 a new Patriarch, Sophronius, was appointed from Constantinople; he managed to pacify the church of Alexandria.