Abstract. Based on texts describing the travels of diplomats and pilgrims of Peter the
Great’s time, the article reveals the archaic features of their worldview for the modern era.
As a result, it is revealed that the authors of these works, despite the beginning of active
interaction between Russia and European states, considered this process possible only to
a limited extent. Moreover, the reason for this limitation was not so much religious differ-
ences as stable traditions concerning the functioning and interaction of social institutions.
Keywords: “Great Embassy”, stateinye spiski (reporting documents), travel notes, archaic
perception, traditions
