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The articles presents a study of the writings of Constantin Léontiev, a Russian philosopher and diplomat in the Ottoman Empire, and his views on the ecclesiastic schism between the Bulgarian and Greek Orthodox churches in 1872. Léontiev perceives the nationalist aspirations of the Bulgarian church as a threat to Russia's interest in the Balkans. The author points out Leontiev' s strong antagonism to the Bulgarian Church' standpoint on Slavic identity and separation from Byzantine Orthodoxy. Having to choose between the Slavic and the Orthodox aspects of Russian nationalism Léontiev' s preference for the Greek Orthodox Church reflected his views on the primacy of the Byzantine Orthodoxy in Russia's leadership.