THE PHENOMENON OF OLD RUSSIAN HAGIOGRAPHY: THE BYZANTINE CANON AND THE FORMATION OF AN ORIGINAL HAGIOGRAPHIC TRADITION IN ANCIENT RUS
Abstract
The article is devoted to a comprehensive study of Old Russian hagiography as a central phenomenon in the cultural space of Old Rus. The article traces the genesis of the genre from the early Christian “martyria” to full-fledged lives (“bioses”), analyzes the process of creative transplantation and adaptation of the Byzantine canon on Russian soil. Particular attention is paid to the unique features of the national hagiographic tradition, which, unlike the Byzantine one, shifted the emphasis from external events and miracles to the inner world of man, the subtle motivation of his actions and the psychological depth of spiritual conflict. The work examines in detail the structure of the hagiographic canon, the system of literary etiquette, the evolution of the ideal of holiness and the ideological significance of lives as a tool for shaping the spiritual coordinates of medieval consciousness. It is concluded that Old Russian hagiography is not merely a borrowed genre but an original literary universe, reflecting the maturity and creative independence of the national culture.
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