UDC

Authors

Abstract

The paper deals with the semiotics of the sacred space of Oshevensk surroundings (mirokolitsa) which was formed when Russian slavs were settling on the lands of the Chud people in Zavolochye. The orthodox semiosphere of the cultural landscape of Oshevensk surroundings included a monastery, a parish church complex and several chapels. The sacred ensemble of the entire territory is permeated with the dynamic hierarchical tradition of orthodox space formation. The monastery, with which the orthodox space started developing, was the center of spiritual life of the Oshevensk area. The monastery complex with St. Nicholas and Assumption Churches could be perfectly seen from the surrounding villages, while from the left bank of the Churyega River one could observe the entire area – the homeland of St. Alexander Oshevensky. The periphery consisted of peasant villages along the right bank of the Churyega River: Oshevenskaya Sloboda, Shiryaikha, Fedorovo, Mikheevo, Podgorye, Niz, Gar, Malye Krivtsy, and Bolshie Krivtsy; as well as along the left bank of the Churyega River: Kukui, Obrezkovo (Obreskovo), and Skrebino. Beyond the bridge, along its tributary – the Khaluya River – there are Bolshoi Khalui and Maly Khalui; according to the Olonetsk Patericon, these two villages existed already in the sixteenth century. In the arrangement of these villages, we can observe a clear spatial organization. In terms of composition they are united by the Churyega River bend. The natural relief with a number of picturesque villages makes this space system unique with its sacred center – Oshevensk pogost – that could be seen miles away. A significant part in the life of the North played chapels associated with local objects of worship. The sacred architectural space of the Oshevensk area was in harmony with the surrounding natural landscape endowed with a high spiritual and axiological status.

Keywords

References

1. Alferova G.V. Kargopol’ i Kargopol’e [Kargopol and Kargopol Region]. Moscow, 1973.
   
2. Gunn G.P. Kargopol’e – Onega [Kargopol Region – Onega]. Moscow, 1974.
   
3. Domostroy po spisku Imp. Ob-va istorii i drevnostey rossiyskikh [Domostroy on the List of the Imperial Society of Russian History and Antiquities]. Chteniya v Imp. Ob-ve istorii i drevnostey rossiyskikh pri Moskovskom universitete: v 4 kn. [Readings in the Imperial Society of Russian History and Antiquities Under Moscow University: In 4 Books]. Moscow, 1881. Book 2.
   
4. Kol’tsova T.M. Rospisi “neba” v derevyannykh khramakh russkogo severa [Paintings on the Ceilings of Wooden Churches in the Russian North]. Arkhangelsk, 1993.
   
5. Likhachev D.S. Solovki v istorii russkoy kul’tury [Solovetsky Islands in the History of Russian Culture]. Arkhitekturno-khudozhestvennye pamyatniki Solovetskikh ostrovov [Architectural and Art Monuments of the Solovetsky Islands]. Moscow, 1980.
   
6. Popova L.D. Aleksandro-Oshevenskiy monastyr’ [Monastery of St Alexander Oshevensky]. Pomorskaya entsiklopediya: v 5 t. T. IV. Kul’tura Arkhangel’skogo Severa [Pomor Encyclopaedia: In 5 Vols. Vol. 4. Culture of the Arkhangelsk North]. Arkhangelsk, 2012, p. 28.
   
7. Popova L.D. Oshevenskiy prikhod – sakral’nyy tsentr Kargopol’ya [Oshevensky Parish: the Sacred Center of Kargopol Region]. Formirovanie rekreatsionnoy territorii Kargopol’ya [Establishment of Recreational Area in the Kargopol Region]. Arkhangelsk, 2012.
   
8. Popova L.D. Sakral’no-stroitel’nyy modul’ v derevyannom zodchestve Russkogo Severa [Sacral Constructional Module in Wooden Architecture of the Russian North]. Vestnik Pomorskogo universiteta. Ser.: Gumanitarnye i sotsial’nye nauki, 2010, no. 2, pp. 126–130.
   
9. Ratshin A. Polnoe sobranie istoricheskikh svedeniy o vsekh byvshikh v drevnosti i nyne sushchestvuyushchikh monastyryakh i primechatel’nykh tserkvakh v Rossii [A Complete Collection of Historical Data on All Monasteries and Notable Churches of the Past and Present in Russia]. Moscow, 2000.