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VISUAL IMAGE OF ORTHODOXY AND MODERN CULTURE: ON A PROBLEM OF INTERACTION // ΠΡΑΞΗMΑ. Journal of Visual Semiotics. 2014. Issue 1 (1). P. 78-87

The article considers the principles of the visual image of Orthodoxy and the related features of translation of religious values to the culture of modern society. It is concluded that the current problems of perception of Orthodoxy in society mainly connected with the peculiarities of its translation, which has deep cultural roots.

Keywords: visual image, the reverse perspective, Orthodoxy, sacred space, verbal text

VISUAL IMAGES IN THE ORTHODOX LITURGY // ΠΡΑΞΗMΑ. Journal of Visual Semiotics. 2015. Issue 1 (3). P. 105-111

The paper discusses the visual component of Orthodox worship, its role and place in worship, principles of transmission of religious content, causes and features of symbolism in worship, relationship to the symbol in different cultural and historical conditions. It is concluded that the visual images play leading role in transmission sacred content of religion, which is connected with the peculiarities of religious experience, which is the basis of religion. The author analyzes the forms and ways of expressing religious content through images and symbols, which are considered in aspects of the symbolism of the Liturgy as a whole and its individual elements. Historically variants relation to the symbol in the Liturgy in Byzantium and Russia are also research.

Keywords: visual image, Orthodoxy, ritual, symbolism, reverse perspective

THE “DONKEY WALK” IN RUSSIA IN XVI–XVII CENTURIES: THIS CONTENT AND SEMANTIC TRANSFORMATION // ΠΡΑΞΗMΑ. Journal of Visual Semiotics. 2015. Issue 2 (4). P. 115-125

The article is devoted to the history and semiotic transformations of “Donkey walk” practiced in Russia in XVI–XVII centuries on Palm Sunday which was a ritual reenactment of Jesus Christ’s entry into Jerusalem. The autor analyzes role of spatial icon in dissemination of religious values and specifics of dissemination of spatial icon in Russia. Discussed the origin of “Donkey Walk” and semantic transformation that occurred through interperation of the ritual in Russia. It is concluded that the content of “Donkey Walk” in Russia was significantly enriched: there was deep understanding of events of Sacred history and their active experience, when elements of the worldly life in all their manifestations get a sense of the sacred. However, from the 2nd half of the XVII century there was a gradual desacralization of the ritual associated with the General trends of secularization.

Keywords: “Donkey walk”, Palm Sunday, the spatial icon, sacred space, Pokrovsky Cathedral, the symbolism of liturgical vestments, willow symbolism, secularization

THE RITE OF FOOT WASHING ON HOLY THURSDAY: SPATIAL ICON AND THE PROBLEM OF ITS ACTUALIZATION // ΠΡΑΞΗMΑ. Journal of Visual Semiotics. 2015. Issue 3 (5). P. 54-70

The article is devoted to the history, content, and problems of actualization in modern culture rite of foot washing on Holy Thursday. Ritual plays gospel events of the Last Supper and is reborn in the liturgical practice of the Russian Orthodox Church at present. The article discusses the origin and history of the rite, as well as the specificity of its occurrence in the Jerusalem Church and in Russia. Analyzes the characteristics of the translation of spiritual values through the spatial icons in connection with the specific culture of the spoken word. Discusses the problems of actualization of spatial icons in cultures with extraordinary role of written discourse in connection with gradual increase of the detachment of parties from the meaning of the rite and its desacralization. It is concluded that spatial updating icons in modern conditions requires overcoming of man’s alienation from cultural phenomena, its status as a consumer of information, the transition from passive reception to active experience.

Keywords: rite of Foot washing, Orthodoxy, worship, spatial icon, the culture of spoken word, literary, written discourse, word, image.

THE PLAY OF DANIEL AND THE INTERPRETATION OF SACRED HISTORY IN THE LITURGICAL PRACTICE OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH IN XVI–XVII CENTURIES // ΠΡΑΞΗMΑ. Journal of Visual Semiotics. 2016. Issue 2 (8). P. 37-52

The article analyzes the interpretation of Sacred history to the rite of Play of Daniel performed in the Russian Orthodox Church in XVI–XVII centuries, examines the origin and content of the liturgical rite, the problem of the boundaries of the sacred and the secular in the Play of Daniel event, the problem of interpretation of the Trinitarian dogma, the particular interpretation of the events of Sacred history. It is concluded that the installation on the existential experience of the Sacred history has led to the mobility of the boundaries of the sacred and the secular in the Play of Daniel action that constituted a special view on Trinitarian doctrine and a special relationship to the events of Sacred history that is relevant to believers not only in Liturgy, but in everyday life. From the 2nd half of the XVII century there was a gradual desacralization of ritual in connection with the General trends of secularization and secularism that leads to the transformation of liturgical rite into a liturgical drama. However, the interpretation of Sacred history relevant to the present day continues to exist within the culture of the Old Believers.

Keywords: the Play of Daniel, Orthodoxy, Trinitarian dogma, spatial icon, sacred, secular, secularization, desacralization

THE ACTION OF THE LAST JUDGMENT IN THE ORTHODOX CHURCH SERVICE OF RUSSIA IN THE 17th CENTURY: TO THE PROBLEM OF TYPOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LITURGICAL ACTION // ΠΡΑΞΗMΑ. Journal of Visual Semiotics. 2016. Issue 4 (10). P. 53-65

The article analyzes one of the least studied liturgical actions – the action on the Last Judgment, celebrated in the Russian Orthodox Church in the 17th century. I consider the origin and content of the liturgical rite, the space of action, the specificity of its participants and features of the committing action. The specificity of the action space, the number and composition of its participants, the content associated with the ultimate fate of the world make the action of the Last Judgment the culmination of liturgical celebrations development. In this case the target action is achieved with a minimum of expressive means in combination with a large volume and a rich symbolic content. Revealed peculiarities of the action allow to raise the question of the typological characteristics of the liturgical action, as well as question of the ways and forms of ‘impersonation’ of the Sacred history events in the liturgical action and in divine service in general.

Keywords: liturgy, liturgical action, Last Judgment, sacred space, spatial icon

THE SPACE OF RELIGIOUS WORSHIP AND SACRED TOPIC OF THE CITY: THE EASTERN CHRISTIAN TRADITION // ΠΡΑΞΗMΑ. Journal of Visual Semiotics. 2018. Issue 1 (15). P. 93-119

The article examines the role of religious worship in the formation of sacral topography of Orthodox city, using example of the Eastern Christian tradition. It discusses the features of the space of the Orthodox Church and the sacralization of space outside of the temple, as well as the impact of these features on the town-planning tradition on the example of the Byzantine Empire and Russia. It also identifies specifics of Eastern Christian town-planning traditions associated with understanding the city as a place of the divine presence, with a single sacred centre, sanctifying and forming the surrounding space. This article analyzes the features of formation of the sacral centre of the city in the Byzantine Empire and Russia, as well as forms and methods of the consecration of the urban space. Additionally, the article investigates the fate of Orthodox urban planning traditions and the specificity of its perception in Russia of the 18th – 20th centuries, and in the Siberian region on the example of Tomsk.

Keywords: Orthodoxy, sacred space, architectural tradition, city, sacred topography, Byzantium, Russia, Siberia, Tomsk

THE SPACE OF RELIGIOUS WORSHIP AND SACRAL TOPOGRAPHY OF THE CITY: THE WESTERN CHRISTIAN TRADITION // ΠΡΑΞΗMΑ. Journal of Visual Semiotics. 2018. Issue 2 (16). P. 86-109

The article examines the role of religious worship in the formation of sacral topography of the Catholic city. The leading role of religious worship in the traditional religious consciousness is typical for both Eastern and Western Christianity in the Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages the topography of city was influenced by the space of religious worship.The article discusses the features of conception of the sacred in the Western Christian tradition, the specifics of the temple space, as well as the impact of these features on the urban tradition on the example of Medieval Europe. The analysis of the semiotic meaning of the cross shows that Western Christianity is characterized by an understanding of the sacred from the position of an external observer, while Eastern Christianity is characterized by existential experience of the sacred. Therefore, in Western Christianity not only Sacred is essential, but also its interpretation by man. This is due, for example, the use of sculpture in worship. The author reveals the features of the Western Christian urban planning tradition associated with the specifics of understanding the sacred and the peculiarities of the interaction between the sacred and the human in the urban space. Among these features is a specific and contradictory understanding of the city by medieval authors. The city is understood as an image of Heavenly Jerusalem, and as a place of sin and the fruit of human pride.Author analizes the features of the formation of center of medieval city on the example of Wrocław (Poland). A feature of many medieval cities is the gradual formation of two centers – the spiritual and secular, associated with the human component of urban life (town hall). The author studies the fate of the Catholic urban planning tradition and the specificity of its perception in modern Europe on the example of Wrocław. It is concluded that the specificity of the understanding of the sacred in Western Christianity generates spiritual problems in society associated with secularization, but at the same time provides stability and continuity of urban tradition.

Keywords: Catholicism, religious cult, sacred space, town-planning tradition, city, Romanesque style, Gothic, Medieval city, Poland, Wroclaw

THE SACRED AND THE SECULAR IN THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH: ON THE PROBLEM OF BORDERS AND INTERACTION // ΠΡΑΞΗMΑ. Journal of Visual Semiotics. 2021. Issue 1 (27). P. 142-156

The article analyzes the interaction of sacred and secular elements in the space of the Christian Church, the problem of the boundary between the secular and the sacred, and options for its solution in the history of the Christian Church. The nature of the interaction between the sacred and the secular is determined by the cosmic character of Christianity. Christianity seeks to sanctify the surrounding world and change it by divine principles, since the world was created by God and has His image. The highest form of transformation of the world is the sacrament of the Eucharist. The final transformation of the world, according to the Christian doctrine, is possible after the Second Coming of Christ. Since the first centuries of Christianity, the border of the sacred and secular spaces in the temple was mobile, and the service involved the active participation of the laity. In the first centuries of Christianity, the altar of the temple stood out from its space, but was not separated from the faithful. Lay people were able to see what was happening in the altar and participate in the sacraments through offerings. Such features are typical for both Byzantium and Russia of the 10th–13th centuries. Later, the problem of disturbing the balance of the secular and sacred elements appears; it is solved differently in the West and East. The Christian West has taken the path of integrating the sacred into its secular life. Initially, this was manifested in the performance of prayers and sacraments “facing people”. There was an idea that such a performance of prayers corresponds to the Last Supper of Christ and the apostles. For the same reason, the bishop’s place in the church was moved closer to the praying lay people. Later, there was a transition to perform liturgy in national languages. All this led to the progressive desacralization of liturgy. In the East, liturgy developed in a different way. The separation of the sacred and secular spaces became a priority, which was manifested in the increase in the height of the altar barrier and in the appearance of a high iconostasis. Then the activity of lay participation in liturgy decreases, and, in the 17th century, the final separation of the sacred and secular spaces takes place. As a result of Patriarch Nikon’s liturgical reform, the position of the priest changes. A priest is understood as a bearer of grace, whose position is higher than that of a lay person. Words that have a secular meaning are removed from the texts of the service. The sphere of secular life that is separate from church life appears. This leads to the secularization of culture. Thus, Western and Eastern Christians came from the Christian idea of sanctifying the world in different ways to the secularization of culture and worship rather than to the sanctification of the space of people’s lives. But liturgy and the arrangement of the temple in the Christian East, with its tendency to separate its space from the secular, still preserve the sacred content of Christianity to a greater extent than the West.

Keywords: sacred space, secular space, liturgy, liturgical text, temple, laity, priests, Western Christianity, Eastern Christianity, Patriarch Nikon’s liturgical reform

SIBERIAN MONASTERY AND THE CITY SPACE: PROBLEMS OF INTERACTION (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE TOMSK SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST CONVENT) // ΠΡΑΞΗMΑ. Journal of Visual Semiotics. 2022. Issue 1 (31). P. 127-152

The article analyzes the role and place of the Siberian monastery in the space of the city on the example of the Saint John the Baptist Monastery, which existed from 1876 to 1922 in Tomsk, reveals the problems of the interaction of the tradition of monastic construction with the secularizing culture of the Siberian society of the 19th century. Since ancient times, monastery has been a factor of consecration of both the city and the adjacent territories space. In this case, monasteries became “satellites” of the city, being on its outskirts – a place of interaction with the unconsecrated surrounding territory. Monasteries were often built outside the city if missionary work among non-Christians was necessary. The accession of Siberia to the Russian state took place in the conditions of a gradual secularization of culture as a result of the growing influence of secular elements. Therefore, the well-known traditions of monastic construction continued to exist, but changed gradually. The further secularization of culture, as well as the state policy of restricting monasticism, which had been carried out by the government since the 18th century, led to the fact that the sacred and city-forming role of the monastery as a spiritual center ceased to be perceived by the urban community. By the end of the 19th century the city authorities began to perceive monastery not as a sacred object, but as a competitor to the city, a contender for urban lands. The analysis of the structure and components of the Tomsk Saint John the Baptist Convent estate suggests that the convent preserved the symbolic structure of a monastery land. The confrontation of monastery traditions and values with secular culture led to the destruction of the convent at the beginning of the 20th century and the total desacralization of its land. In the context of a complicated attitude of the urban community to the convent as a part of the city space, and considering the reformation of the monastery space, the proposed aim of the research is a historical reconstruction and establishment of a museum on the territory of the former convent.

Keywords: city space, symbolism, Tomsk, Saint John the Baptist Convent, construction, architecture, historical reconstruction