THE FIRST MONASTERY OF RUS`

Igor A. Novitskiy

Igor A. Novitskiy — Master of Theology, St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki Church, Berzarina St., 15, bldg. 1, 123585 Moscow, Russia. E-mail: ingvaringvar@mail.ru

Theory and history of culture

2017

Vol. 45

Pp. 86-93

November 11, 2016

September 15, 2017

281.93+94(47)

86.372.24-65+63.3(2)41

The article introduces a new argument for the traditional date of the foundation of Novotorzhskiy Borisoglebskiy monastery. It is well known that a monastery dedicated to a saint can be founded only after a saint`s canonization and thus the problem is that there is no agreement among historians regarding the question of the time of canonization of Princes Boris and Gleb. In the Old Russian texts of Boris and Gleb cycle each of the two translations of the Princes` relics to a new church — one under Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise (year is unknown) and the other under Yaroslav`s sons (in 1072) – is described as a ceremony with clear traits of canonization event. The author ascertains the fact that Yaroslav`s canonization took place in 1037, when July 24 fell on Sunday (later, according to the author`s hypothesis, decanonization came about and in 1072 — the renewal of official veneration followed). This result fits perfectly well with the year 1038: just upon knowing about the canonization, St. Ephraim of New Torg, former boyar of Prince Boris, in the instant dedicated the church and monastery he built to the memory of his patrons – formerly earthly and now heavenly ones. The acceptance of this event as a historical fact allows to draw an important conclusion that the oldest abode of monks in Rus` — is the Novotorzhskiy Ss. Boris and Gleb monastery and not the Kievo-Pecherskaya Laura.

Novotorzhskiy Ss. Boris and Gleb monastery, Princes Boris and Gleb, Ephraim of New Torg, Prince Yaroslav the Wise, canonization, Metropolitan John, decanonization.

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