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Reflection of Core Concepts of the Culture of the Late Middle Ages in Iconography and Paintings of the Stroganov`s Annunciation Cathedral (Based on the Example of the ‘Last Judgment’ Plot

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.37816/2073‑9567‑2026‑79‑212‑230
  • УДК / UDC: 008 + 7.03
  • Publication Type: Research Article
  • For Citation:

    Voroshin, C.D. “Reflection of Core Concepts of the Culture of the Late Middle Ages in Iconography and Paintings of the Stroganov`s Annunciation Cathedral (Based on the Example of the ‘Last Judgment’ Plot.” Vestnik slavianskikh kul’tur, vol. 79, 2026, pp. 212–230. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.37816/2073‑9567‑2026‑79‑212‑230 
  • Information about the Author 1:

    Semyon D. Voroshin — PhD in Cultural Studies, Associate Professor of the Department of Theology, Culture and Art, Research Fellow at the Scientific and Educational Center “Actual Issues of the History and Theory of Culture”, Institute of Media and Social Sciences and Humanities, South Ural State University (National Research University), Lenina St., 76, room 242, 454080 Chelyabinsk, Russia.

    ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000‑0002‑1625‑8642 

    E‑mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Abstract: This paper examines how core concepts were embodied in 16th and 17th century church art, using the Annunciation Cathedral in Solvychegodsk, the home church of the Stroganov industrialists and entrepreneurs, as an example. Two icons and a fresco depicting the Last Judgment, commissioned by members of the industrial dynasty, were selected as representative sources. To this end, the author determined theological and artistic sources that served as the basis for the works of the Stroganov masters. The paper also establishes how the most significant creative ideas were conveyed through icons and the artistic techniques employed by the masters of the Stroganov circle. The study outlines individual characteristics of the commissions of these eminent industrialists and traces the embodiment of their cultural identity in the icons and fresco “The Last Judgment” of the Annunciation Cathedral. Since the issue under study lies at the intersection of humanities, cultural approach has been chosen, combining an analysis of the semantic content of icons and their art historical aspects, as well as the principle of historicism, taking into account the nature of the Late Middle Ages. The author concludes that the core concepts embodied in the Stroganov church art on the theme of the Last Judgment were: the besieged fortress, the sacredness of the sovereign's power, the ideologeme “Moscow — the Third Rome”, “Moscow — the New Jerusalem”, providentialism, holiness, etc.
  • Keywords: core cultural concepts, reflection of creative ideas in Russian culture of the Late Middle Ages, the image of the besieged fortress, the sacredness of the sovereign's power, the Stroganov icon “The Last Judgment”, late 16th century, early 17th century, the Annunciation Cathedral of Solvychegodsk.
  • Funding Sources: The study was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation, no. 24‑78‑00058, project title “Reflection of the core concepts of the Late Middle Ages in the culture and art of the 16th – 17th centuries (using the example of the philanthropic activities of the Stroganov family)”, Available at: https:// rscf.ru/en/project/24‑78‑00058/
  • Страницы / Pages: 212–230
  • Received: October 12, 2025
  • Approved after Reviewing: February 16, 2026
  • Publication Date: March 25, 2026

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