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“Zoya's standing” vs “Barnaul Miracl”: Heroization of Faith, Semantics and Semiotics of Narratives

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.37816/2073‑9567‑2026‑80‑84‑96
  • УДК / UDC: 008
  • Publication Type: Research Article
  • For Citation:

    Lebedev, V.Yu., Prilutskii, A.M. “Zoya's standing” vs “Barnaul Miracl”: Heroization of Faith, Semantics and Semiotics of Narratives.” Vestnik slavianskikh kul’tur, vol. 80, 2026, pp. 84–96. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.37816/2073‑9567‑2026‑80‑84‑96 
  • Author 1: Vladimir Yu. Lebedev
  • Information about the Author 1:

    Vladimir Yu. Lebedev — PhD in Philosophy, Docent, Professor, Professor Department of Theology, Institute of Pedagogical Education and Social Technologies, Tver State University, Zhelyabova St., 33, 170100 Tver, Russia. 

    ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000‑0003‑4840‑3135 

    E‑mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Author 2: Alexander M. Prilutskii
  • Information about the Author 2:

    Alexander M. Prilutskii — PhD in Philosophy, Professor, Professor Department of sociology and religious studies, Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, Kazanskaya St., 6, 191186 St. Petersburg, Russia.

    ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000‑0002‑7013‑9935 

    E‑mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Abstract: This paper presents a comparative analysis of two well‑known narrative texts of religious content — “Zoya's Standing” and “The Barnaul Miracle”, containing a description of miraculous events that took place in the Soviet province in the 50s – 60s of the twentieth century. The authors examine not so much the reliability of the events themselves, as their semiotic features, highlighting the specific conditions for the formation of narratives and their reproduction in the modern semiosphere. The authors proceed from the thesis that narratives of miracles arising in the context of Soviet atheistic culture serve not only for the purposes of religious missionary work, but also for constructing an apologetic image of a “feat of faith”. Both texts form vivid images of heroines who have transformed from atheists into preachers of repentance. The paper provides the results of a comparative analysis of the content and plot structures of both narratives, representing the basis for studying “hagiographic kitsch” and eschatological mythologemes. The paper shows that both narratives, due to their popularity and stable plot, continue to live in the cultural memory and discourses of everyday religious culture. The research was carried out in terms of the semio‑hermeneutic approach to the study of religious texts.
  • Keywords: Life of the saints, refrains, miracle, genre, semiotics, provincial culture, religious tradition
  • Страницы / Pages: 84–96
  • Received: June 16, 2025
  • Approved after Reviewing: April 06, 2026
  • Publication Date: June 25, 2026
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