The baptism of the Vyatichi (the Christianization of the Earth of the Vyatichi) is the process of the adoption of Christianity by the Eastern Slavic tribe of the Vyatichi who inhabited the territory of the upper and middle Opoch in the 8th — 13th centuries.
Vyatichi stood out from the total number of East Slavic tribes. Their territory fell under the partial influence of a non-Slavic state - the Khazar Kaganate , which differed in language, culture and religion. Until the 11th century, the Land of the Vyatichi was an integral, independent territory inhabited by a tribal union, isolated from other East Slavic tribes and lands. In the 10th century, repeated attempts were made by the Kiev princes Svyatoslav and Vladimir to subordinate and impose a tribute on this tribe. These attempts were not crowned with a final victory and were temporary. In the " Instructions of Vladimir Monomakh " (late XI century) does not speak about the conquest of Vyatichi. Their management was carried out by independent tribal leaders. The absence of a strong tribal alliance, which united all Vyatichi with the leaders at the head, caused political and administrative fragmentation of this territory. In the 12th century, the Vyatichi land was divided between three independent principalities : the northern territory became part of the Rostov-Suzdal principality ; Upper Oka basin - in the composition of the Chernigov principality ; secondary Potoche was ceded to the principality of Ryazan [1] [2] .
History
The history of the Earth Vyatichi can be divided into periods: VIII — two-thirds of the X century. - territorial and political formation independent of Kievan Rus ; the last third of the X — the end of the XI centuries. - The colonization of the Vyatichi lands by the Old Russian principalities; XII — first third of XIII centuries. - Completion of the process of entry under the authority of the ancient princes and administrative and cultural assimilation . After submission to the Russian princes, the Vyatichi for a long time defended their pagan life, traditions and rituals [3] .
The historian of the Russian Church , E.E. Golubinsky, stated that the Vyatichi were baptized much later than other East Slavic tribes. He cites the legend that the inhabitants of the city of Mtsensk were finally baptized by the Grand Duke of Moscow, Vasily Dmitrievich and Metropolitan Photius, and then " with the use of great military power " - and this is the beginning of the 15th century. The conclusions of E. E. Golubinsky were also accepted by the religious scholar N. S. Gordienko and other Soviet researchers. This statement contradicts history, since the city of Mtsensk was annexed to the Moscow principality at the beginning of the XVI century. But the legend may be indirect evidence that the Vyatichi Russian princes for a long time could not lead to obedience [4] .
VIII — X centuries.
The pagan Slavs had a funeral rite of cremation of the departed, followed by burial under mounds of mounds in earthen vessels (urns). Numerous archaeological excavations of the Vyatichi kurgans with cremations date mainly from the 8th — 10th centuries. It follows from this that in the 10th century inclusive the Christian religion has not yet spread to the greater territory of the Vyatichi Earth [1] .
XI — XII centuries.
Separate burials with burnt burns also refer to the 11th — 12th centuries. But in the XI century, a new burial rite appears - burial on the horizon (or a corpse on the mainland) with preservation of many details of pagan rituals (various orientations, a large amount of coal in burials, arms extended along the body, pots next to the buried, a large number of things and female, and in male graves, etc.). The form of the ceremony becomes Christian, and many details of the ritual speak of loyalty to the pagan traditions. Therefore, during this period, the cremation rite coexisted with the rite of inhumation . This is the time of origin of the dual faith. In the 12th century, the number of burials on the horizon decreases and they begin to give way to the pit burials, which become predominant in the 12th — 13th centuries. At the turn of the 13th century, pit burials are characterized by an almost complete absence of pagan ritual details and the presence of Christian features (burial with hands folded on the chest, the absence of coal and ceramics in the grave, a large number of inventory-free burials). It should be noted that on the blades of the seven-blade temporal rings of the end of the 12th – beginning of the 13th centuries, found in the burials, an ornament in the form of a cross with crossed ends appears. The appearance of burials on the horizon cannot be interpreted as a change of belief, but the appearance of pit burials indicates the loss of the pagan heritage, which is preserved only as domestic remnants until the XIX century.
“ The Tale of Bygone Years ” thus describes the custom of Vyatichi for the burial of the dead: put on the pillar on the road, and create the Vyatichi nowadays . ” From the chronicle it follows that only Vyatichi even at the beginning of the XII century continued to burn the dead at the stake. A considerable number of preachers worked on converting to Christianity especially persistent in the pagan faith of the people [4] .
Christian mission of John Cooks
The most famous preacher was hieromonk Kuksha. A written record of his Christian mission to the land of the Gentile pagans dates back to 1113. The monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, John Kuksha, with his disciple Nikon, headed the spiritual mission to the Vyatichsky lands with the goal of turning them to Christ . According to one of the versions, Kuksha could be a pagan baptized by Saint Vladimir. According to the legend after baptism, he received the name John, but the church numbered him under the pagan name Kuksha. The first place where the mission unfolded its activities was the Bryansk land , then transferred to the Orlov lands and according to church tradition, not far from the Mtsensk villages of Karandakova and Frolovka, the pagans attacked the mission camp, where Kuksha was beheaded: “he was truncated with his apprentice .” Some researchers call the town of Serensk a place of death for Kuksha. The relics of the first Baptist were delivered and placed in the nearby caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, where they are still kept. [5] .
Consequences of Baptism
Thus, the majority of Vyatichi were converted to Christianity in the XI century. In the 12th century, pagan groups still existed, but they did not constitute the majority of the population. The process of Christianization of the Vyatichi population was accompanied by great difficulties and contradictions, remnants of the old religion remained. But Christianity was an inseparable part of the state and its distribution is evidence of the success of state power above all [4] .
After the change of religion, relationships between people changed: polygamy, blood feud, human sacrifice became forbidden. The adoption of Christianity Vyatichi accelerated their union with other nations, which contributed to the consolidation of the ancient Russian people. A single church organization replaced the local pagan cults. The ideological unity of faith and the state created the prerequisites for a single statehood.
See also
- Slavic colonization of the Verkhovsk province
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Nikolskaya T.N. Land of Vyatichi. To the history of the population of the upper and middle Oka basin in the 9th — 13th centuries. / ed. V.V. Sedov. - M .: Science , 1981. - 296 p.
- ↑ Chronicle of Nestor with the inclusion of the Instructions of Vladimir Monomakh St. Petersburg. : Glazunov Printing House, 1903. - 214 p.
- ↑ Mayorov A. A. On the issue of periodization of the history of the Earth Vyatichi // Uchenye zapiski Oryol State University: journal. - 2016. - № 2 (71) . - pp . 28—32 . - ISSN 1998-2770 .
- ↑ 1 2 3 O. M. Rapov. Russian Church in the 9th — first third of the 12th century. Adoption of Christianity. - M .: "High School", 1988. - 416 p. - ISBN 5-06-001181-X .
- ↑ Christianization of the Oryol Territory . Oryol Metropolis . The appeal date is March 1, 2018.
Literature
- Artsikhovsky A.V. Kurgans Vyatichi. - M .: RANION , 1930. - 223 p.
- Gordienko N. S. “The Baptism of Rus”: facts against legends and myths. - L .: Lenizdat, 1986. - 287 p.
- Mayorov A. A. History Orlovskaya. Slavic history from ancient times to the end of the XVII century. - Orel: Cartouche, 2013. - 376 p. - ISBN 978-5-9708-0381-3 .