Stepkin Vitalii

Athos and Podon'e in the Late 19th and Early 20th Century: Contacts in Context of Restoration of Shatrishchegorskii Cave Monastery

Abstract

The paper deals with the interaction between Athos and Podon’e in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in connection with the restoration of Shatrishchegorsky cave monasteryin Voronezh guberniya. The analysis of the religious situation in both regions is based on the study of some new sources from the Russian State Historical Archive. These sources show the development of monastic traditions in the region and allow us to give a concrete example. In the late 19th century the monks from Athos Diodor (Kotliarov) and Tikhon (Prisiazhnyi) tried to restore Shatrishchegorskii monastery in Podon’e, which was closed under the Secularising Reform of 1764. Their choice was conditioned by the fact that in the late 19th century undeservedly forgotten holy places of the land of Don were well-known in Athos. The attempt of Diodor and Tikhon failed despite local people’s support. Voronezh regional authorities traditionally did not support communities that were forming within the popular Orthodoxy and aimed to create cave monasteries. Local authorities considered such attempts as potentially leading to the spread of superstitions and schism.

Keywords

Athos, Podon’e, monasticism, caves, Shatrishchegorskii monastery, Voronezh guberniya, Diodor (Kotliarov), Tikhon (Prisiazhnyi), Russian Orthodox Church, cultural landscape, civil society

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Stepkin Vitalii