Mother Maria’s “New Soul” in Her Life and Work

The article summarises the results from research on the concepts “new” and “newness” in the theological, hagiographic, publicistic, poetic, and artistic legacy of Mother Maria (Skobtsova), as well as in her life and church ministry. The core question of the article is about the newness of the righteous martyr’s life and work, of her response to the challenges of her time. The author analyses Mother Maria’s most significant writings within the context of the continuity of Russian religious thought. The idea of implementing sobornost and projecting it over all the spheres of Christians’ life is the key to comprehending the newness in Mother Maria’s life and work