Monachisme et diffusion de la foi dans la Russie moscovite (XIVe-XVIe siècle)

Monachism and the Circulation of Faith in Moscovite Russia (14th-16th Century). P. Gonneau. The period between 1360 and 1600 witnesses the constitution of a national Russian State and a national Russian Church, the growth of a national "Russian Idea", firmly based upon the orthodox faith. The main vehicle of this faith, first embodying the local self-awareness of the various "Russian lands", then serving as a bridge over these local identities, is the rural cenobitic monasticism which St. Sergius of Radonezh (✝ 1392) brings back to life in North-Eastern Russia during the second half of the XIVth century. From then on, monastic economic presence is as strong in Russia as in Western Europe during the "golden age" of Cluny and Citeaux (X-XIIth c.) and the monk becomes the central figure of Russian holiness. Furthermore, during the XVth century, some big monasteries, such as the Trinity, the main foundation of Sergius, get to command a nationwide devotion. In times of peace, this piety drives crowds of pilgrims, including the grand-prince of Moscow, soon to become tsar; in times of national peril, it gives an anchor to the Russian identity, it develops a first form of Russian patriotism.Gonneau Pierre. Monachisme et diffusion de la foi dans la Russie moscovite (XIVe-XVIe siècle). In: Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales. 51ᵉ année, N. 2, 1996. pp. 463-489