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Holy Rus' or Holy Russia () - is an important religious and philosophical concept which appeared from the 9th century and developed gradually from the 16th century to the 21st century by people in
Grand Duchy of Moscow The Grand Principality of Moscow, or Muscovy, known as the Principality of Moscow until 1389, was a late medieval Russian monarchy. Its capital was the city of Moscow. Originally established as a minor principality in the 13th century, the gra ...
, East Europe, Central Eurasia and
Great Russia Great Russia, sometimes Great Rus' ( , ; , ; , ), is a name formerly applied to the territories of "Russia proper", the land that formed the core of the Grand Duchy of Moscow and later the Tsardom of Russia. This was the land to which the e ...
. As a concept it has several meanings. It designates the Russian land as chosen by God and enlightened by the Christian faith. However, among the other spaces, Holy Rus' is not distinguished by geography, nor by the state it constitutes, nor by ethnicity, but by
Eastern Orthodox Christianity Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...
.(ru) Holy Russia.En: Словарь русского языка: В 4-х т. М., 1999. — Т. 4. — С. 59—60


History

This religious concept developed through the ages in close connection with Orthodox Russian Christianity, which cannot be understood completely without the idea of Holy Rus'. The idea of Holy Rus' can be explained as the idea of Kingdom of Heaven well-known to every Christian around the world, but developed in the realities of society of Central Eurasia under the strong influence of ancient East Slavic Orthodox Christian culture. The idea made great impact on the emergence and development of many states and societies in East Europe and Central Eurasia through the centuries: the ancient principality of Rus' (the
Kievan Rus' Kievan Rus', also known as Kyivan Rus,. * was the first East Slavs, East Slavic state and later an amalgam of principalities in Eastern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical At ...
), the Eastern Slavic principalities in the state structure of the
Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire was the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in human history, history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Euro ...
, Empire of the Great Horde, the Russian Czardom and
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
of the 16th to 20th centuries and even on the emergence and development of the Soviet Union which gave birth to the modern
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
n, Ukrainian and
Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
ian republics:


See also

*
Moscow, third Rome Moscow, third Rome (; ) is a theological and political concept asserting Moscow as the successor to ancient Rome, with the Russian world carrying forward the legacy of the Roman Empire. The term " third Rome" refers to a historical topic of deb ...
* Russian world * Holy Rus (organization) *
Kingship and kingdom of God The concept of the kingship of God appears in all Abrahamic religions, where in some cases the terms kingdom of God and kingdom of Heaven are also used. The notion of God's kingship goes back to the Hebrew Bible, which refers to "his kingdom" ...


References


Sources


"Holy Russia": A Study in the History of an Idea



Further reading

* * * Gary Lachman, (2020). ''The Return of Holy Russia: Apocalyptic History, Mystical Awakening, and the Struggle for the Soul of the World'' (Inner Traditions). {{Russian nationalism Christian theology History of Ruthenia Russian nationalism Russian Orthodox Church in Russia