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A.G. Avdeev (Moscow) – On the Question of Using the Penitential Verse “I See You, Coffin” in Moscow Russia: the Unique Epitaph of 1529/30 from the Novospassky Monastery

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Abstract

This paper is devoted to the study of the epitaph on the white stone tombstone of 1529/30 with a quote from the penitential verse “I see you, coffin” (CIR1001) in the historical and cultural context of the epoch. This epigraphic document was found in the Novospassky Monastery, Moscow, and is published here for the first time. The expansion of the semantic field is unique for the epitaphs of Moscow Russia of the 16th century and refl ects the completion of the global process of individualization of the image of Death in European (including Ancient Russian) culture in the 14th and 15th centuries. The penitential verse “I see thee, coffin”, which spread in post-Byzantine manuscripts and epitaphs on Mount Athos from the second half of the 15th century, refl ected the individualization of the image of Death in the Orthodox East. In Russian iconography, it appears in the paintings of the northern doors of the iconostasis in the 1540s as a signature to the image of Death-skeleton lying in a coffin, symbolizing the fate of each person. The popularity of this penitential verse in Russia is also evidenced by its numerous handwritten lists, the earliest of which date back to the early 1470s. This work also turned out to be consonant with the grave epigraphy, as evidenced by the studied epitaph. Thus, the Death- skeleton, which appeared in the world thanks to the fall of the great-parents, in a single complex with the verse “I see you, coffin”, imprinted in iconography, book culture and epigraphy, confirmed in the Russian culture of the 16th century its omnipotence and the vanity of earthly life.

Keywords

Corpus inscriptionum Rossicarum, epigraphy of Moscow Russia, epitaphs, Russian culture of the 16th century, penitential verses, Russian iconography, the image of Death.

Alexander G. Avdeev

St. Tikhon’s Orthodox University, Moscow, Russia

Dmitry Pozharsky University, Moscow, Russia

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