The medieval origins of the idea of “Holy Russia”. The commemoration of the Battle of Kulikovo (1380) in the Narration of the Battle with Mamai

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Marcello Garzaniti

Abstract

The Narration of the Battle with Mamai (Skazanie o Mamaevom poboišče), dedicated to the famous Russian military victory over the Tatars on the Kulikovo Field (1380), is generally considered the central work of the Kulikovo cycle. The anonymous author develops a consistent reinterpretation of the historical event in a liturgical and commemorative key by constantly adopting forms of prayer and of hagiographic narrative. The analysis of the numerous biblical quotations that weave the plot introduces the deeper meaning of Narration: the final incorporation of the Hellenistic-Christian chronotope in the Slavic "Orthodox Christianity" in which Moscow and "Russian land" have become central.

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Essays