Keeping pagan sanctuaries in Ancient Russia: facts against myths

The subject of historical analysis in this article is keeping east Slavonic pagan sanctuaries and its priests. This topic has not been previously revealed by the scientists of our country. The main aim of this research is historical reconstruction of keeping pagan cult system of our ancestors of the pre-Christian age. The author has made the analysis of historical sources and wrote about biased criticism of historical base of the pre-Mongolian period. Methodology of the study: comparative philosophical religious analysis. The main method of the study is comparative analytical. General scientific methods are: analysis, synthesis, generalization, individualization, historical narrative. While working on the article, the author used both written and archeological sources. At first, we have to mention written sources of VI-XVII centuries, including data characterizing cult system of Ancient Slavs of pagan and early Christian epochs. They are native chronicles XI-XIV centuries (at first, the Povest Vremennih Let, the Ipatievskaya chronicle and First Novgorod chronicle), Lives of Saints, Skazanie o postroenii grada Yaroslavlya. The author used materials of foreign authors IX-XI centuries: Ibn-Fadlan, Adam of Bremen. The author has also used wide archeological data: materials of excavation at East Slavonic settlements, sanctuaries and warriors' mounds. Using vast historical base, the author has depicted step by step the peculiarities of keeping small family sanctuaries, settlements-sanctuaries, city sacred centers and its priests. The main peculiarities of pagan cult in cities are revealed in the article, the author also wrote about priests' hierarchy. The author pays attention to regular financing of city sanctuary in the city of Kiev, when Kiev prince Vladimir ordered to do in the year 980. That's why the author came to conclusion about funding of city sanctuaries by the means of believers. Pagan priests have got a part of offering as salary for keeping the sanctuary and also some payments for rituals and cure. The greater and richer have been the believers, the richer and more influencing were the priests. While preparing a corpse to funerals the priests got some percentage of dead's property. At the final step a constant system has been led - tithe from the income of Kiev priest Vladimir Svyatoslavovich.

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