The Stroganovs and monastery construction in the Urals in the mid-16th and 17th centuries

The central topic of the article is the question of the Stroganov family participation in the creation and development of monasteries in the Urals. Based on both published and first introduced into scientific use archival documents of the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts, factors that contributed to the emergence of monasteries in the Stroganov patrimonies are analyzed, the role of individual members of the family in the process is shown. The overview discusses the development of religious art in the Stroganov lands, their role in the development of culture in the region. It also indicates the famous family's contribution to Russian monasteries outside the Perm land. Colonization of the Urals and its economic development were accompanied by fixing new territories, including in relation to the church. The richest Stroganov family was the main colonizer of the Urals. The tradition of monastery building on the lands of Great Perm, started by Anika Stroganov, developed during the last third of the 16th and in the 17th centuries. Churches and monasteries were built to primarily serve the spiritual needs of the Russian people who came to the new land. But over time, some monasteries acquired the missionary function. In Great Perm, in their new patrimonies, the Stroganovs founded five monasteries: two Pyskorsky, Chusovskoy, Sherinsky and Okhanny. Traditionally, they were based in fortified towns which had military protection. The Stroganovs did not only erect buildings, but also provided them with lands and salt works, which allowed to support the monks. Belonging to the Stroganovs, monasteries remained part of their economic relations. Huge profits from salt works allowed the Strog-anovs to spend considerable money on the construction and decoration of temples. They opened icon-painting and gold-embroidery shops that formed a special Stroganov style in church art. The Stroganov School in music and architecture was also formed. The Stroganovs were also engaged in book business. Their library was considered the largest private collection of books in Russia in the 16th-17th centuries. The Stroganovs made descriptions of the books, created their school of calligraphy, where the books were written and copied. The Stroganovs not only built monasteries, were their benefactors, but many also became monks themselves. Ktitors of the Pyskorsky monastery, the Stroganovs set special conditions for their family and people when going into convent: they did not have to make a contribution. The study leads to a conclusion that the Stroganovs played a leading role in the construction of monasteries in the Urals in the 16th-17th centuries.

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