Secularization of culture in the 17th century. Expanding cultural ties with Europe

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

XVII century is a transitional century for national history and culture. This period is considered to be time. It was then that the prerequisites for the famous Peter the Great reforms were formed in our country. The main component of this process is the secularization of culture.

Era review

The time under consideration is interesting for the stage that clearly shows that the reforms of Peter I did not arise from scratch. They became a natural consequence of all the previous development of the country. In this regard, the century under study is very significant, since it was during this period of time that radical changes took place in almost all spheres of public life. Changes affected politics, economy, society. In addition, Russia began to play a prominent and prominent role in international relations in Western Europe. Therefore, the secularization of culture should be considered in the context of the above innovations.

Main directions of development

In previous centuries, religion occupied a decisive place in the history and art of Russia. Power, society, education were determined by it, whichleft a noticeable imprint on the way of life and thoughts of the population. However, in the 17th century, a new development trend emerged: ties with Western Europe expanded, so foreign achievements leaked into our country. Educated circles of society began to show interest in secular knowledge, sciences, culture and, finally, in the European way of life.

All this had a very noticeable impact on the life and life of the Russian population. Another direction of development that emerged in the period under review is the tendency to borrow the main achievements and novelties from abroad. At first, only the closest associates of the Moscow rulers and prominent aristocrats, who could afford to buy expensive foreign goods, were engaged in this. The number of such people grew slowly but steadily. This small layer subsequently became a support for Peter I in carrying out his reforms.

Prerequisites for change

The secularization of culture arose as a result of all the previous development of the history of Russia. The fact is that even in the Middle Ages, Moscow princes invited foreigners to their court for construction, as well as doctors, craftsmen, artisans and artists. A striking example is the invitation by Ivan III of the famous Italian architect Aristotle Fioravanti to build the famous Assumption Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin. Another example is the work of the talented Greek artist Theophanes the Greek in Russia.

At the time under consideration, such casesappeals to foreign masters were rare. But they were impressive nonetheless. First, they talked about the tendency of Russian society to borrow Western European experience. Secondly, it became a prerequisite for such a phenomenon as the secularization of culture.

Everyday stories

Literature of the 17th century very clearly reflected this trend towards the penetration of secular knowledge and achievements into art. The fact is that at the time in question, new genres arose, the purpose of which was not only to teach, but also to entertain the reader. At the same time, the personality of a person, his aspirations and desire to break through in life, to achieve a certain position, came to the fore. These genres include the so-called household legend. His examples were the works: "The Tale of Savva Grudtsyn", "The Tale of Woe and Misfortune" and others. Their peculiarity was that they paid special attention to the depiction of dissimilar characters, their difficult lot, everyday problems. And, most importantly, the authors began to pay great attention to the personal qualities of the characters.

Satire

Literature of the 17th century is also interesting because satire took shape in it. The authors, in a rather ironic way, ridiculed the shortcomings of the bureaucracy of their time. As a rule, officials, judges, bribery and embezzlement became the object of humor. Among the most famous works of this genre are "The Tale of Shemyakin Court", "The Tale of Ersh Ershovich" and others. The appearance of works of this kind indicates that Russian culture has entered a new stage of development. Secular characterliterature was available. And this spoke of serious changes in the public consciousness.

Historical writings

The beginning of the century was marked by terrible upheavals for the country. Troubles, dynastic upheavals, threats of the seizure of the state by the Poles, the suppression of the dynasty - all this shocked, greatly influenced the opinion of society. People began to actively comprehend what had happened. Many chroniclers and authors in their writings tried to find the cause of this large-scale catastrophe, which shocked the Muscovite state. These attempts to understand and make sense of what happened also indicate a major shift in the views of educated circles. The intellectuals began to analyze the changes that had taken place in the country. Thus, a new genre of historical narrative arose, usually dedicated to the time of troubles (“The Tale of 1606”).

Changing mindset

People in the culture of the 17th century is one of the fundamental problems for understanding the question of what was the impetus for a change in the art of our country in the studied time. The fact is that the educated circles of society are seriously interested in secular knowledge. Many close associates of Tsars Mikhail and Alexei Romanovich adopted the achievements of the countries of Western Europe. But in the urban environment, the reading public also became interested in secular literature, which was also a clear sign of the ongoing changes.

People in the culture of modern times have become more receptive to secular and entertainment genres. They were interested in theater, stories, satire. The percentage of readers has increasedcompared to the previous time. The number of books increased, printed editions began to spread. Theatrical performances were staged at the court. All this testified to serious changes in the worldview of the era, which became the ideological basis for Peter's reforms in the next century.

The most characteristic changes

Culture of the 17th century became a preparatory stage for the development of aristocratic and noble art under Peter I. New genres appeared in it in all areas of artistic creativity. For example, parsunas were widely used - portraits of kings or other famous people who did not convey similarities, however, were inherently a secular genre. Another significant change was that many members of the highest nobility were carried away by Western European luxury goods, which was not the case before. So, an approximate princess Sophia - Vasily Golitsyn - arranged in his mansion something like a collection of expensive goods brought from abroad. Many acquired books and libraries. All these changes paved the way for the assimilation of Western European art by an educated society.

Social situation

The culture of the 17th century developed in close connection with the general political changes in the country. The fact is that at the time under review there was a distinct tendency to borrow advanced ideas and achievements from the West. True, these borrowings have not yet acquired such a wide scope as in the next century. However, the fact itself wasvery indicative. For example, changes were observed in the military sphere, when, under the first Romanovs, new regiments began to be created according to the Western European model. According to the famous historian S. M. Solovyov, it was at this time that “the people gathered on the road,” that is, everything in the country was ripe for change and reform.

Spreading literacy

The areas of culture that changed were the following: literature, painting, architecture. Literature has already been discussed above. Here it should only be added that during the period under study, literacy spread in the country. Particularly active were published books of civil content: primers, grammar books. In addition, regular schools were opened. Among them is the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy, which has become one of the most famous educational institutions in Russia.

Fine arts

Painting has also changed. The process of secularization of culture has also affected this sphere, which has already been discussed above. It should be added that some changes affected icon painting. Along with the traditional canonical writing, artists began to use the achievements of Western European art. For example, Fryazhsky style. The activities of the painters were led by the Armory. And the most famous icon painter was Simon Ushakov.

Construction

The changes of the century also affected such areas of culture as architecture and theater. In the 17th century, stone construction, interrupted after the events of the Time of Troubles, was resumed. It was forbidden to build churches in the tentstyle, as it differed from the Byzantine. Temples were built with five onion-shaped domes. A new style appeared: the so-called Naryshkin baroque. Its feature was the use of red and white colors, as well as the richness of decorations. The secularization of Russian culture at the time under consideration was manifested in the fact that civil construction increased. The most famous monuments are the Terem Palace in the Kremlin, merchants' chambers and other buildings.

New Fashion

The fundamental change in style in appearance is usually attributed to the reign of Peter Alekseevich. In a rather harsh and eccentric way, he forced his entourage and all the nobles to wear Western European dress, shave their beards, and ordered the ladies to dress in magnificent outfits that were in use with foreign fashionistas. However, the clothes of the 17th century have already undergone some changes. So, at the court of the predecessors of the first emperor, one could already see the nobles in German costumes. The aforementioned Golitsyn also adhered to Western European fashion.

Period value

The history of Russian culture conditionally includes several stages: the ancient period, princely, Medieval Russia, modern times, the 19th century, the Soviet and modern stages. In the list, the century under study occupies a special place, since it became a preparatory stage for the fundamental transformations of Peter I. At this time, the prerequisites were formed for the establishment of secular knowledge in science and culture. Some researchers even tend to see the spread of enlightenment ideas in our country. Secularization of Russian culture in the 17th centuryaffected all areas of life. And this is its fundamental difference from the art of all previous times, when the borrowing of Western European achievements and innovations was sporadic, and secular knowledge was extremely poorly developed.

Place in European development

Cultures of the world, with all their diversity, nevertheless have one common general line of change. At the very beginning of their appearance, they are distinguished by deep religiosity. Faith penetrates into all spheres of society and determines their characteristics. But gradually, secular knowledge seeps into art and public consciousness, which changes the worldview of people. While maintaining the dominant religion, the masters begin to show more interest in the human person, worldly concerns.

In this regard, the culture and life of the 17th century in Russia went through the same path of development as the Western European countries. However, in our state, religious consciousness still largely determined the socio-political and cultural life. The fact is that secular knowledge began to spread in the countries of Western Europe already in the XII-XIII centuries. And in our country only in the period under review. In this regard, religion and in subsequent centuries occupied a prominent place in the life of society.

Relations with the West

In the period under review, Russia's ties with Europe expanded. Foreign masters began to play a big role in the cultural development of our country. For example, the Greek brothers founded the famous Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy. SimeonPolotsky, a Belarusian by birth, played a big role in spreading education at the royal court. He contributed to the development of fiction and poetry.

In the same century, our country began to play a prominent role in the international arena, joining the coalition of Western European states. For example, Russia took part in the Thirty Years' War. All this could not but affect the internal political life of the country, which felt like a part of the European space. Changes in worldview were reflected not only in cultural and educational policy, but also in everyday life. And even the clothes of the 17th century testified that the educated circles of society felt a keen interest in their neighbors.

Traditional culture

Despite all the above achievements, Russian art remained quite conservative. Although many adopted the achievements of Western European countries, a significant part of society nevertheless reacted extremely negatively to domestic innovations and various foreign innovations. It is not surprising that the reforms of Peter the Great were perceived as something foreign and alien to the Russian spirit. Therefore, in this sense, one should speak about the secularization of culture with reservations and very carefully.

The changes that have taken place in society undoubtedly give reason to call this stage a special, important period in development. However, one should not disregard the fact that in many respects Russian culture has retained its traditional, unique features. First of all, thisOf course, it concerns the human worldview. Having adopted clothes, fashion, many circles of society nevertheless remained true to ancient customs, traditions, and habits. This was especially noticeable during the reign of Peter I. The Tsar had to face the boyar opposition, which did not want to accept his innovations. At the same time, the first emperor found support among those who adhered to the course of rapprochement with Western Europe.