DAILY COMPONENT OF ENSURING VERTICAL TIES OF THE ASSUMPTION TIKHVIN MONASTERY WITH THE AUTHORITIES OF NOVGOROD DISTRICT IN THE 1620s–1650s

Introduction. The daily vertical ties between the Assumption Tikhvin Monastery and the secular and ecclesiastical authorities of the Novgorod district were largely determined by the annual cycle of Christian holidays, when visits to government representatives with traditional gifts were required. Such visits were not motivated by a need for the authorities’ assistance in any particular matter. However, the size of the offerings and the range of recipients demonstrate the degree of interest of the monastery authorities in their assistance. The purpose of this study is to characterize the routine component of the process of maintaining vertical ties. Methods and materials. The monastery archives contain expense books, lists of the monastery elders’ and servants’ travel expenses, and lists of gift distributions, which allow for an analysis of the components of this process. The preservation of the column lists is not satisfactory for all periods. Their absence is compensated by the presence of copies in the expense books as included documents. Rough lists of travel expenses allow for the identification of their routes, noting minor expenses at stops in populated areas. The data was obtained through a comparative analysis of the aforementioned sources. Analysis. Traditionally, the trip took place at the end of the Nativity Fast, when gifts of fish were distributed. Before Lent, bread was distributed, and after the end of the Apostles’ Fast, sturgeon was distributed. Also obligatory were visits to the authorities in Moscow and Veliky Novgorod with water blessed on the patronal feast day of the monastery’s main church, the Dormition Cathedral. Icons of the Mother of God were also presented at this time. Communication with the authorities also entailed the presentation of small sums or offerings to all persons related to the Novgorod voivode and metropolitan authorities, from the guards and doorkeepers down. Results. An analysis of the sources allowed us to establish the frequency of obligatory etiquette contacts, identify the circle of individuals, in addition to government officials, with whom the monastery maintained horizontal ties, and demonstrate in detail the implementation of the principle of hierarchy in everyday communication. Lists of offering distributions also provide a valuable prosopographical source, allowing us to clarify data on the tenure of certain individuals in their positions.