Course Content (Syllabus)
The subject of this course is the study of the origin, evolution and diachronic characteristics of the saint-model and the perception of saintliness in the Slavs. The students are taught how to interpret sources. Particularly the following issues are studied: Sources, periodization, typology of Slavic hagiology. The icon’s position in the Russian calendar of saints. Hagiologic sources of the West Slavic Christianity. South Slavic saints. Female saintliness in the Balkans. The ethics of the disguised transgender love. The Slavic Churches during the short 20th century (1917/1945-1989/1991): Neo-martyrs. The hagiology of Slavic diaspora. The imbued fleece: The hagiologic model in the arts of entertainment (theatre, lyric drama, cinema, 19th-20th centuries).