In order for the work of the enterprise to always have a positive trend, it is necessary ...
To portray the conflict between the individual and the state, the opposition of the black spot to the background - for Surikov, artistic tasks of equal importance. "Boyar Morozova" could not exist at all if it were not for the crow in the winter landscape.
“... Once I saw a crow in the snow. A crow sits on the snow and one wing is set aside. He sits like a black spot on the snow. So I could not forget this spot for many years. Then he wrote "Boyar Morozova", - Vasily Surikov recalled how the idea for the picture appeared. Surikov was inspired to create Morning of the Streltsy Execution, the canvas that made him famous, by interesting reflexes on a white shirt from the flame of a lit candle in daylight. The artist, whose childhood was spent in Siberia, similarly recalled the executioner who carried out public executions in the city square of Krasnoyarsk: "Black scaffold, red shirt - beauty!"
The painting by Surikov depicts the events of November 29 (according to New Style - Note. "Around the world") in 1671, when Theodosius was taken away from Moscow in conclusion.
An unknown contemporary of the heroine in The Tale of the Boyar Morozova says: “And she was lucky past Chudov (the monastery in the Kremlin, where she had previously been escorted for interrogation. - Approx. “Around the world”) under the royal passages. Stretch out your hand to your right hand ... and clearly depicting the addition of the finger, raising it high, often enclosing it with the cross, and often ringing with the chain. ”.
1. Theodosia Morozova. "Your fingers are subtle ... your eyes are lightning fast"- said about Morozova her spiritual mentor Archpriest Avvakum. Surikov first wrote the crowd, and then began to look for a suitable type for the main character. The artist tried to write to Morozov from his aunt Avdotya Vasilievna Torgoshina, who was interested in the Old Believers. But her face was lost against the background of the multicolored crowd. The search continued until one day a certain Anastasia Mikhailovna came to the Old Believers from the Urals. "In the kindergarten, in two hours", according to Surikov, he wrote a sketch from her: “And how I inserted her into the picture - she won everyone”.
Riding to disgrace in luxurious carriages, the noblewoman is driven in a peasant sleigh so that the people can see her humiliation. The figure of Morozova - a black triangle - is not lost against the background of the motley gathering of people surrounding her, she, as it were, breaks this crowd into two unequal parts: excited and sympathetic - on the right and indifferent and mocking - on the left.
2. Double-fingered. This is how the Old Believers folded their fingers, crossing themselves, while Nikon planted three fingers. To be baptized with two fingers in Russia has been accepted for a long time. Two fingers symbolize the unity of the dual nature of Jesus Christ - divine and human, and the bent and connected three remaining ones - the Trinity.
3. Snow. It is interesting to the painter in that it changes, enriches the coloring of the objects on it. “Writing in the snow - everything else turns out, Surikov said. - There they write in the snow in silhouettes. And in the snow everything is saturated with light. Everything is in reflexes of lilac and pink, just like the clothes of the noblewoman Morozova - upper, black; and a shirt in the crowd ... "
4. Firewood. “There is such beauty in the firewood: in kopylks, in elms, in sledges,- the painter was delighted. “And in the bends of the runners, how they sway and shine, like forged ones ... After all, Russian firewood needs to be sung! ..” In the alley next to Surikov's Moscow apartment, snowdrifts swept in winter, and peasant sleighs often drove there. The artist followed the logs and sketched the furrows left by them in the fresh snow. Surikov searched for a long time for that distance between the sleigh and the edge of the picture, which would give them dynamics, make them "go".
5. Clothes of the noblewoman. At the end of 1670, Morozova secretly took the veil as a nun under the name of Theodora and therefore wears strict, albeit expensive, black clothes.
6. Lestovka(at the noblewoman on the arm and at the wanderer on the right). Leather Old Believer rosary in the form of stairs - a symbol of spiritual ascent, hence the name. At the same time, the ladder is closed in a ring, which means unceasing prayer. Every Christian Old Believer should have his own ladder for prayer.
7. Laughing pop. Creating characters, the painter chose the brightest types from the people. The prototype of this priest is the sexton Varsonofy Zakourtsev. Surikov recalled how, at the age of eight, he had to drive horses all night on a dangerous road, because the deacon, his companion, as usual, got drunk.
8. Church. Written from the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Novaya Sloboda on Dolgorukovskaya Street in Moscow, not far from the house where Surikov lived. The stone church was built in 1703. The building has survived to this day, but requires restoration. The outlines of the church in the picture are vague: the artist did not want it to be recognizable. Judging by the first sketches, Surikov initially intended, according to sources, to depict the Kremlin buildings in the background, but then decided to move the scene to a generalized 17th-century Moscow street and focus on a heterogeneous crowd of citizens.
9. Princess Evdokia Urusova Morozova's own sister, under her influence, also joined the schismatics and eventually shared the fate of Theodosius in Borovsky prison.
10. The old woman and the girls. Surikov found these types in the Old Believer community at the Preobrazhensky cemetery. He was well known there, and women agreed to pose. “They liked that I am a Cossack and don’t smoke”- said the artist.
11. A wrapped scarf. An accidental discovery of the artist is still at the stage of etude. The edge lifted up makes it clear that the hawthorn has just bowed low to the ground, to the condemned woman, as a sign of deep respect.
12. Nun. Surikov wrote her from a friend, the daughter of a Moscow priest, who was preparing to take the tonsure.
13. Staff. Surikov saw one in the hand of an old pilgrim who was walking along the highway to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. “I grabbed the watercolor and followed it,- the artist recalled. - And she's already gone. I shout to her: “Grandma! Grandmother! Give me the staff! And she threw the staff - she thought I was a robber..
14. Wanderer. Similar types of wandering pilgrims with staffs and knapsacks were encountered at the end of the 19th century. This wanderer is Morozova's ideological ally: he took off his hat, seeing off the convict; he has the same Old Believer rosary as hers. Among the sketches for this image there are self-portraits: when the artist decided to change the turn of the character's head, the pilgrim who posed for him initially was no longer to be found.
15. Holy fool in chains. Sympathizing with Morozova, he baptizes her with the same schismatic double-fingeredness and is not afraid of punishment: the holy fools in Russia were not touched. The artist found a suitable sitter in the market. A cucumber merchant agreed to pose in the snow in a canvas shirt, and the painter rubbed his chilled legs with vodka. "I gave him three rubles, Surikov said. - It was a lot of money for him. And he hired the first debt of a scorcher for a ruble seventy-five kopecks. That's the kind of person he was.".
16. Icon "Our Lady of Tenderness". Feodosia Morozova is looking at her over the crowd. The rebellious noblewoman intends to answer only to heaven.
Surikov first heard about the rebellious noblewoman in childhood from his godmother Olga Durandina. In the 17th century, when Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich supported the reform of the Russian church carried out by Patriarch Nikon, Theodosia Morozova, one of the most well-born and influential women at court, opposed the innovations. Her open disobedience angered the monarch, and in the end the noblewoman was imprisoned in an underground prison in Borovsk near Kaluga, where she died of exhaustion.
The confrontation of an angular black spot against the background - for the artist, the drama is as exciting as the conflict between a strong personality and royal power. It is no less important to convey the play of color reflections on clothes and faces to the author than to show the range of emotions in the crowd seeing off the convict. For Surikov, these creative tasks did not exist separately. "Distraction and conventionality are the scourges of art", he asserted.
 ARTIST
1848
- Born in Krasnoyarsk in a Cossack family. |
Boyar Morozova Feodosia Prokopyevna (born 21 (31) May 1632 - death 2 (12) November 1675) - supreme palace noblewoman. She was arrested for adherence to the "old faith", exiled to the Pafnutyevo-Borovsky monastery and imprisoned in the monastery prison, where she died of starvation.
What is known about Feodosia Prokopievna
The appearance of the noblewoman Morozova in the national memory is connected with the painting of V. Surikov, beloved by the people. Even the writer V. Garshin, having seen the artist’s canvas 100 years ago at the exhibition, predicted that descendants would not be able to “imagine Feodosia Prokopievna otherwise than as she is depicted in the picture.” It is difficult for a contemporary to be impartial, but we understand that Garshin, as it turned out, was a good prophet. Many people imagine the noblewoman Morozova as a stern, elderly woman, as in a picture, who fanatically threw up her hand in two fingers. Well, Surikov knew history well and, in the main, did not go against the truth, but the details of fiction were necessary for him for the sake of symbolic generalizations.
Boyarynya Morozova was not old - look at the dates of her life. The noblewoman was arrested 4 years before her death, then she was not even forty, but the people’s memory could capture the martyr for the idea only as a lived, wise and alien to any frivolity.
Why did the glory of the noblewoman Morozova cross the centuries? Why, among the thousands of sufferers for the faith, this particular woman was destined to become a symbol of the struggle of the schismatics against the "Nikonians"?
On the canvas of the artist, Feodosia Prokopievna addresses the Moscow crowd, to common people - to a wanderer with a staff, to an old beggar woman, to a holy fool, to all those who actually represented the social stratum of fighters against new rites. However, Morozova was not an ordinary disobedient. The Chudov Monastery, where she was taken, was in the Kremlin. It is not known whether the tsar watched from the palace passages, how the people saw off his favorite, how she proclaimed an anathema to the "wicked", but there is no doubt that the thought of Morozova haunted him, did not give him rest.
Painting by V. Surikov "Boyar Morozova"
Rod Morozov
The boyar was too close to the throne, she knew the king too well, and besides this, the Morozov family was one of the most noble. There were less than ten such high-ranking families in Russia, at least the Romanovs, to whom Alexei Mikhailovich belonged, had no more rights to the throne than any of the Morozovs. One can guess to what extent the tsar felt uncomfortable when he ordered the arrest of the noblewoman. However, there were other things to worry about as well.
The Morozov brothers, Boris and Gleb, were relatives of the Tsar's father Mikhail, and in their youth they served as sleeping bags for the elder Romanov, this was an exceptional position at court. When, in 1645, 17-year-old Alexei was crowned the throne, Boris Morozov became his closest adviser. It was the boyar who chose the wife of Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya for the sovereign and played the first role at the wedding - he was with the sovereign "in his father's place." After 10 days, Boris Morozov, a widower and an elderly man, married the second marriage to the tsarina's sister Anna and became the tsar's brother-in-law.
From his exceptional position, he was able to extract everything he could. And if the possession of 300 peasant households was considered a good fortune for a gentleman of that era, then Morozov had more than 7,000 of them. Unheard of wealth!
The career of Gleb Ivanovich, a very ordinary person, completely depended on the success of his brother. The younger Morozov married the unborn 17-year-old beauty Feodosia Sokovnina, who was very friendly with the queen. Boris Ivanovich died without heirs, and all his vast fortune went to his younger brother, who also soon died, making his widow and boy Ivan Glebovich the richest people in the Russian state.
1) Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov
2) Boyar Morozova visits Archpriest Avvakum
The life of the noblewoman Morozova
Boyar Morozova was surrounded not only by wealth, but by luxury. Contemporaries recalled that she rode out in a gilded carriage, which was driven by 6-12 best horses, and 300 servants ran behind. In the Morozov estate of Zyuzino, a huge garden was laid out, where peacocks walked. Considering all this - Morozova's successful marriage, a luxurious life, personal friendship with the royal family - one can understand Archpriest Avvakum, who saw something absolutely exceptional in the fact that Feodosia Prokopievna renounced "earthly glory". The boyar in reality became an ardent opponent of church reforms. The temperament of a public figure raged in her, and she was fully able to realize herself, defending the old faith.
The house of a rich and influential noblewoman turned into the headquarters of opponents of innovations, critics of making corrections to church books, the leader of the schismatics came here, lived for a long time, receiving shelter and protection. For days on end, Morozova received wanderers, holy fools, priests expelled from monasteries, creating a kind of opposition party to the royal court. The noblewoman herself and her own sister, Princess Evdokia Urusova, were blindly devoted to Habakkuk and listened to the fiery preacher in everything.
But it would be wrong to assume that the noblewoman Morozova was a fanatic and a "blue stocking". Even Avvakum noticed that she had a cheerful and affable character. When he passed away old husband she was only 30 years old. The widow "tormented" the body with a hair shirt, but the hair shirt did not always help to pacify the flesh. Avvakum in letters advised his pupil to gouge out her eyes in order to get rid of the temptation of love.
The archpriest also accused the noblewoman of stinginess in relation to their common cause, but, most likely, it was not just stinginess, but the prudence of the hostess. Morozova selflessly loved her only son Ivan and wanted to give him all the wealth of Morozova safe and sound. The letters of the noblewoman to the disgraced archpriest, in addition to discussions about faith, are filled with purely female complaints about her people, discussions about a suitable bride for her son. In a word, Feodosia Prokopievna, possessing an enviable strength of character, had completely human weaknesses, which, of course, makes her asceticism even more significant.
The boyar, being a close friend of the sovereign's wife, had a strong influence on her. Maria Ilyinichna, of course, did not oppose her husband's reforms of the church, but with her soul she nevertheless sympathized with the rites of her parents and listened to the whispers of Theodosia Prokopievna. Alexei Mikhailovich hardly liked this, but the tsar, who loved his wife, did not allow attacks against the noblewoman, although the latter became more and more intolerant of innovations and openly supported the tsar's enemies.
1669 - the queen died. For another two years, Alexei Mikhailovich was afraid to touch the rebellious noblewoman. As you can see, grief over the untimely departed wife affected, but most of all the sovereign was wary of the indignations of the old boyar families, who could see in the encroachment on Feodosia Prokopievna a precedent for reprisals against high-ranking families. In the meantime, Morozoav took the tonsure and began to be called the nun Theodora, which, of course, increased her fanaticism and "standing for the faith." And when in 1671 the tsar, finally consoled, played a wedding with Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina, the boyar Morozova did not want to come to the palace, citing illness, which Alexei Mikhailovich considered an insult and neglect.
Torture of noblewoman Morozova - drawing by V. Perov
Arrest
It was then that the sovereign remembered all past grievances to the boyar Morozova; apparently, the fact that the tsar, like a mere mortal, did not like the girlfriend of his beloved wife and, like any man, was jealous of her, also had an effect. The autocrat brought down on the recalcitrant noblewoman all his despotic power.
On the night of November 14, 1671, Morozov was escorted in chains to the Chudov Monastery, where they began to persuade her to take communion according to the new rite, but Elder Theodora answered firmly: “I won’t take communion!” After being tortured, she and her sister were sent away from Moscow to the Pechersky Monastery. There, the content of the prisoners was relatively tolerable. At least the noblewoman could keep in touch with her friends. Servants could visit her, bring food and clothes.
Archpriest Avvakum continued to convey instructions to his spiritual daughter. And she just needed warm, compassionate support - her only, dearly beloved son died at the boyar's. The grief was also increased by the fact that she could not say goodbye to him, and what was it like for her, the nun Theodora, to find out that her son was communed and buried according to new "impious" rites.
The new Patriarch Pitirim of Novgorod, who sympathized with the supporters of Avvakum, turned to the autocrat with a request to release Morozova and her sister. In addition to considerations of humanity, there was also a share of political intent in this proposal: the imprisonment of the noblewoman, firm in her faith, her sister and their friend Maria Danilova made a strong impression on the Russian people, and their release would rather attract to a new rite than intimidation. But the sovereign, not cruel by nature, this time turned out to be adamant. Again, the version suggests itself that some personal resentment against Morozova burned him, and perhaps he felt embarrassed in front of Feodosia Prokopyevna because of his marriage to the young beauty Naryshkina and wanted to forget about the past. However, what to guess? ..
Death of the noblewoman
After considering the circumstances of the execution of the hated noblewoman, Alexei Mikhailovich decided that the prisoners should not be burned at the stake, because “death is red in the world,” but ordered the Old Believers to be starved to death by throwing them into the cold pit of the Borovsky Monastery. All the property of the noblewoman Morozova was confiscated, her brothers were first exiled, and then they were also executed.
drama last days Morozova defies description. Poor women, driven to despair by hunger, asked the jailers for at least a piece of bread, but were refused. Princess Urusova was the first to die on September 11, followed by Feodosia Prokopyevna on November 1 from exhaustion. Before her death, she found the strength to ask the jailer to wash her shirt in the river so that, according to Russian custom, she would die in a clean shirt. Maria Danilova suffered the longest, for another whole month.
The once great Morozov family ceased to exist.
In the photo: painting by V.I. Surikov "Boyar Morozova".
Gleb Ivanovich Morozov, noble boyar, close to the court of Mikhail Fedorovich, and then Alexei Mikhailovich. He is known, however, not for his court career and not for being known as one of the the richest people in the Russian kingdom, but by the fact that after the death of his first wife he married the 17-year-old beauty Feodosia Sokovnina, who entered Russian history under the name noblewoman Morozova.
There were many women who bore the surname Morozov in the centuries-old history of the family. But historically, it was assigned to Theodosia Prokofievna, the famous schismatic, the spiritual daughter of Archpriest Avvakum, noblewoman Morozova, who became the heroine of the famous canvas of the artist Vasily Surikov.
Boyarynya Morozova in family life
The family life of Gleb Ivanovich Morozov with his first wife Avdotya Alekseevna could be called happy - they lived in perfect harmony for thirty years - if not for one sad circumstance: they had no children. That's why when young noblewoman Morozova gave birth to a son, Gleb Ivanovich was incredibly happy. His beloved brother Boris, who had amassed a considerable fortune, also had no children, Gleb Ivanovich himself was by no means a poor man, so the newborn Ivan Morozov became the richest heir from infancy.
Real luxury reigned in the Morozov family. And not only in their Moscow home, but also in estates near Moscow, which was perceived by contemporaries with surprise and distrust. In those days, the boyar estates had only an economic purpose, it was not customary to decorate and equip them.
For the first time, he broke an old tradition: having visited Europe and seeing luxurious country estates, primarily Polish ones, he set up his Izmailovo estates near Moscow and, the last foreign guests called the eighth wonder of the world.
The adviser to Alexei Mikhailovich, who was his "uncle" and mentor in childhood, also arranged his own with pomp, where he invited the tsar himself. The example of his brother was followed by Gleb Morozov, who also participated in foreign campaigns among the royal retinue and had seen enough of the estates of Polish magnates. In the village of Zyuzino, according to surviving testimonies, peacocks and peahens walked around the manor's courtyard, and the noblewoman Morozova rode out in a silver carriage drawn by six thoroughbred horses, accompanied by hundreds of servants.
Widow
Boyarynya Morozova and Archpriest Avvakum
The noblewoman Morozova shared her worries and sorrows with her longtime friend, mentor and spiritual father, Archpriest Avvakum, a well-known representative of the Old Believers, who did not accept the church reform, for which he was subsequently exiled and executed. Boyar Morozova fully shared his views and also suffered and was martyred for her faith.
He was deliberately strict with his spiritual daughter, although in the depths of his soul he loved her, he stayed with pleasure in her large hospitable house and called her "a merry and amiable wife." Feodosia Prokopievna remained a young widow - she was only thirty years old, and nothing human was alien to her. She wore a hair shirt to get rid of temptations, but this did not always help, and the archpriest wrote to her in response to complaints: “Stupid, insane, ugly, gouge out those eyes with a shuttle!” He also reproached his spiritual daughter for stinginess, having learned that she donated eight rubles to the church - a considerable amount for those times when everything was calculated on pennies and pennies, but Avvakum knew about the gold and jewelry hidden by the noblewoman from the authorities: “Alms flow from you like a small drop from the abyss of the sea, and then with a caveat” he writes angrily.
Thanks to the correspondence preserved in ancient literary monuments, we can more clearly imagine the character of the noblewoman Morozova - she was not at all a religious fanatic, as legend often depicts her, but an ordinary woman and mother, taking care of her son and the household, with her weaknesses, virtues and shortcomings.
Opala
The merits of Theodosia Prokopievna include, first of all, fortitude - despite the habit of living in luxury, she voluntarily renounced all earthly goods, "shaken off the ashes" of wealth and became equal to ordinary people, secretly taking the veil as a nun under the name of Theodora.
Less than a year after taking tonsure, Archimandrite of the Chudov Monastery, and later Patriarch of Moscow Joachim, appeared at Morozova’s house on the orders of the tsar. He interrogated Theodosia and her sister Evdokia Urusova and initially left them under house arrest, but two days later the noblewoman Morozova was taken into custody. It was this moment that was captured in Surikov's immortal painting - but the artist portrayed his heroine as proud, stern and uncompromising, and yet she was characterized by both suffering and doubts.
Already in prison, Morozova found out about the death of her beloved son and was killed for him so that Archpriest Avvakum again made an suggestion to her in a letter: “Don’t worry about Ivan, I won’t scold you”. They tried to make a saint out of a sufferer for her faith, and the chronicler, in order to please the hagiographic canon, says that from the rear of the disgraced noblewoman “victoriously denounced” her tormentors. However, the moment when the noblewoman burst into tears and said to one of the executioners looks much more plausible: “Is this Christianity if you torture a person?”
The martyrdom of the noblewoman Morozova
After being tortured on the rack, the unfortunate noblewoman was tormented by hunger, and she called out to her guard: “Have mercy, servant of Christ! Have mercy on me, give me a ball!” Then she asked for at least "little crackers", at least an apple or a cucumber - but all in vain.
The tsar did not want to arrange a public execution of the noblewoman Morozova and Evdokia Urusova, because he was afraid that the people would be on their side, and doomed the women to a slow, painful death from starvation. Even after death, they were in custody - for fear that the Old Believers would dig up their bodies. "with great honor, like the holy martyrs of the power".
The sisters were buried secretly, without a funeral, wrapped in matting, inside Borovsky prison. The noblewoman Morozova died on the night of November 1-2, 1675. After her death, all the untold wealth and estates of the Morozovs went to the state.
Sasha Mitrahovich 14.11.2018 20:37
In the photo: Painting by Vasily Perov "Torture of the Boyar Morozova".
The fate of Feodosia Prokofievna Sokovnina takes a sharp turn for the first time in 1649, when she, a 17-year-old girl, becomes the wife of the royal sleeping bag Gleb Ivanovich Morozov.
In 1653 they began. Their essence (apart from changes in church books and the order of worship) boiled down to the following innovations: the sign of the cross was prescribed to be made with three fingers, not two, the procession around the church was made not according to the sun, but against the sun, in some cases, prostrations were replaced by waist ones, the cross revered not only eight - and six-pointed, but also four-pointed, and the exclamation "Hallelujah" was charged with singing three times, not two.
Innovations split Russian society of that time - from the nobility to the townspeople and peasants - into two camps. The government consistently supported church reforms, and at first repressions were directed only against the leaders of the schism. A decade later, when, after a conflict with the tsar, they were deprived of the chair and removed from business, one of the leaders of the schismatics was returned to Moscow for some time and tried to win over the side of the official church. Avvakum refused to accept the reforms, but during this time many new eminent supporters joined the ranks of the Old Believers.
The most famous spiritual daughters of the archpriest were sisters - Feodosia Morozov and Evdokia Urusova. And at this moment the fate of the noblewoman takes a sharp turn for the second time. Morozova’s house becomes the center of the Old Believers: schismatics persecuted by the tsar come and secretly live here, a huge number of letters are sent from here in support of the “faith of the fathers”, some of which are written by the noblewoman herself.
Morozova's role as one of the leaders of the split and her stubborn unwillingness to submit to the reforms carried out by the tsar make her position precarious. In 1665, the tsar made an attempt, without resorting to extreme measures, to intimidate the noblewoman Theodosius, and significant land holdings left after the death of her husband were confiscated from her. But after the intercession of the queen, most of the estates of Morozova were returned.
In January 1671, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich married a second time - to the young Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina. Theodosia Morozova, in her position as one of the most noble women at court, was obliged to attend the wedding. However, she deliberately avoided participating in the wedding, which was the last straw for the king.
In November 1671, the noblewoman Morozova and her sister, Princess Urusova, were arrested. They rejected all attempts to force the sisters to accept the church reforms of Patriarch Nikon and cross themselves according to the new rules with three fingers. In prison, Morozova learned about the death of her only son.
The royal henchmen offered to burn the schismatics, but the boyars did not agree to the execution of noble prisoners. Then they began to torture them. The women were hauled up on the rack and then thrown naked on their backs onto the ice. The woman, exhausted by torture, reproached the executioners with tears in her eyes: “Is this Christianity, a hedgehog to torture a man?”
Without breaking the adherence to the old faith, the tsar's henchmen imprisoned Morozova in the Novodevichy Convent. All the nobility of Moscow reached out there to see with their own eyes the “strong patience” of the noblewoman. The tsar decides to remove the Sokovnin sisters away from the capital, exiling them to Borovsk.
But even there they did not reconcile themselves: they continued to correspond with like-minded people, they were often visited by famous Old Believers. In the end, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich decided to put an end to this protracted confrontation. Morozova and her sister were thrown into a pit and starved to death. Fedosya Prokopievna Morozova became widely known primarily thanks to the historical painting by Vasily Surikov “Boyar Morozova”. The image on this canvas is largely collective: the artist painted it from acquaintances of Siberian Old Believer women. In Russian history, Fedosya Morozov, nee Sokovnina, is an ambiguous character: some see her as a martyr for her faith, others as an obsessed fanatic. Following the schism and its leader, the spiritual mentor, played a decisive and tragic role in the life of one of the richest women in Moscow, who did not accept the reform. Formerly living in fabulous luxury, the noblewoman of the court, who became related to Tsarina Maria Ilyinichnaya and owned a huge fortune, thousands of serfs and many villages, Fedosya Prokopyevna, under the influence of Avvakum, put on a sackcloth, pacifying the flesh, and donated money to the schismatics. At the same time, the spiritual teacher reproached her for visiting churches where they served in a new way, and even called on the noblewoman to blind herself in order to protect herself from worldly temptations, in fact, clearly trying to make her completely controllable. For the time being, the queen defended the rebellious Morozova, but she flatly refused to renounce the old faith, deliberately dooming herself to hunger, poverty and disgrace, which means quick death. The tsar's patience ran out, and on his orders, Fedosya was deprived of all lands and estates and expelled from Moscow. Later, she was placed in an earthen pit-prison, where she died from complete exhaustion in 1675. It is noteworthy that the scene in the famous painting by Surikov, where the schismatic overshadows the people around her sleigh with a symbol of the Old Believers - a two-fingered cross, does not correspond to reality: the arrested Fedosya was taken away bound, and she could not move. The artist gave this picture a rather symbolic meaning, for which he was repeatedly accused by critics of historical unreliability and even propaganda of a split.
IN AND. Surikov. Boyar Morozova
Feodosia Prokopievna Morozova (1632-1675) - an activist of the Old Believers, an associate of Archpriest Avvakum. Thanks to the painting, Surikov became known simply as the noblewoman Morozova.
The first sketches for "Boyaryna Morozova" date back to 1881. The final version, measuring 3.04 by 5.86 m, was completed by Surikov in 1887. Contemporaries said about the painting that Surikov recreated "genuine antiquity, as if he was an eyewitness to it."
The artist gave the image of the noblewoman frantic features: a hand raised in a two-fingered addition, a bloodless fanatical face reflect what Habakkuk said about her: "You throw yourself at the enemy, like a lion."
The painting depicts "the shame of following the noblewoman Feodosya Prokopievna Morozova for interrogation to the Kremlin for her adherence to a split in the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich." Some characters in the picture are curious, some are mocking, but most of the people look at her with reverence and bow to her. Among the crowd, Surikov also depicted himself as a wanderer with a staff, standing in deep thought.
Available in large quantities. This is one of the few female persons of pre-Petrine times, whose name has gone down in history. After all, then noble and wealthy women, shackled by the customs of Domostroy, most often sat in towers, like the inhabitants of eastern harems.
She is known, first of all, for being a fiery defender of the Old Believer traditions, having entered into single combat with Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich himself, who carried out church reforms. Today we will talk about the boyar Morozova, who lived in the 17th century, whose biography we will consider.
Rich and famous
Brief biography noblewoman Morozova, it is advisable to start with her origin, which largely determined her future fate, since it was quite high. She was born in 1632 in the family of Prokopy Sokovnin, a Moscow nobleman, being his eldest daughter. The name was given to her in honor of the holy martyr - Theodosia of Tyre.
Among her distant ancestors are representatives of the family of the German knights Meyendorf. One of them, Baron von Uexkul, having arrived from Livonia to Ivan the Terrible in 1545, was baptized and took the name of Fyodor Ivanovich. He had a son, Vasily, nicknamed "Sokovnya", who became the ancestor of the Sokovnins.
Theodosia's father at various times served as governor in various cities, was an envoy in the Crimea, sat in the Zemsky Cathedral, and headed the Stone Order. He was a rather wealthy man and had several houses in Moscow. From Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, he received the court position of a roundabout, belonging to the second Duma rank, after the boyar. In addition to Theodosia, the family had three more children, including one sister, Evdokia, who shared with her the hardships of her tragic death. This will be discussed in more detail in the biography of the noblewoman Morozova.
The influence of the famous painting
As a rule, when it comes to the biography of the boyar Morozova, a photo of the painting “Boyar Morozova” by Vasily Surikov, describing a scene from the history of the split of the church in the 17th century, immediately comes to mind. It was first shown at the exhibition of the Wanderers in 1887 and bought for the Tretyakov Gallery for 25 thousand rubles. And today it is there among the main exhibits.
Due to the great popularity of this work of art, the image of the noblewoman Morozova is mistakenly seen as the image of an elderly, stern, fanatical woman. However, it seems that such a concept is explained, rather, by artistic intent.
Not quite the right idea?
The canvas depicts a martyr, a martyr for the faith, who addresses a crowd of commoners - a poor old woman, a wanderer with a staff in his hand, a holy fool - embodying representatives of those strata who fought against the imposition of new church rites.
It was this aspect of the biography and fate of the noblewoman Morozova that the artist wanted to emphasize, which is why she appears in the picture as a woman who has lived, is wise, and is devoid of any frivolity. Largely thanks to the painting, Feodosia Prokopievna remained in the memory of people as a symbol of the struggle of the schismatics.
But was it really all that clear? Was Morozova a stern and uncompromising fanatic, alien to everything earthly, because at the time of her arrest she was not yet 40 years old? To find out, let's return to the consideration of an interesting biography of the noblewoman Morozova.
Morozov family
In 1649, Feodosia Sokovnina, 17 years old, married the 54-year-old boyar Morozov Gleb Ivanovich, one of the richest people in the country. His family was not inferior in nobility to the Sokovnin family, both of them were the elite of Moscow society. Under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the Morozovs were one of the 16 most noble families, whose representatives immediately became boyars, bypassing the roundabout rank.
The Morozovs were brought closer by the young tsar to the court. So, Gleb Morozov, who was a relative of the Romanovs, was the royal sleeping bag and uncle of the prince. He was the owner of the Zyuzino estate near Moscow and many other estates. His brother, Boris Ivanovich, possessed a huge fortune, died childless, leaving all the wealth to Gleb. As for Theodosia, she was the upper noblewoman, very close to the queen, constantly accompanying her, which she repeatedly used.
young widow
In the biography of the noblewoman Morozova, there are few facts relating to her life with her husband. It is only known that for a long time they had no children. But after they turned in prayer to St. Sergius of Radonezh, he appeared before Theodosia Prokopievna, and the couple had a son named Ivan.
In 1662, Gleb Ivanovich Morozov died, leaving an inheritance to his 12-year-old son, but in fact managed the money of Theodosius. In the same year, the father of a 30-year-old woman also died. The second time she did not marry and lived quietly in nobility and wealth.
Fabulous wealth
As K. Kozhurin writes in the biography of the noblewoman Morozova, her chambers in Moscow were among the first, she was respected and loved at the royal court, Alexei Mikhailovich himself singled her out among other boyars. She bore the title of "Kravchy great power" (Kravchy at court were responsible for the health of the king, his table and utensils). According to Archpriest Avvakum, Theodosius Morozov was listed in the "fourth boyar".
Feodosia Morozova was surrounded not just by wealth, but by unprecedented luxury. Her estate in Zyuzino was equipped in accordance with the best Western models, among the very first in the Russian state. Was broken here big garden where peacocks roamed.
As contemporaries testify, her carriage cost a lot of money, being gilded and decorated with silver and mosaics, harnessed by twelve selected horses with rattling chains. At the same time, more than a hundred servants followed her, taking care of the honor and health of the lady.
There were about three hundred people in the house who served the noblewoman. There were about 8 thousand peasant households, while the landowners, who had about 300 households, were already considered rich.
Big change
However, it has become even more interesting biography noblewoman Morozova after an unexpected change took place in her life. Being in luxury, being in friendly relations with the royal family, Feodosia Prokopievna, according to Avvakum, decided to renounce "earthly glory." She turned into a fierce opponent of church reform after she met him. Throughout the history of the Old Believers, Avvakum was a significant and very authoritative figure, the leader of the schismatics.
The noblewoman's house turns, in fact, into the headquarters of fighters against innovations, opponents of making corrections to sacred books. Archpriest Avvakum himself lived with her for a long time, receiving shelter and protection here. Theodosia and her sister Evdokia Urusova, the princess, were very devoted to him and obeyed him in everything.
In addition, Morozova constantly received in her house priests who were expelled from monasteries, numerous wanderers, as well as holy fools. Thus, she created a kind of opposition to the royal court and Alexei Mikhailovich, who supported the church reform.
human weaknesses
However, even after such cardinal changes in her biography, the noblewoman Morozova did not turn into a religious fanatic, did not become a “blue stocking”. She was not alien to human weaknesses and worries.
So, Archpriest Avvakum noticed that her character was distinguished by gaiety. When her husband died, Feodosia Prokopievna was only 30 years old, and in order not to fall into sin, she wore a hair shirt to mortify the flesh.
In his letters, Avvakum most likely figuratively, advised her to gouge out her eyes, so as not to succumb to the temptation of love. And he also blamed the boyar for the fact that she does not always show generosity when allocating funds for a common cause.
Morozova loved her son Ivan, who was her only child, very much, and dreamed of giving him her fortune in safety. She was very worried about choosing a worthy bride for the heir, about which, in addition to discussing issues of faith, she informed the disgraced archpriest in letters.
Thus, despite the strength of character that helped her in her ascetic activity, Morozova had quite worldly weaknesses and problems.
Temptation
Alexey Mikhailovich, being supporters of church reforms, repeatedly made attempts to influence the rebellious lady through her relatives and inner circle. At the same time, he either took away her estates, then returned them, and Morozova periodically made concessions.
In the biography of the noblewoman Darya Morozova, there is another interesting fact. According to the available historical records, the devious Rtishchev was sent to her, persuading her to cross herself with three fingers, for which the tsar promised her to return "serfs and estates."
The boyar succumbed to the temptation and crossed herself, and what had been taken away was returned to her. But at the same time, she allegedly immediately fell ill, was out of her mind for three days and became very weak. The Life of Archpriest Avvakum says that Morozova recovered when she crossed herself with a true, two-fingered cross. The return of the estates is often explained by the patronage of the queen.
Secret tonsure
From taking the most decisive action, the king was kept by two factors: the patronage of the queen and the high position of the champion of the old faith. Under his pressure, Morozova had to attend divine services held according to the new rite. Its supporters viewed this as a "little hypocrisy" that was a forced step.
But after the noblewoman took secret tonsure as a nun in 1670, taking church name Theodora, she stopped participating in both church and social events.
In January 1671, a new wedding of the tsar, who had been widowed a few years ago, with Natalya Naryshkina took place, Morozova refused to participate in it under the pretext of illness. This act aroused the wrath of the autocratic person.
Having cooled down a bit, Alexei Mikhailovich sent the boyar Troekurov, and then Prince Urusov (her sister's husband), to the disobedient, trying to persuade her to accept the church reform. However, Morozova did not change her "stand for the faith" and in both cases expressed a resolute refusal.
Arrest and death
In November 1671, Morozova and her sister were interrogated, after which they were shackled and left at home, under arrest, and then transferred to the Chudov Monastery. Interrogations were continued here, after which the sisters were sent to the courtyard of the Pskov-Caves Monastery.
Soon after the arrest, misfortune happened, as Morozova's biography testifies, with the boyar's son. He died at the age of just over 20 years old. The noblewoman's property was confiscated, and her brothers were sent into exile.
Alexei Mikhailovich ordered the sisters to be deported to the city of Borovsk, where they were placed in an earthen prison in a local prison. 14 people who served them were burned in June 1675, locking them in a log house. In September 1675, Princess Evdokia Urusova died of starvation.
The noblewoman Morozova herself also died of complete exhaustion. The last minutes of the slaves were full of drama. Before their death, the unfortunate women asked for at least a crust of bread, but in vain.
There is evidence that Feodosia Morozova, feeling her imminent death, asked the jailer to rinse her shirt in the river in order to accept death in a dignified manner. She died in November 1675, briefly outliving her sister. In the place where the sisters, as well as other Old Believers, were supposedly imprisoned, a chapel was erected.
