Secular Christian Dual Naming in the Epitaphs of Moscow Rus (Around Three Unpublished Inscriptions of the 16th—17th centuries)

Abstract

The article analyses the little-explored cultural practice of dual Christian naming as reflected on 16th and 17th century gravestones. The study focuses on key linguistic aspects of representing several names of the deceased; the principles of name-giving and dual name functioning – both during a person's life and after their passing—are reconstructed with special attention to epitaphic texts. By adopting an onomastic approach, the authors are able to attribute several gravestones; a number of inscriptions, previously unstudied, are researched for the first time.