THE GENRE FEATURES OF THE WORKS OF DIMITRY ROSTOVSKY ABOUT THE ILYA ICON OF THE HOLY MOTHER

Abstract

The author of the article examines the two earliest works by St. Dimitry Rostovsky — “The Miracles of the Most Holy and Blessed Virgin Mary” (1677) and “The Bedewed Fleece” (first edition 1683), created on the basis of the first work. Both books, in terms of content and genre characteristics, represent a legend about the miraculous icon — the Ilya Icon of the Holy Mother of God. The icon was the main shrine of the Boldinsky Trinity Ilya Monastery. A historical and literary analysis of both books showed that both “The Miracles of the Most Holy and Blessed Virgin Mary” and “The Bedewed Fleece” have a certain set of motifs about its miracles and deeds, which puts them on a par with the texts of other legends about miraculous icons. The heyday of this genre occurred in the 17th — early 18th century. The main miracle and the main motif of the legends created by Dimitry Rostovsky is the flow of tears from the icon, which occurred in 1662: the Ilya Icon of the Holy Mother began myrrh-streaming and praying to the Divine Son for the salvation of the entire human race. The remaining miracles describe healings from illnesses and ailments that occur through prayer in front of the icon. However, the composition and style of these books, which reflect new trends and a new style — the Baroque style, differ significantly from the works of this genre. The main difference is that Dimitry Rostovsky inserts additional narratives into the text. He adds moral teachings to the book “Miracles of the Most Holy and Blessed Virgin Mary” and moral teachings, conversations and attachments to the book “The Bedewed Fleece.” They play an important role in the architectonics of the text and carry a significant semantic load, thereby creating a new literary form in the context of the genre of tales about miraculous icons.