THE PHENOMENON OF POSTHUMOUS MIRACLES OF THE MOSCOW METROPOLITAN ALEXY IN THE POWER BOOK OF THE ROYAL GENEALOGY

Medvedev Alexander A.

The article discusses the legend of the miracles of the holy Metropolitan Alexy, placed in the Power Book of the royal genealogy (Piskarevsky list), as well as functions (help people in the process of knowing the worlds around them; they are evidence of the fact of the healing that took place; contribute to good spirits and strengthen faith in the coming salvation ; urge people to be active; serve as guidance on the true path; keep from sin; remind of the basics of the dogma), the place and significance of the posthumous miracles of Moscow Metropolitan Alexy. The author of the legend included in the chronicle information about the miraculous healings that took place at the tomb of St. Alexis. The source of this information was stories from early lives (for example, the life compiled by Pachomius Logothetes), as well as from chronicles (Nikon Chronicle). The role of the posthumous miracles considered in this article is reduced to the creation of an ideal image of St. Alexis, who is described in the legend as God's chosen one and saint, to whom the sick and suffering turn for help, since after Metropolitan Jonah established the feast day of St. Alexis, his veneration received the widest distribution in Rus'. The work notes the stylistic and compositional genre features of the stories about the posthumous miracles of the holy companion (the presence of biblical quotations that are used to refer and draw an analogy between the feat of the saint and a similar event in biblical history; the use of a set of artistic and expressive means aimed at praising St. Alexis), and also highlights the role of miracles in the image of the saint.

Keywords:Power book of royal genealogy, chronicle, Moscow Metropolitan Alexy, legend about posthumous miracles, the role and functions of miracles, the gift of miracles, the miracle of healing