The 17th century is a transitional century for Russian history and culture. This period is considered to be time. It was then that in our country the prerequisites for the famous Petrine reforms were formed. The main component of this process is the secularization of culture.
Review of the era
The time under consideration is interesting in that stage, which clearly shows that the reforms of Peter I did not arise from scratch. They became a natural consequence of all the previous development of the country. In this regard, the century under study is very indicative, since it was during this period of time that radical changes took place in almost all spheres of public life. The changes affected politics, economics, and society. In addition, Russia began to play a prominent and prominent role in international relations in Western Europe. Therefore, the secularization of culture should be seen in the context of the above innovations.
The main directions of development
In previous centuries, religion occupied a decisive place in the history and art of Russia. Power, society, education were determined by it, which left a noticeable imprint on the lifestyle and thoughts of the population. However, in the XVII century a new development trend was outlined: relations with Western Europe expanded, so foreign achievements leaked to our country. Educated circles of society began to show interest in secular knowledge, science, culture and, finally, in the European way of life.
All this very noticeably affected the life and life of the Russian population. Another development trend that has been identified at the time under review is the tendency to borrow the main achievements and new products from abroad. At first, only the closest approximate Moscow rulers and prominent aristocrats who could afford to buy expensive foreign goods were engaged in this. The number of such people was slowly but steadily growing. This small layer subsequently became a support for Peter I in carrying out his reforms.
Preconditions for Change
The secularization of culture arose as a result of all the previous development of the history of Russia. The fact is that even in the Middle Ages, Moscow princes invited foreigners to their court for construction, as well as healers, craftsmen, artisans and artists. A vivid example is the invitation by Ivan III of the famous Italian architect Aristotle Fioravanti for the construction of the famous Assumption Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin. Another example is the work of the talented Greek artist Theophanes the Greek in Russia.
In the period under review, such cases of contacting foreign masters were rare. Nevertheless, they were indicative. Firstly, they talked about the tendency of Russian society to borrow Western European experience. Secondly, it became a prerequisite for such a thing as the secularization of culture.
Household novels
17th century literature very vividly reflected this tendency towards the penetration of secular knowledge and achievements in art. The fact is that during the period under consideration new genres arose, the purpose of which was not only to teach, but also to entertain the reader. At the same time, the person’s personality, his aspirations and desire to break through life, to reach a certain position came to the forefront. These genres include the so-called everyday legend. His examples were the works: "The Story of Savva Grudtsyn", "The Story of the Mountain and Misfortune" and others. Their peculiarity was that in them special attention was paid to depicting the dissimilar characters of the characters, their difficult share, everyday problems. And, most importantly, the authors began to pay great attention to the personal qualities of the characters.
Satire
17th century literature is also interesting in that it was in this that satire took shape. The authors, in a rather ironic form, ridiculed the shortcomings of modern bureaucracy. As a rule, officials, judges, bribery and embezzlement became the object of humor. Among the most famous works of this genre are “The Tale of the Shemyakin Court”, “The Tale of Ersh Ershovich” and others. The appearance of works of this kind indicates that Russian culture has entered a new stage of development. The secular nature of literature was evident. And this spoke of serious changes in public consciousness.
Historical works
The beginning of the century was marked by terrible upheavals for the country. The time of troubles, dynastic coups, threats of the seizure of the state by the Poles, the suppression of the dynasty - all this shocked, greatly influenced the opinion of society. People began to actively comprehend what had happened. Many chroniclers and authors in their writings tried to find the cause of this massive disaster, which shocked the Moscow state. These attempts to understand and understand what happened also indicate serious shifts in the views of educated circles. Intellectuals began to analyze the changes that occurred in the country. So, a new genre of historical narrative arose, usually dedicated to troubled times (The Tale of 1606).
Worldview change
People in the culture of the XVII century - this is one of the fundamental problems for understanding the question of what was the impetus for a change in the art of our country in the studied time. The fact is that educated circles of society are seriously interested in secular knowledge. Many close associates of Tsars Michael and Alexei Romanovich adopted the achievements of Western Europe. But in the urban environment, the reading public also became interested in secular literature, which also became a clear sign of the ongoing changes.
People in the culture of modern times have become more susceptible to secular and entertaining genres. They were interested in theater, novels, satire. The percentage of reading persons has increased compared to the previous time. The number of books increased, and print publications began to be distributed. The court staged theatrical performances. All this testified to serious changes in the worldview of the era, which became the ideological basis for the Petrine reforms in the next century.
The most characteristic changes
The culture of the 17th century became a preparatory stage for the development of aristocratic and noble art under Peter I. New genres appeared in it in all areas of artistic creativity. For example, Parsuns were widely used - portraits of kings or other famous people who did not convey similarities, however, in essence they were a secular genre. Another significant change was that many representatives of the highest nobility were carried away by Western European luxury goods, which was not the case before. So, the closest princess of Sophia - Vasily Golitsyn - arranged in his mansion something like a collection of expensive goods brought from abroad. Many acquired books and libraries. All these changes set the stage for the assimilation of Western European art by the educated society.
Social situation
The culture of the 17th century developed in close connection with general political changes in the country. The fact is that during the period under consideration there was a distinct tendency to borrow advanced ideas and achievements from the West. True, these borrowings have not yet acquired such a wide scope as in the next century. However, the fact itself was very revealing. For example, changes were observed in the military sphere, when during the first Romanovs new regiments began to be created according to the Western European model. According to the famous historian S. M. Solovyov, it was at this time that “the people gathered on the road, ” that is, everything in the country was ripe for change and reform.
Literacy
The areas of culture in which the changes occurred were as follows: literature, painting, architecture. Regarding the literature, we have already discussed above. It should only be added here that literacy in the country spread in the era under study. Especially actively published books of civilian content: primers, grammar books. In addition, regular schools opened. Among them is the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy, which has become one of the most famous educational institutions in Russia.
art
There have also been changes in painting. The process of peace of culture has affected this area, as already discussed above. It should be added that some of the changes affected the icon painting. Along with traditional canonical writing, artists began to use the achievements of Western European art. For example, Frisky style. The painters were led by the Armory. And the most famous icon-painter was Simon Ushakov.
Construction
The changes of the century also affected such areas of culture as architecture and theater. In the 17th century, stone construction, interrupted after the events of the Time of Troubles, was resumed. They banned the construction of a tent-style church, since it was different from the Byzantine one. Temples were built with five domes in bulbous form. A new style has appeared: the so-called Naryshkin baroque. Its feature was the use of red and white colors, as well as a wealth of jewelry. The secularization of Russian culture at the given time was manifested in the fact that civilian construction increased. The most famous monuments are the Kremlin’s Terem Palace, merchants’s chambers and other buildings.
New fashion
A fundamental change in style in appearance is customary to date back to the reign of Peter Alekseevich. He, in a rather sharp and eccentric form, forced his associates and all the nobles to wear a Western European dress, to shave their beards, and he ordered the ladies to dress in magnificent dresses that were used by foreign fashionistas. However, clothes of the 17th century have already undergone some changes. So, at the court of the predecessors of the first emperor, one could already see the nobles in German costumes. The aforementioned Golitsyn also adhered to Western European fashion.
Period value
The history of Russian culture conditionally includes several stages: the ancient period, princely, medieval Russia, modern times, the 19th century, the Soviet and modern stages. The century under study occupies a special place in the list, since it became a preparatory stage for the fundamental transformations of Peter I. At this time, the prerequisites for the establishment of secular knowledge in science and culture developed. Some researchers are even inclined to see the spread of educational ideas in our country. The secularization of Russian culture in the 17th century affected all areas of life. And this is its fundamental difference from the art of all the previous time, when borrowing Western European achievements and new products was sporadic, and secular knowledge was extremely poorly developed.
Place in pan-European development
The cultures of the world, with all their diversity, nevertheless have one common general line of change. At the very beginning of their emergence, they are distinguished by deep religiosity. Faith penetrates into all spheres of society and determines their features. But gradually secular knowledge is leaking into art and public consciousness, which is changing the worldview of people. While maintaining the dominant religion, masters begin to show greater interest in the human person, worldly concerns.
In this regard, the culture and life of the 17th century in Russia went along the same path of development as the Western European countries. However, in our state, religious consciousness still largely determined socio-political and cultural life. The fact is that in Western Europe, secular knowledge began to spread already in the XII-XIII centuries. And in our country only during the period under review. In this regard, religion in the following centuries occupied a prominent place in the life of society.
Relations with the West
During the period under review, Russia’s ties with Europe expanded. Foreign masters began to play a large role in the cultural development of our country. For example, the Greek brothers founded the famous Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy. Simeon of Polotsk, a Belarusian by birth, played a large role in the dissemination of education at the royal court. He contributed to the development of fiction and poetry.
In the same century, our country began to play a prominent role in the international arena, joining coalitions of Western European states. For example, Russia took part in the Thirty Years War. All this could not but affect the domestic political life of the country, which felt itself a part of the European space. Changes in worldview were reflected not only in cultural and educational policies, but also in everyday life. And even clothing of the 17th century testified to the fact that educated circles of society felt a keen interest in their neighbors.
