E-mail: nekrylova@mail.ru Tel.: +7 (812) 328-19-01
4, Makarov emb., St. Petersburg, 199034, Russian Federation
PhD in Art Criticism, Research Fellow, Institute of Russian Literature (the Pushkin House), Russian Academy of Sciences
This article deals with the perception of the popular Christian saint Panteleimon the Great Martyr. The main hagiographical understanding of the saint as a healer, the heavenly patron of sick people as well as healers, was overlaid with the idea of Panteleimon as a powerful saint who could send a thunderstorm with lightning and showers, which could lead to the destruction of the harvest. Folkloric names of the saint (Palikopa, Paliy) not only contributed to the date of the saint’s celebration during the time of summer thunderstorms, but also suggested their popular etymology. The article cites appeals to the saint in zagovory (charms), as well as ritual actions aimed to propitiate the saint, appealing to him as intercessor, healer, and — at the same time — as a punishing force.
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