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Image of Sergius of Radonezh in Pavel Florensky’s Phenomenology of Culture

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.37816/2073‑9567‑2026‑80‑9‑22
  • УДК / UDC: 008
  • Publication Type: Research Article
  • For Citation:

    Klyukina, L.A. “Image of Sergius of Radonezh in Pavel Florensky’s Phe‑ nomenology of Culture.” Vestnik slavianskikh kul’tur, vol. 80, 2026, pp. 9–22. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.37816/2073‑9567‑2026‑80‑9‑22 
  • Information about the Author 1:

    Lyudmila A. Klyukina — DSc in Philosophy, Professor, Petrozavodsk State University, Lenina Ave., 33, 185910 Petrozavodsk, Russia.

    ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000‑0003‑4843‑9357

    E‑mail: klyukina‑This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  
  • Abstract: This paper is aimed at studying the image of Sergius of Radonezh in the context of Pavel Florensky’s phenomenology of culture, as well as estimating the significance of this image for understanding the foundation of Russian culture. This subject owes its relevance to the fact that Pavel Florensky’s view of Russian culture has not been studied sufficiently, as he himself hadn’t written a comprehensive work on this subject. The study`s theoretical and methodological bases are the philosopher’s teachings about symbol, name, cult, and icon. The fundamental principles of these teachings shape the context of this research; the author calls this context “Pavel Florensky’s phenomenology of culture”. When studying the philosophical and theological teachings of Pavel Florensky that are devoted to the general issues of metaphysics and culture, the author referred to the works by a number of Russian and foreign researchers: N.K. Bonetskaya, O.I. Genisaretsky, T.A. Dorofeyeva, V.V. Zenkovsky, S.B. Egorova, Stephen Cassidy, E.V. Kovaleva, S.A. Kolesnikov, S.A. Levitsky, A.F. Losev, N.O. Lossky, S.A. Nizhnikov, S.S. Khoruzhy. The author also proposes to use Pavel Florensky’s term “name” to interpret the image of Sergius of Radonezh as the prototype of Russian spirit, perceived as God’s Image. The study argues that Pavel Florensky’s Image of Sergius of Radonezh symbolizes the collective Russian consciousness that is founded upon the spiritual understanding of life (Sophia) and Christian idea of love as the reflection of God’s love for the world (Trinity). Pavel Florensky naturalizes the metaphysical foundations of Russian consciousness and culture in the 14th and 15th centuries in the images of Sergius of Radonezh, Sophia, Trinity, and the Trinity Lavra — all in order to present an argument for the point of antinomy of the Russia idea, which is uniting the people in the Body of Christ, and in the Celestial Church on Earth. This naturalization of metaphysical thinking allows for understanding and explaining the role of the cult of Sergius of Radonezh and Trinity in Russian culture as the aprioristic foundation of its self‑comprehension.
  • Keywords: Sergius of Radonezh, symbol, Sophia, Trinity, Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, Pavel Florensky
  • Страницы / Pages: 9–22
  • Received: May 31, 2025
  • Approved after Reviewing: April 06, 2026
  • Publication Date: June 25, 2026

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