Burial according to the Orthodox rite in the Olonets diocese (18th – early 20th centuries)

Abstract

The article considers the main patterns of burial according to the Orthodox rite in the North of Russia. It was revealed that the implementation of funeral rites was under the steady influence of church legislation as well as a number of legal acts regulating the activities of the police and the health system. The local natural and climatic conditions, which for a long time prevented the transportation of the bodies of the deceased to cemeteries at parish churches, were a significant factor. Local traditions and well-established norms of behaviour, which often contradict legal rules and the church burial rite, had a certain impact on the burial order.

Keywords

• burial
• church
• clergy
• laity
• legislation
• temple
• cemetery