| Summary: | This study elaborates a typology of the concept of Paradise in medieval
Russia through the analysis of contemporary literary texts. On the basis
of terms designating the afterlife, an attempt is made to identify the
reception of this idea by medieval Russian society, with particular
reference to the understanding of space and time. In this light,
consideration is also made of various spaces on earth with the
characteristics necessary to render them comparable to Paradise: sacred
places, such as churches and monasteries, as well as fantastic lands.
Attention is also paid to descriptions of nature, seen as a place of peace,
close to the image of the garden of Eden. Such places are considered
earthly paradises, sharing many characteristics with the hereafter. The
affinities in the tratment of space and time, which assume a higher
meaning (sacred and eternal) are especially remarkable, as are other
elements perceived by the medieval Russian as a part of the image of a
brighter future, on earth as in heaven. An important conclusion concerns
a significant similarity between Russian and Western ideas of Paradise,
since the literary sources largely coincide. The study closes with a
proposal to conduct further research aimed at identifying specific
Russian features in the field of folklore.
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