Russian Coronations: Symbols of Power

Extract

[...] The ritual staging participates in the representation of the principles of power. In the case of the Russian tsars, the political and legal role is thus associated with the ecclesiastical symbolic function. Moreover, during the anointing, the two bodies of the king (political and natural) are united in a single person, sometimes emphasizing the sacralization of the person to the detriment of the ceremony itself. The analysis made by these two authors shows how much the Russian anointing does not escape these practices while maintaining a symbolic distinction proper to the Russian political context that surrounds it. [...]

[...] This paradox between the permanence and adaptation of the practice is to be highlighted in relation to the continuity of power on a geographical and political territory that, from Ivan III to Nicholas II, has undergone many modifications. The coronation in Russia therefore has several points of interest: the coronation is not synonymous with the legitimacy of the tsar; it is a Russian exception within European monarchies; in Russia, the coronation must be distinguished from the anointing because the coronation is divided into two times. Finally, the introduction emphasizes the problem of sources. [...]

[...] In fact, this point is interesting in several ways because it embodies a Russian peculiarity while borrowing symbols and rituals that exist in other European ceremonies. These aspects have been remarkably highlighted by the works of historian Marc Bloch, author of The Royal Touch: Sacred Monarchy and the Power to Heal, particularly in France and England, published in 1924, and Ernst Kantorowicz, author of the book The Two Bodies of the King: A Study of Medieval Political Theology, published in 1957. [...]

[...] It is also an act of ecclesiastical consecration since the sovereign is placed almost at the rank of priest. Despite the sacramental of the coronation, the anointing and coronation of the tsar are not thereby elevated to the status of a sacrament. Beyond the gestures and rites, the Church only asks God to provide the tsar with all the strength he will need to accomplish the missions given to him: on the one hand, to fulfill his duties in the most conscientious way possible; on the other hand, to create within his empire material conditions that guarantee peace and prosperity to his subjects, necessary conditions so that they can devote themselves to working for their salvation. [...]

[...] Articles of reviews AZAM, Olivier, 'Sacre of tsars and sacraments of the Church in the XVI [...]