Catherine II and orthodox clergy in the ritual of the imperial journey: The aspect of legitimation of power

Abstract

© Serials Publications. The relevance of the studied problem is caused by need of studying the practices of legitimation of the imperial power in the XVIII century in Russia. It gives the opportunity to understand the mechanisms of stability of the absolute power in Russia. The purpose of the article is to examine the communication of the empress Catherine II and Orthodox clergy during imperial travel as means of political legitimacy. The leading method of the study is the semiotic method which allows to analyze laudatory words, welcoming speeches of the Russian clergy. In the article the ways of legitimation of Catherine II are identified, the aspects of a sacralization of the power in laudatory words of ecclesiastics are represented, the ideological matrixes forming the image of the empress as the pious monarch are revealed. The materials of the article may be useful in the creation of research on the history of Russia of the second half of the XVIII century, in the preparation of a textbook on the history of the Russian Empire.