Episcopal, Monastic, and Church Construction in Rus’ in the 15th–17th Centuries: Towards the Formulation of the Problem

The all-Russian process of episcopal, monastic, and church construction is analyzed, and its periodization is proposed: the second half of the 14th–16th centuries can be characterized as the era of monasteries; and the 17th–early 18th centuries are attributed to the time of episcopal houses. It is worth emphasizing that the architectural ensembles of monasteries largely took shape in the 15th–16th centuries, although they were completed and renovated in the 17th century, while the construction of episcopal houses is the result of the activities of bishops in the 17th century. In the 15th–early 18th centuries, episcopal, monastic, and church construction was an integral factor in the development of medieval society. Episcopal houses, monasteries, and churches created, expressed, and strengthened spatial ties in the Russian state and were spiritual, cultural, and economic centers.