Krasnyi ugol: material’nye i dukhovnye aspekty evoliutsii inter’iera krest’ianskogo zhilishcha

Abstract

The article draws on the analysis of written historical sources and ethnographic materials of the 18th-20th centuries. The author argues that the formation of the “red corner” as a sacred spot of central significance in the peasant house is a relatively late development. He traces the connections between this development and the principal stages of the evolution of peasant homes, as well as the Christian culture which was a factor of crucial importance herein. By examining the ways in which peasant homes evolved among a number of ethnic groups, such as the Udmurt, Sami, Mansi, and others, the author suggests that the sacred center of the peasant house, before it became associated with the “red corner”, could have been located by the wall farthest from the entrance.