Church naming as a value choice and political strategy: the names of Catholic churches in 17th – 18th century Russia

The names of Russian Catholic churches both reflect the religious values of the Catholics, and demonstrate ways to developing interfaith dialogue, which state predetermined the successful modernization of Russia during the early modern period. The study aims to identify preferences in the naming conventions of Catholic temples in 17th and 18th-century Russia, when Catholicism first integrated into the Russian cultural space. The significance of the study is determined by the keen attention of historians to political and religious interaction between Russia and Western countries. The theoretical basis of this study is the semiotic approach, specifically the semiotics of language and the communicative theory of the historical process. The author concludes that Russian Catholics typically named their churches after saints or monarchs, thereby glorifying the Russian tsars and tsarinas and expressing support for their policies. This approach to church naming reflects the principles of image doubling and name emblematicity, which are characteristic of the Baroque culture. Compared to Catholics in St. Petersburg, Moscow Catholics were more creative in naming churches, trying to present Catholicism as a “home” for Russians at the level of signs and appealing to Old Moscow traditions in the names of their churches. Priests and laity, who predetermined the choice of church names, generally demonstrated readiness to maintain and promote peaceful interfaith relations.