The evolution of church-state relations in Russia of the XVI-XVII centuries (case study of the ritual “procession on a donkey” during the Wailly Week)

The paper investigates the evolution of relations between the Church and the State on the example of the “procession on a donkey” ceremony on Palm Sunday. The representation of the holiday’s contemporary nature is analyzed; the scientists’ understanding of the semantic meaning of the solemn event is considered. In this paper we used both historical-genetic and historical-comparative research methods. Based on the analysis of sources and research literature it was concluded that in the XVI and XVII centuries there was no single opinion among contemporaries on the distribution of roles between the king and the Primate of the Church in the ritual ‘“procession on a donkey” on Palm Sunday. However, the celebration was aimed at sacralization of imperial power. By the end of the XVII century Russian monarchs refused to conduct the ceremony with the king’s participation. Cancelation of celebrations was connected with two processes: first, the ritual evolved in the direction of accurate reproduction of the Gospel story that elevated the role of the patriarch; secondly, the strengthening of autocracy entailed abolition of synergistic collaboration between the State and the Church. The findings of this study may serve as a material for further study of the evolution of the court ceremonial in Russia.