The Problem of Catholic Influence on Tsar Peter and the Domestic Way of Life in the Russian State in A. N. Tolstoy’s Novel “Peter the Great.”

Aim. To examine the problem of Catholic influence on the young Tsar Peter and Russian society in the historical novel by A. N. Tolstoy, who depicted the Petrine era – one of the complex periods of Russian and Western European history – in his literary text.

Methodology. For the analysis, images of certain clergymen in A. N. Tolstoy’s novel “Peter the First” were chosen. The focus is made on spiritual issues, which were and remain an integral part of the life of the Russian people. Attention is drawn to the problem of educating the younger generation. This aspect acquires particularly acute significance in an era of change. To reveal the theme, analytical and comparative methods of research of the artistic text are used. A more thorough emphasis is placed on the image of the priest Silvestr Medvedev. The features of the poetics of creating and revealing this complex and ambiguous image are highlighted. His opposition to the young monarch and the patriarch, his spiritual quests leading to rapprochement with the Vatican, his support for Princess Sophia, and his aspiration to seize power are examined in detail. Special attention is paid to the problem of opposition to Latinization within the clergy, as well as the complex relations between the Church and the state – those conflicts that determine the movement of the novel’s overall plot and run as a leitmotif through the entire epic narrative.

Results. This study confirms that spiritual issues, interrelations between representatives of different confessions, and their mutual influence within one state occupy one of the most important places in the extensive artistic and historical space of A. N. Tolstoy, thus attracting such close interest from the researcher. A detailed analysis helps in revealing one of the deep problems of the era under consideration, as the spiritual foundations of existence constituted and constitute one of the most important aspects of the life of Russian society, without the resolution of which the existence of the state as a whole is impossible.

Research implications lie in the in-depth and detailed comprehension of the writer’s plastic, dynamic embodiment of the stated theme. The research confirms that the spiritual and ecclesiastical aspects of Russian life are illuminated by A. N. Tolstoy with the greatest skill, deep understanding, expressively and uniquely emotionally in connection with each of the characters.

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