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DOI: 10.46698/VNC.2022.18.11.005

APOSTLES IN ALAN CHRISTIANITY – ST. EQUAL-TO-THE-APOSTLES NINA

Plieva, Zalina T. , Tuaeva, Berta V.
Kavkaz Forum. 2022. Issue 11.
Abstract:
The relevance of this study increases in the context of the celebration of the
1100th anniversary of the Baptism of Alania. The actualization of the study of the
Caucasian hagiographic heritage is determined by the importance of filling in
the existing gaps in the history of the conversion of the Alans to Christianity. The
article discusses the hagiographic heritage of the missionary work of St. Equal-tothe-
Apostles Nina, a Christian educator who, according to the legend, went from
her native Cappadocia to Iberia (Georgia) in search of the tomb of Sidonia, where
the Chiton of the Lord was to be kept, and is traditionally considered the person
who brought Christian preaching in Georgia. Less is known about the fact that
her preaching activities also affected the Alanian society. The article examines
the facts confirming her contacts with the Alans. The novelty of the study lies
in the fact that the article for the first time reveals the connection between the
celebration of the date of the traditional Ossetian calendar Dzhiorguyba /
Giorgoba and the Christian holiday in honor of St. George, a relative of St. Nina,
the glorification of whose martyrdom was accompanied by her sermon in the
Caucasus. A comprehensive analysis of the surviving editions of the lives and
writings of the first Ossetian historians A.N. Kodzaev and A.G. Gatuev allows us
to conclude that the area of missionary activity of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina
admits a connection between the occurring facts of the conversion of the Alans to
Christianity in the 4th century with her active preaching in the South Caucasus.
Important information regarding the missionary activity of St. Equal-to-the-
Apostles Nina is contained in the writings of V.S. Ouarziati. The article concludes
that the activities of St. Nina were a significant contribution to the process of
Christianization of the Alans.
Keywords: life, hagiography, St. Equal-to-the-Apostles, Christianization of Alanya
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