The homestead as a pattern of worldview: the “lost” world of N.K. Roerich

Abstract

The article draws attention to the museum-estate of N.K. Roerich in the village of Izvara, Leningrad Region. Although the work of the Ro­erich family is widely known through­out the world, their cultural, philosophical and scientific achieve­ments have been indiscriminately forgotten in their homeland, Russia, par­ti­­cularly the legacy of Nicholas Roerich. The article em­phasizes the global, cosmic scale of N.K. Roerich's thoughts and deeds, which is proved by the fact that there exist a number of centers for preservation and study of his heritage from the USA (New York) to India (a valley in the Hima­layas). It is argued that the key moment (pattern) in the formation of Roerich's cosmic worldview was his country estate. The author of the article shows that a country estate is a special way of life, a natural and cultural landscape, a peculiar rhythm of life. An analogy is drawn between the natural and historical origins of a place, as well as the origins of everyday human life and the origins of the worldview. It is concluded that in the pattern of a country estate lies the phenomena of true unity, integrity and identity. This is important for the transmission of the cultural code in modern society. It is emphasized that in order for the country estate to live both in history and in reality, it is not enough to approve the state program for the preservation of cultural heritage, but requires real practice of contact with the estate. The country estate is a direct transmission of family values through artifacts, events, everyday life and organization of space. From the educational point of view, it is an insight into the fate of an individual; from the educational point of view, it is an experience of real “here and now” of the history of a place and country; from the scientific point of view, it is the embodiment of a syncretic approach to cognition of the world.