Vinogradov - surname "popovskaya"

The fencing of the Cathedral in honor of the Life-Giving Trinity of the Holy Trinity-Paraskevievsky Toplovskiy Women's Monastery in the Crimea is entwined with forged elements depicting grapevine, leaves and clusters. Grape symbolism is not uncommon in the decoration of many other Christian churches. Carved leaves and clusters "curl" on the facades of buildings and iconostases, fill the planes of the walls and frame medallions with images of saints; decorate the litter, the vessel for Communion. In the painting and decoration of Orthodox churches there is nothing accidental. The complex drawing of the ornament and, incomprehensible at first glance, symbols reveal to the come meaning of the Christian teaching.

The vine is one of the oldest religious symbols used by man before the advent of Christianity. The Bible mentions grapes more than fifty times, representing abundance and divine blessings. The vine was the first plant Noah planted to descend from the ark after the Flood.

In the Gospel at the Last Supper, Christ says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower” (John 15:1). “I am the vine and you are the branches; he who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit” (John 15:5). These words became the basis for the depiction of grapes on the walls of churches, paraphernalia and icons. The soul of man is a vineyard that must be cultivated, cleansing it from dry branches - sins and passions.

In the Bible, grapes are referred to as living vine and fresh berries. In contrast, dried grape berries - raisins - are referred to as symbols of death. The symbolism of raisins was used by our ancestors in funeral rites, some elements of which have survived to this day in the form of a memorial dish of kutya, boiled rice with raisins.

Vinogradov(a) is a "popular" surname. Most of the surnames of priests, as well as representatives of other estates in the Russian Empire, were created only in the XIX century. Prior to this, the clergy were usually called Father Alexander, Father Vasily, Father or Pop Ivan, no surname was meant. Children of clergy were most often given the surname Popov(a). However, one name passportization, of course, is not limited. The numerous surnames belonging to the Russian clergy include Vinogradov(a). This is one of the most unusual Russian surnames, as it is artificial in origin.

Artificial are names invented intentionally and are not the result of the natural fixation of a person's usual naming. Such surnames often arose in the seminary environment: either upon admission, if the applicant did not yet have an officially fixed surname, which was required to indicate in official documents; or an artificial surname was assigned to graduates of seminaries who had “unsounding” names Pyanitsin, Fools, Ostolopov and the like; since it was believed that the Jeremiah’s surname should be pleasant to hear and not have a negative semantic connotation.