Medievalisms from top to bottom: Alexander Nevsky in Russian public contemporary discourse in the case of Vyborg (2018–2022)

This article investigates the multi-levelled representations of medievalism in contemporary Russia, focusing on the figure of Alexander Nevsky (d. 1263) and its local appropriations in the city of Vyborg. Building on Manuel DeLanda’s hierarchic assemblage theory applied to state-induced and local narratives surrounding Nevsky, the paper highlights complexities of how medievalism is mobilized by various actors, including state and Church officials, regional authorities, cultural organizations, and grassroots movements. We demonstrate that governmental actors celebrated the medieval prince as an epitome of the Russian state and its exceptional civilizational development. They also rhetorically merged Nevsky within modern narratives to reinforce state legitimacy and presentist political agenda. By further examining the depoliticized interactions with medievalism and almost complete absence of Nevsky from Vyborg’s public discourse, we argue that medievalism in Russia is not merely a static and hierarchic phenomenon but rather a dynamic discourse that reflects ongoing tensions between state narratives and local interpretations. Thus, we demonstrate the diversity of historical culture in modern Russia and the possibilities for further analysis of its local, regional, and national features in their variability, as well as the forms of politicization and depoliticization of images of the past.