Gravestone monuments of unbaptized Chuvash: traditions and innovations (on the example of Staroe Surkino village in the Almetyevsk District of the Republic of Tatarstan)

The population of Staroe Surkino village, which is part of the Almetyevsk District of the Republic of Tatarstan, is one of the largest religious communities of unbaptized Chuvash on the territory beyond the Kama. The villagers have preserved the ancestral religion of their ancestors, a special ethnic identity, as well as many features of traditional culture associated with the so-called «paganism». One of the most striking and revealing elements of religion, ancestor worship and funeral and memorial rites of the villagers are gravestone monuments. Especially valuable in this regard are the old tombstones, which were erected in the second half of the 18^th – early 20^th centuries, because many canons of Chuvash folk cult sculpture have been preserved in them. First of all, this is the anthropomorphism of tombstone monuments, the differentiation of monuments by gender and socio-age characteristics by applying images of female breast jewelry to female monuments, drilling or hollowing out depressions or dimples on the upper arches of monuments for the installation of candles and the accumulation of «heavenly» or rain water. However, over time, under the influence of various factors, some innovations and changes have emerged in this area. That is why this problem is of deep scientific interest to researchers.