View source for Pogost

{{Short description|Russian historical term}}
{{redirect|Pogosta|the disease|Pogosta disease}}
[[Image:1909_Церковь_Спасителя_и_Покрова_Пресвятой_Богородицы._Вытегорский_Погост.jpg|thumb|275px|Vytegra Pogost, as photographed ca. 1912 by [[Prokudin-Gorskii]].]]
'''''Pogost'''''  ({{langx|ru|погост}}, from [[Old East Slavic]]: погостъ<ref>[[Hypatian Chronicle]], 947 AD</ref>) is a [[Russian language|Russian]] historical term which has had several meanings. In modern Russian, it typically refers to a rural church and graveyard. It has also been borrowed into [[Latgalian language|Latgalian]] (''pogosts''), [[Finnish language|Finnish]] (''pogosta'') and [[Latvian language|Latvian]] (''pagasts''), with specific meanings.
== History ==
The original usage applies to the [[coaching inn]] for princes and ecclesiastics<ref>{{in lang|ru}} [[Max Vasmer]]. ''Этимологический словарь русского языка''</ref> with the word being similar to modern Russian ''gost''' (гость),  "guest". It is assumed that originally ''pogosts'' were rural communities on the periphery of the ancient Rus` state, as well as trading centers (Old Russian: ''gost'ba'', гостьба).<ref>[http://www.rusinst.ru/articletext.asp?rzd=1&id=2951 {{in lang|ru}} ''Большая энциклопедия русского языка'']</ref>
In the end of the 10th century ''pogosts'' transformed into administrative and territorial districts. ''Pogosts'' varied in size, ranging from tens to hundreds of villages in 11th–14th centuries. As Christianity spread in Russia, churches were built in ''pogosts''. In 1775 the last ''pogosts'' that served as administrative districts were destroyed.{{Elucidate|date=March 2011}} Since then they became known as city ''pogosts'' (погосто – место), functioning as parish centers.
In the central ''[[uyezd]]s'' of 15th–16th centuries ''pogosts'' were small settlements with a church and a graveyard, like [[Kizhi]] Pogost or [[Kadnikov]] Pogost. In modern Russian, ''pogosts'' usually designate a combination of a [[Churchyard|rural church and a graveyard]], situated at some distant place.
==Usage in Finland and Latvia==
The central village of the Finnish ''[[Municipalities of Finland|kunta]]'' ('municipality') of [[Ilomantsi]] is usually called the '''pogosta''' of Ilomantsi (''Ilomantsin pogosta''), the word being obviously a borrowing from Russian. The local dialect of Finnish shows strong Russian influence, and there is a strong presence of Orthodox Christians in the municipality. Even the name of the local newspaper is ''Pogostan Sanomat'' ("The Pogosta News"), and a certain viral disease is locally called the [[Pogosta disease]].
In modern Finnish language, ''[[:fi:pogosta|pogosta]]'' is also used in references to historical places, as a historical synonym for "[[parish]]" or "[[municipality]]" in [[Karelia]]n, [[Ingria]]n and Russian contexts.
'''Pagasts''' is the name for a basic unit of local self-government in the Republic of [[Latvia]]. The word "pagasts" is a commonly used [[Latvian language|Latvian]] word equivalent to civil parish, rural municipality or small rural district, originating in the  [[Russian language|Russian]] ''pogost''. There are 432 rural municipalities or ''pagasti'' in [[Latvia]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lps.lv/jaunumi.php?lang=en |title=Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments |access-date=2007-06-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609211135/http://www.lps.lv/jaunumi.php?lang=en |archive-date=2007-06-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==References==
<references />
{{Slavic terms for country subdivisions}}
[[Category:History of the administrative divisions of Russia]]
[[Category:Rural geography]]
[[Category:Russian-language designations of territorial entities]]