Pogost

The word pogost is similar to modern Russian gost' (гость, 'guest'). It is derived from the Old Russian word pogostiti (погостити), meaning 'to be a guest', and was initially used to refer to a temporary lodging where clergy, princes and merchants could stay.^[6][3] It denoted a trading center where "guests" (merchants) made their stop and could conduct trade (Old Russian: гостьба, gostba).^[7] The pogost is first mentioned in the mid-10th century, when Princess Olga established pogosts and tribute points along the Msta River in northern Russia; later sources confirm that the pogost served as a tax collection center.^[8]

The term pogost came to refer to territorial centers, typically surrounded by numerous hamlets, that were used to receive dignitaries or guests, particularly in regions controlled by Novgorod.^[9] These sometimes had paired churches.^[9]

The modern Russian term for a hamlet, derevnya, appears in historical sources from the 14th century.^[10] In the territories of Smolensk and Novgorod, the term pogost was used to refer to a hamlet.^[10] This could mean a hamlet, distinguished in modern Russian as pogost-mesto (погост – место), and a village center of a small area, known as pogost-tsentr.^[10] The term could also be used to denote the surrounding area, known as pogost-okrug.^[10]

From the 10th century, the term selo was used to refer to a village on the estate of a landowner.^[10] By the 14th century, the terms selo and derevnya became interchangeable in the Russian North.^[10] As Christianity continued to spread in Russia after its formal introduction in the late 10th century, the term selo came to refer to a village with a church, starting from the 16th century.^[10]

In the Russian North, the pogost retained its status until 1775.^[9] The term pogost came to be understood as a rural church and graveyard.^[10] A pogost could have a freestanding bell tower positioned between and in front of two churches.^[9] It could also be enclosed by a low wall constructed from horizontal logs resting on a fieldstone base, with square towers at the corners.^[9] The most widely known example of the pogost, and Russian wooden architecture in general, is Kizhi Pogost on Kizhi Island in Lake Onega.^[9]

The central village of the Finnish 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 the modern Finnish language, pogosta is also used in references to historical places, as a historical synonym for "parish" or "municipality" in Karelian, Ingrian 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 word equivalent to civil parish, rural municipality or small rural district, originating from Russian pogost. There are 432 rural municipalities or pagasti in Latvia.^[11]