An Ancient Shrine, Archaeological Excavations and the Bones of Forgotten Ancestors in North Ossetia: How Offended Believers Created a Religion

The Russian Orthodox Church is implementing projects to mark the space of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania as Orthodox, that is, as a legitimate space for its activities and institutional dominance. This policy also involves representing the Ossetian past as Orthodox, notably through the restoration of ancient buildings connected with Orthodoxy. However, the Church does not have a monopoly on creating a public narrative about the past of this ethno-political entity. Drawing on an ethnographic case study of archaeological excavations around a medieval chapel in the village of Nuzal, this article demonstrates that the efforts of the Church ended up pushing its competitors, Ossetian traditionalists, to publicly present an alternative interpretation of history. Activists in the revival of the Ossetian pre-Christian religion argue that the Church’s attempts are an offence to their religious sentiments, presenting themselves as the legitimate guardians of ethnic traditions.