Sviataia sviatykh

[Daniel Rancour-Laferriere]

Colleagues,
I use the following source for these kinds of questions: A. A. Azarov, 
_Russko-angliiskii slovar' religioznoi leksiki (s tolkovaniiami)_ 
(Russo: Moscow, 2002).

There (p. 596) the entry for "sviataia sviatykh" says the expression "ne 
skloniaetsia," as in "kovcheg Zaveta nakhodilsia v sviataia sviatykh."  
The expression is indeed borrowed into Russian from the Church Slavonic 
neuter plural.  Curiously, however, Azarov says there is a 
"'osovremenennyi' variant," namely, "sviatoe sviatykh," and this one IS 
declined. e.g., "v sviatom sviatykh."

Regards to the list,

Daniel Rancour-Laferriere

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