In the article, it is proposed to consider the ability of the Ossetian ethno-cultural tradition to interact with world cultures, as an undeniable manifestation of its peculiar originality. To consider such an interaction with Christianity, which left the deepest trace in the Ossetian tradition, the necessity of rejecting the scenario of antagonistic interaction that is generally accepted in the Ossetian studies in favor of the friendly one is substantiated. In this case, the result of the interaction is "rewriting" the language of the local tradition of images and plots of high world culture. The medieval Nuzal church located at the cemetery of the influential clan of Tsarazontæ can be regarded as the meeting place for two traditions, allowing to bind this process not only in the socio-historical landscape, but also in temporal dimension. The main contents of this interaction is the change in the reception of the program focus of the frescoes of the medieval Nuzal church, taking place within the framework of the transition from a religious-historical tradition to a religious-mythological one. As a result of such transition, the liturgical basis, clearly discernable in their composition, could find its embodiment in the Ossetian ritual prayer, kºyvd | kuvd. Their own eschatological contents could be reinterpreted by tradition into the myth of the first creation, so that the central figure of the Savior could be consistently and naturally transformed into the image of the Creator. The most important condition for this transition is such a well-known phenomenon as the time inversion, sufficiently developed in the Ossetian mythological songs associated with wedding and agricultural rituals. Ultimately, instead of the usual delimitation of two medieval religious centers, it is possible to recognize the existence of one common center, equally acceptable for both traditions.

Keywords: ethnicity, cultural tradition, methodology, liturgy, eschatology, creation, time inversion.

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