Contents of Analecta OSBM, Section II
Volume XIII (XIX) 1-4, 1988
On the Occasion
of the Millennium of Christianity
in Rus'-Ukraine (988-1988)
I. ARTICULI
ATHANASIUS PEKAR, The Religious Life of Kievan Rus’ in the Pre-Mongolian
Period (until the middle of the thirteenth century)
(Ukrainian)
Father Pekar describes the beginning of religious life in Kievan Rus' and its growth under the influence of the Monastery of the Caves in Kiev. Hence the Monastery of Caves hails as the "Mother of Rus' Monasteries." The author points out the important contribution of the monks toward the development of the Kievan (Ukrainian) Rite, Ukrainian literary language and culture, the monasteries being the first centers of learning. A brief history of the Women's Monasteries of the same period, marking the Golden Age of Ukrainian monasticism, is also included. The Tartar invasion of 1240 brought about the fall of the Kievan State and with it the decline of monastic life.
ATHANASIUS PEKAR, The Period of Decline of Ukrainian Monasticism (the14th-16th
cc.)
(Ukrainian)
Father Pekar deals with the gradual decadence of monastic life in the Ukrainian lands under foreign occupation from the middle of the 13th until the end of the 16th century, when Ukrainian monasticism began to flourish once again. Although during this period the number of the monasteries kept increasing, nevertheless, the foreign domination with its abusive "ius patronatus," contempt of monastic rule and common life under the influence of the "idiorythmia" worldly spirit and contempt of learning completely undermined monastic discipline and spiritual life in Ukrainian monasteries, making them the source of ignorance and moral perversion.
PORPHYRIUS PIDRUCNYJ, The Basilian Order from the Union of Brest (1596)
until 1743.
(Ukrainian)
The resurgence of monastic life began with the Union of Brest
(1596), when due to the efforts of Metropolitan Joseph Veljamyn Ruts'kyj and
St. Josaphat Kuntsevych a new monastic Order of St. Basil the Great was organized
in 1617. Father Pidrucnyj in the first part of his article gives us a history
of the reorganization of the monastic life in the Kievan Metropolitan Province
and the formation of the Basilian Order, which was confirmed by the Holy See
in 1624, and again in 1631.
In the second part the author treats only the more important events which
occurred in the Order between 1637 and 1743. These events were:
- General chapters which were held at intervals of every four years to make
decisions regarding monastic affairs. The metropolitans and bishops took part
in them, therefore, general problems of the Church were also discussed.
- Long-standing misunderstandings with the metropolitans, who wanted to be
protoarchimandrites, and thus have unlimited authority over the monks and
monasteries.
- The Novhorodok General Chapter of 1686 in which an accord (Nexus) was drawn
up between the hierarchy and the Order, the authority of the metropolitan
over the Order was concretely delineated, and Metropolitan Ruts'kyj's Rule
and Constitutions were examined and updated.
- Persecutions at the hand of Muscovite armies.
- The murder of several Basilians in Polock by Peter I (1705).
- The decisions of the Synod of Zamost' regarding monks. Of these decisions
the most important is the one which ordered all monasteries in the newly-united
eparchies to unite into one province under the guidance of a single protoarchimandrite.
This was realized in 1739 with the creation of a new Basilian Congregation
of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM).
- Finally, the decision of Pope Benedict XIV to unite both Basilian Congregations
(Most Holy Trinity and Protection of the BVM) into one Order. This was realized
at the Dubno Chapter of 1743.
At the end of his article the author added a list of the General Chapters
and of the General Superiors (Protoarchìmandrites) between 1617-1743.
ISIDORE PATRYLO, An Outline of the History of the Basilian Order between
1743 and 1839
(Ukrainian)
Father Patrylo gives us an outline of the history of the Basilian
Order from the Dubno Chapter (1743) until the Order's complete liquidation
under the Russian occupation by czar Nicholas I (1839).
After a detailed description of the organization and administration of the
Basilian Order during its so called - Golden Era, which ended with the first
partition of Poland in 1772, Fr. Patrylo discusses the division of the Basilian
Order into four separate provinces and their precarious existence within the
new political borders between 1772-1793. He then discusses the activity of
the Basilian monks during the 17th-18th centuries, describing their pastoral,
educational, publishing, and literary work.
The fate of the Basilian monasteries within the borders of the Russian Empire
between 1793-1825 is discussed, when the monks had to cope with the numerous
limitations and obstacles imposed on them by the Russian authorities. The
final and violent suppression of the Basilian Order (1825-1839) under Russian
occupation was achieved during the reign of czar Nicholas I, leaving behind
a long list of Basilian martyrs and confessors. At the end of the artic1e
the lists of the protoarchimandrites (1743-1804), of the Provincial Superiors
of the Lithuanian, Belorussian and Ruthenian (Ukrainian) Provinces, as well
as the list of the Provincial Chapters are appended.
ISIDORE PATRYLO, The Province of Xolm under the Patronage of the Nativity
of the Mother of God (1810-1864)
(Ukrainian)
Father Patrylo made a separate study of the Basilian Province
of Xolm (1810-1864), within the borders of the so called Kingdom of Warsaw,
under Russian protection. It was established as a result of the political
situation of that time. The research is based on the documents of the Xolm
Consistory, preserved at the present time in the "Wojewodzkie Archiwum",
Lublin, Poland. The article is also provided with the list of the Xolm Provincial
Superiors and Chapters.
The history of the Galician Province of Our Savior and the recent history
of the Basilian Order, including the diaspora, was already presented in Volume
XI of the Analecta, published in 1982, on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary
of the renewal of the Basilian Order, known as the Reform of Dobromyl' (1882).
II. DOCUMENTA
ATHANASIUS PEKAR, Documents Concerning the Apostolic Visitation of
the Basilian Fathers in Transcarpathia
(English)
Father Pekar publishes documents concerning the Apostolic Visitation of the Basilian Fathers in Transcarpathia by Bishop Joseph Gaganecz of Prjasiv between 1856 and 1858 . The introduction to these documents is written in English.
III. MISCELLANEA
ATHANASIUS PEKAR, The Origin of
Monastic Life in Rus'-Ukraine summary
available online
(English)
ALEXANDER BARAN, The Motivations
for Volodymyr's Acceptance of Christianity available
online
(English)
ATHANASIUS PEKAR, Monasticism in
the Ukrainian Church
(English) available online
A brief history of various Ukrainian Religious Orders and Congregations, even of the most recent ones, is presented.
IV. BIBLIOGRAPHIA
ISIDORE PATRYLO, OSBM, The Sources and Bibliography of the Ukrainian Church
An additional installment of the Sources and Bibliography Concerning the History
of the Ukrainian Church, following Patrylo's usual outline of sections (cf.
Analecta OSBM, X [1979] 405-487), already published ten sections of his collection
in the previous, voI. XII (1985) of Analecta, these ten sections only cover
the titles of the last three years (1985-1987). Sections Il (Ukrainian Church
outside Ukraine) to 19 (Protestants in Ukraine) cover the titles compiled
by the author since 1979.
To each and every entry Fr. PatryIo adds a brief summary and the more important
reviews of the given work. Experience has shown that such a bibliography is
more beneficial to scholars than simply a detailed review of a limited number
of works. From the number of titles collected by the author one can clearly
perceive the extent of the bibliography pertaining to the history of the Ukrainian
Church.
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