Kyiv Diocese in Reports of the Ober-Prosecutors of the Holy Synod (1884-1916)

Keywords: Holy Synod, Kyiv Diocese, K. Pobiedonostsev, report, church, Ober-Prosecutor

Abstract

The information potential of the reports of the Ober-Prosecutor (Attorney-General) of the Holy Synod for 1884-1916 is shown in the paper. The possibility of using its materials to study the history of Kyiv Diocese (Eparchy), is emphasized because ‘The Most Beloved Report of the Ober-Procurator of the Holy Synod on the Office of the Orthodox Confession’ is a very informative source on the history of the Orthodox Church in the Russian Empire of the second half of the 19th – early 20th century. The reports of the Ober-Prosecutor often contain information about the most important events in one of the largest and most developed dioceses of the Russian Empire – Kyiv Diocese.

It is noted that researchers of church history mention this source in the context of their scientific study, in the analysis of the source base of candidate and doctoral theses, in some scientific studies and papers. However, the information potential of this source for studying the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in the territory of Kyiv Diocese has not been properly assessed. Notes concerning Kyiv Diocese have not yet been the subject of study, and there is much information that needs to be analyzed from Ukrainian point of view. Therefore, the author aims to partially fill this gap.

A brief description of the activities of the Ober-Prosecutor of the Holy Synod K.P. Pobiedonostsev is given. It was just he who became the founder of the system of parochial schools and started the tradition of the ‘Reports’.

New information on the status of the Orthodox Church in the city of Kyiv in the second half of the 19th – early 20th century is introduced into scientific circulation. Basically, these are the largest events: the council of the Right Reverend Bishops of the South-Western Dioceses in 1884 and the Missionary Congress in 1908. A special place is given to the information about the most important sacred places in Kyiv: the consecration of St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral in 1896, which was built off and on for 34 years, the restoration of the 11th-century paintings in the large church of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the opening of a hospital in the Protection of the Mother of God Convent, etc.

It is concluded that thanks to the reports of the Ober-Prosecutor of the Holy Synod it is possible to recollect the most important events in the church life of Kyiv Diocese of the second half of the 19th – early 20th century.

The author believes that the information presented in the paper indicates significant informative content and the high potential of this source for the study of church history.

References

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Published
01.10.2020
How to Cite
Svyaschenko, Z. (2020). Kyiv Diocese in Reports of the Ober-Prosecutors of the Holy Synod (1884-1916). Eminak: Scientific Quarterly Journal, (3(31), 80-87. https://doi.org/10.33782/eminak2020.3(31).437
Section
History of Ukraine