The Role of Right-Bank Ukraine's Orthodox Clergy in the Local Lore Movement (Second Half of the 19th – Beginning of the 20th Centuries)

Abstract

The study outlines the place and the role of Right-Bank Ukraine's Orthodox clergy (Kyiv, Volyn, and Podillia provinces) in the local lore movement in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. The Roman Catholic Church and Polish historical science significantly influenced this region, which considered Right-Bank Ukraine to be Poland's eastern provinces. To eliminate Polish influence and justify the annexation of these areas to the Russian Empire and mass Russification in all spheres, the government authorities granted privileges to the Orthodox Church in Right-Bank Ukraine and encouraged the clergy to conduct local lore study. In the middle of the 19th century, Orthodox clergy were actively involved in creating historical and statistical descriptions of the Kyiv, Volyn, and Podillia Orthodox dioceses. The Kyiv Theological Academy, the Volyn, and Podillia Orthodox Theological Seminaries became the main centres of Right-Bank Ukraine's local lore movement. They were centres of regional research in history, archaeology, ethnology, folklore, and museum activity of Right-Bank Ukraine until the early 20th century. In the second half of the 19th - early 20th century, the clergy of Right-Bank Ukraine also published periodicals and scientific collections with their results. As evidenced by the conclusions of this research, these authors did not follow Synod's recommendations and expanded their study. They published not only church descriptions but also the history of provinces, cities, towns, villages, archaeological maps of regions, historical monographs, collections of documents and materials, other local lore studies. This activity has had a favourable impact on the formation and development of the local lore movement.

Keywords

• orthodox church
• right-bank ukraine
• local lore
• scientific research
• statistical committees
• archaeological societies