Наукові праці Національної бібліотеки України імені В.І. Вернадського (Jan 2023)
Library of Samuel (Myslavsky): Characteristics of its Composition and Content
Abstract
The purpose of the article is to examine and analyze the collection of Ukrainian religious leader, preacher, and scholar of the history of Kyiv, rector of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy under Hetman Kyrylo Rozumovsky, and Metropolitan of Kyiv and Galicia from 1783 to 1796, Samuel Myslavskyi. First and foremost, the article aims to compare the currently available books with that were transmitted after the metropolitan’s death in 1796, to investigate their origin, and reveal the thematic interests of the owner, which serve as an additional source of knowledge about the metropolitan’s activities. The research methodology is based on the application of general scientific methods of induction and deduction. By examining individual books from Myslavskyi’ library, generalizations are made about the owner’s interests. Conversely, known information about the activities of the metropolitan is used to verify these statements with individual documents. The scientific novelty of this study is that, for the first time, an analysis of the collection of books and manuscripts that were transferred to the Sofia Cathedral Library, along with attached documents, has been conducted, and research on the metropolitan’s activities in the context of the available copies has been carried out. During the research, it was discovered that the metropolitan had an interest in historical books and documents about the incorporation of Ukraine into the Russian state, the first his torical works printed in the Russian Empire, such as the Royal Chronicle, books about the reign of Peter I by various authors, and about the reforms of Catherine II, among others. Part of the library also reflects an interest in Protestant and Catholic authors, but this selection can be attributed to Bishop Athanasius (Volkhovsky), the metropolitan’s predecessor at the Rostov Cathedral. The conclusions are that the metropolitan’s library has survived almost intact to this day, consisting of copies of ancient acts, rare books that represent the formation of imperial historical studies in Russia, and a non-Orthodox vision of Christianity.
