Unknown letter of hieroschemamonk Antoniy (Bulatovich) to Emperor Nicholas II as a source for the history of the skete “Black Whirlpool” and the history of “disputes of name-glorifiers” in Athos
Abstract
This article studies for the fi rst time and makes public the letter of hieromonk Antoniy (A. K. Bulatovich, 1870?1919, former commander of a hussar squadron) addressed to Emperor Nicholas II. The text of the letter itself, preserved in the archive of the Serbian Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos, is also published as an appendix to the article. This document is a valuable source both for the history of the Athonite “Cossack” skete “Black Whirlpool”, and on the history of the “disputes of Name- Glorifiers” in Mount Athos, as well as for the biography of hieromonk Antoniy (Bulatovich). It fi lls a number of gaps in Bulatovich’s biography in 1912, particularly regarding his attempts after returning from Ethiopia to acquire the abandoned former “Cossack” skete “Black Whirlpool” to resettle his like-minded monks, former “retired military men” and “Name-Glorifi ers”. The article discusses information and legends about the bank deposit and subsidies given by Empress Elizaveta Petrovna in the 1740s to bank accounts of the “Black Whirlpool” skete; Antoniy (Bulatovich) was hoping to get hold of the considerable interest amassed on this account. Besides, the article discusses attempts by Bulatovich to create his own monastery in Ethiopia and reasons for the confl ict with the abbot of St. Andrew’s Skete, after which he became leader of a radical opposition party of “Name-Glorifi ers” on Mount Athos. Despite the fact that a rather great deal has been written about Antoniy Bulatovich, some aspects of his biography still remain insuffi ciently studied. A search and study of archival documents would help to reveal many unknown or embellished facts of both the biography of this person and the history of “Athos tumult” of the early 20th century.
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