Наукові дослідження Миколи Битинського в Канаді

Abstract

The character of Mykola Bytynsky and his activities have not yet been sufficiently studied and analyzed, although they undoubtedly deserve it. Mykola Bytynsky is an expert in the field of heraldry and the author of a number of articles and surveys devoted to the problems of city and land heraldry in the historical and ethnographic regions of Ukraine. Due to the fact that the works of M. Bytynsky are scattered in various journals of public and religious associations of the Ukrainian community abroad, his scientific heritage has not become the object of special research. The article examines and analyzes the activities of M. Bytynsky in the field of Ukrainian heraldry and vexillology in Canada. M. Bytynsky was one of the organizers of the Ukrainian Genealogical and Heraldic Society, which contributed to the popularization of heraldry among the Ukrainian community in emigration. In his scientific activity, M. Bytynsky, first of all, devoted himself to the study of the city and territorial coats of arms of Ukraine, as evidenced by the huge number of publications during the years 1953-1972. M. Bytynsky was also engaged in the study of Ukrainian heraldic terminology, in particular the divisions of the shield, the peculiarities of the use of helmets, mottos, mantles, tents and crowns. Along with explanations, he gave examples of blazoning (description) of coats of arms. Due to the ideological commitment and political motivation of the city heraldry of the time in the Ukrainian SSR, the majority of city coats of arms were created in gross violation of the basic prescriptions of theoretical heraldry. M. Bytynsky, who was a leading specialist and practical specialist in the production of coats of arms, developed a number of recommendations that have not lost their relevance to this day and are an important evidence of the strength of the coat-of-arms tradition of Ukraine. For the first time, M. Bytynsky drew attention to the problems that objectively arose during the study of Ukrainian city symbols. The elaborated epistolary of M. Bytynsky also made it possible to analyze the creative ideas and directions of the researcher’s scientific activity, as well as the socio-cultural factors that had an impact on his life and activity. First of all, attention is drawn to the correspondence of M. Bytynsky with the famous heraldist R. Klymkevich, in which the researchers discussed a number of topical problems of Ukrainian city and land heraldry. Let’s note that the letters are carriers of versatile and unique information, which contributes to the understanding of a wide range of topical issues. Due to the lack of many sources, the letters will contribute to filling in the white spots in the study of scientific activity. In view of this, they are important sources for the reconstruction of the scientific activity of researchers of auxiliary historical disciplines.