УКРАЇНСЬКІ ЦЕРКОВНІ ПОСОЛЬСТВА ДО РОСІЙСЬКОЇ ДЕРЖАВИ В ДРУГІЙ ПОЛОВИНІ XVII – НА ПОЧАТКУ XVIII СТОЛІТЬ

Abstract

The article analyses the activity of Ukrainian church embassies in the Russian state in the second half of the XVII – early XVIII century, based on the materials of two leading Kyiv cells – the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and the Mohyla Academy at the Kyiv Brotherhood Monastery, which had special privileges. The main goal for the Kyiv-Pechersk monasteryʼs leadership was to preserve the title of the laurel and the right stauropigy, as well as the canonical submission to the Patriarch of Constantinople at that time. The priority of Kyiv Mohyla Academy was a confirmation its status as a higher educational institute and its material support by the Russian government. To defend these rights in conditions of Russian centralism was the main task of special monastic commissioners, who performed the duties of church advocates, defenders of their monasteries. The article concludes that due to the high level of education, organizational skills and diplomatic trust of Ukrainian church messengers, they managed to achieve significant success in defending the main interests of Kyiv cells – the special status for Pechersk Monastery and the right of a higher educational institute for the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. The mission of Ukrainian ambassadors of the 60-ies of the XVII century had an important church-political significance. They had forced the leaders of Russian state to realize the rejection of Ukrainian clergy of the Moscow protectorate and detained the subordination of the Kyiv Metropolitanate for twenty years.