Interpretation, topography and chronology of the greco-catholic medals of the XVII–XVIII centuries (according to archaeological research and analysis of private collections)

Abstract

The article provides an analysis and interpretation of 55 Greek Catholic medals of the 17th – 18th centuries. The search for information about Greek Catholic medals was carried out through the study of scientific literature, search in catalogs of private collections, monitoring of specialized sites dedicated to the subjects of Christian worship and Internet forums of “black” diggers, as well as Internet auctions. During archaeological research, only 4 Greek Catholic medals were identified (Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, Italy). The overwhelming majority of the medals under consideration (51 copies) were discovered during the illegal work of “black archaeologists” in Belarus, Ukraine, Poland and Spain. On the front side, the Greek Catholic medals contain images of the Mother of God Zhirovitskaya, Mother of God of Pochaev, Mother of God of Kholmskaya and Mother of God of Borunskaya. On the reverse side there are images of St. Andrew (apostle), St. Basil the Great, St. Joseph with the Christ Child, St. Josaphat Kuntsevich, St. Anufriy the Great. Most of the medals are labeled in Latin. The inscriptions on the medals with the image of Our Lady of Zhirovitskaya (subtype 3 (no. 5–26)) are made from a set of letters of the Greek, Latin and Church Slavonic alphabets.