Jonas, Archbishop of Novgorod, and the Question of the Canonical Subordination of the Novgorod Diocese (To the History of the Struggle of the Moscow and Lithuanian Parties in Novgorod)

Abstract

The present work aims to demonstrate that St. Jonas, Archbishop of Novgorod (1458–1470)—the last independent Archbishop of Veliky Novgorod—was a supporter of the Lithuanian party, and not at all an adherent of Moscow, as hagiographic tradition claims and is commonly thought. In particular, he wanted his successor to be consecrated not in Moscow, but in Kiev (i.e., in Lithuanian Rus’). In this connection, In this connection we consider the question: whether Jonas promised not to recognize Gregory the Bulgarian, who was appointed in Rome to the metropolitan see of Kiev.