Lutsk Fire in 1617: An Attempt to Reconstruct the Event and its Role in the Development of Religious Relations in the City (1620s — 1630s)

Abstract

The article deals with the fire in Lutsk, which occurred on the night of March 21–22, 1617. The author established the time and probable cause of the fire, determined the scale of the natural disaster and outlined the limits of its spread. It is noted that part of the city blocks and streets above the Styr River were destroyed or seriously damaged by the fire, along with the Market Square, two Union churches, the «Russian» hospital, the Armenian Church and the Catholic Church. It is assumed that the fire was stopped by the walls of the Okolny Castle, which, together with the Upper Castle, was not significantly affected by the fire.It was established that the residents of Lutsk, in the conditions of the spread of the fire, made efforts to save private and church property. In particular, their efforts saved the bells, icons, church utensils and other property of the Intercession and St. Nicholas Churches. At the same time, the documents attest to the facts of looting committed by army squires and individual residents of Lutsk on the Market Square and in other areas of the city in the conditions of chaos caused by the fire.It was noted that the fire caused great damage to the city economy; to overcome the consequences of the natural disaster, King Sigismund III granted a number of economic benefits. The author of the article also claims that the fire in 1617 disorganized the weakened Union Church, which had limited influence on the city residents (both burghers and nobility) and was unable to quickly restore the destroyed infrastructure under its jurisdiction. This situation created the prerequisites for the gradual transfer of land plots with objects destroyed by the fire to the hands of Orthodox and Roman Catholics. As a result, the Church of the Ascension of the Cross was built on the site of the burnt hospital, where the Orthodox brotherhood was organized, the influence of which spread far beyond the borders of Lutsk. The area where the St. Nicholas Church, destroyed by the fire, stood over time became the property of the Roman Catholics, who built a monastery on the site of the Union Church of Fatebenefratelli, which became widely known for its charity