THE FRANCISCAN MISSION IN HALYC IN THE 13TH CENTURY: HISTORY AND LEGEND

Abstract

The article examines the issue of the possibility of establishing a Franciscan mission in Halych, one of the capital centers of the state of the Romanovychi dynasty in the 13th century. The outlined issues are somewhat indirectly presented in the historiography, as well as little reflected in contemporary sources. At the same time, the Minorite historical tradition, based on an uncritical reading of the sources, dates the appearance of the Friars Minor in Halych to 1238, linking the foundation of the convent with the person of the Kraków prince Bolesław the Shy. Many other Franciscan legends about the arrival of the Minorites in Rus' in general and Lviv in particular also define the 13th century as the time of the beginning of missionary work here. While analyzing the political and religious circumstances during the 13th century, it should be noted that despite the activity and stability of the contacts of various ruling princely and royal dynasties in Halych with the Roman Curia, there is still no direct confirmation of the functioning of the Franciscan mission here. At the same time, the socio-economic, cultural, and political-religious ties of medieval Halych with the countries of Latin Europe are well represented, both in written and archaeological sources. Therefore, it is pretty likely that in the capital center of the Galician land, there were separate missionary centers for followers of the Latin rite. Mainly among them, merchants, groups of burghers (perhaps the German community), and mercenary knighthood, who needed the spiritual protection of the Catholic Church, should be singled out. It is possible that in the 13th century, along with other missionary clergy, the Franciscans were also involved in this process.