The Religious Faiths of Ruthenians and Old Lithuanians in the 17th Century According to the Records of the Catholic Church Visitations of the Vilnius Diocese

Abstract

In the 17th century, the Vilnius Diocese of the Catholic Church was the largest in Europe by territory, and one of the most multicultural. It covered the eastern and central parts of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania where Catholics, Orthodox believers, Uniates, Lutherans, Calvinists, Jews, Muslims, etc. lived next to one another. The delegates sent by the Catholic Church paid attention to two particular groups of common people living in this area, calling them Ruthenians and Old Lithuanian (Stara Litwa) believers. The aim of this article is to describe the faith of these two groups. This analysis, based on previously untouched material, shows that the Ruthenians were Slavic inhabitants whose religion was a mixture of Catholic and Orthodox traditions and rituals. Old Lithuanian believers were Pagans of Baltic origin that still lived in this area of cultural crossroads in the 17th century.