Hierarchs of the Uniate Church in the Polish-Lithuanian
Commonwealth: the State of Research and Research Proposals Cover Image

Hierarchowie Cerkwi unickiej w Rzeczypospolitej Obojga Narodów – stan badań i postulaty badawcze
Hierarchs of the Uniate Church in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: the State of Research and Research Proposals

Author(s): Dorota WEREDA
Subject(s): History
Published by: Instytut Badań nad Dziedzictwem Kulturowym Europy
Summary/Abstract: The Uniate Church is an important part of the cultural heritage of multiculturalCommonwealth. Its history is intertwined with the social, political andreligious history of Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, and Lithuania. Bishops playedthe key role in the functioning of the Uniate Church. Knowledge on this socialgroup, which significantly affected the attitudes of nearly four-million communityliving in the eastern regions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth,may contribute to a better understanding of historical processes occurring inCentral and Eastern European countries, as well as fuller and more accurateunderstanding of the “cross-cultural situation” in the region from historical andcontemporary perspectives. On account of their rights, bishops had especiallyresponsible tasks, and in their activity they had some prerogatives that enabledthem to considerably influence the transformations of Old Polish society bydetermining the course of social and cultural development.Because of the lack of a single center of activity of the Uniate Archdioceseof Kiev in the 17th and 18th centuries and the historical turmoil in the 19thand 20th centuries, archival records are very dispersed among libraries andarchives in towns such as Vilnius, Lviv, Kiev, Kharkiv, Petersburg, or Vienna.Communication with the Apostolic See produced a body of documentationkept in Vatican archives.Despite many works by Polish and Ukrainian scholars, further investigationof archive, library and museum materials in Poland and abroad is needed,involving source material that is poorly known so far. The study of hierarchs’written works and the texts that testify to their pastoral, social and culturalactivity may have interesting results.Collecting and analyzing iconographic materials, e.g., bishops’ portraits,could also be valuable for the study of many cultural aspects.

  • Page Range: 373-388
  • Page Count: 15
  • Publication Year: 2017
  • Language: Polish