By Sergiy Shumilo
A attribute function of imperial tradition is the absorption of the non secular, mental and inventive forces and heritage of conquered peoples. Ukraine is not any exception. Take away from the tradition of the Russian Empire this Ukrainian contribution, and it’ll stop to be as “majestic” and “worldly” as it’s often perceived.
Denationalization, the blurring of nationwide consciousness and identification, is a attribute phenomenon amongst conquered peoples inside the borders of any empire. The Russian Empire for hundreds of years adopted this path of basic unification, wherein there was no place for a separate Ukrainian nation and tradition. As an alternative, a “united Russian folks” was to emerge.
Whole generations of Ukrainians have been introduced up underneath the affect of such narratives. Within the situations of shedding their very own Ukrainian statehood, with out prospects for self-realization and profession progress within the colonized, divided and devastated by infinite wars homeland, many younger, educated and bold Ukrainians are compelled to hunt a greater future within the capital and within the house of the empire , wherein there was a requirement for educated personnel. Underneath such circumstances, they had been compelled to commit their energies and abilities to the event of the tradition of a international empire.
Within the Moscow kingdom within the sixteenth and the primary half of the seventeenth centuries, earlier than the Ukrainian artistic and mental injection, native tradition was a fairly unremarkable phenomenon. Nonetheless, from the second half of the seventeenth century, many educated Ukrainians contributed to the academic mission (the so-called “Kyiv-Mohyla growth”) in Muscovy. Underneath the affect of the folks of Kyiv-Mohyla and with their direct participation, schooling was launched in Muscovy, academic establishments had been created, new literary works had been written and a large-scale church reform was carried out. A lot of Ukrainian intellectuals contributed to the creation of the brand new imperial tradition, which, in line with their design, was to be considerably “Ukrainized”. Even within the Russian literary language from the top of the seventeenth – the start of the 18th century, sure influences of Ukrainianization started to be felt. The identical factor occurs in artwork. And church life for a very long time fell underneath the “Little Russian affect”, in opposition to which native Muscovites started to withstand.
Discovering self-realization within the boundless and semi-wild expanses of the northern empire, many Ukrainians sincerely believed that on this manner they glorified their very own “small homeland”. There are an entire galaxy of outstanding individuals who got here from Ukraine who’re thought-about “Russian”. This reveals the entire tragedy of a captive nation, whose proficient and shiny representatives had no prospects in their very own homeland, absorbed by the empire and artificially was a deaf province. They had been typically compelled to present their genius and abilities to the international nation and tradition, and fairly often they’d no different alternative. On the identical time, underneath the affect of imperial schooling, they typically misplaced their very own nationwide roots and identification.
This tragedy is most clearly manifested within the destiny and work of the Russian-speaking Ukrainian author Mykola Gogol (1809-1852). However many different outstanding figures of tradition, faith and science within the Russian Empire within the 18-19 centuries had been compelled to expertise this inside division and contradiction between their very own Ukrainian origin and the imperial unified schooling, which denied the very proper to be Ukrainian. Right here we are able to record many names – from outstanding church hierarchs, to philosophers, artists and scientists. Imperial propaganda labored exhausting to current them to the world as “Russians”, when in actuality they had been Ukrainians. Quite a few college students and lecturers of the Kiev-Mohyla Academy within the 18th century had a decisive affect on the event of schooling, literature and artwork within the empire.
The Ukrainian Grigoriy Skovoroda (1722-1794) influenced the formation of a philosophical faculty within the empire as such, and Paisiy Velichkovsky (1722-1794) influenced the revival and renewal of Orthodox monasticism. In the identical manner, Pamfil Yurkevich (1826-1874) from Poltava continued to put the foundations of Christian Platonism and Cordocentrism in philosophy. His scholar was the well-known Russian thinker Vladimir Solovyov (1853-1900), who in flip was the great-great-grandson of the Ukrainian touring thinker Grigory Skovoroda. Even the author Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) has Ukrainian roots, whose grandfather Andrei Dostoevsky was a Ukrainian priest from Volyn and signed in Ukrainian. The excellent composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840-1893), the painter Ilya Repin (1844-1930), the inventor of the helicopter Igor Sikorsky (1889-1972), the founding father of sensible cosmonautics Sergey Korolev (1906-1966), the singer and composer Alexander Vertinsky (1889- 1957), the poet Anna Akhmatova (her actual title is Gorenko, 1889-1966), the ballet grasp Serge Lifar (1905-1986) even have Ukrainian roots. The well-known pholosophers and theologians had been additionally natives of Ukraine: Fr. prot. George Florovski (1893-1979), Fr. protoprezv. Vasily Zenkovski (1881-1962), Nikolay Berdyaev (1874-1948) and plenty of others. and so forth.
Figuring out concerning the world fame and recognition, little consideration is paid to the nation of origin and roots of those outstanding personalities. Normally, biographers restrict themselves to a quick point out that they had been born within the Russian Empire or the USSR, with out specifying that this was truly Ukraine, which on the time was underneath Russian rule. On the identical time, within the life of each particular person, the surroundings wherein he was born and raised is essential within the formation of character, consciousness and attitudes. Undoubtedly, the psychological, cultural and non secular traits of the Ukrainian folks, their traditions and heritage have in a technique or one other left their affect on those that had been born or lived in Ukraine. This facet is essential to remember with regards to the phenomenon or genius of a sure character.
Right here, for instance, I want to point out the well-known “French” saint Maria (Skobtsova) of Paris (1891-1945) – Orthodox nun of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, poet, author, participant within the French Resistance, saved Jewish kids from the Holocaust and was executed by the Nazis within the fuel chamber of the Ravensbrück focus camp on March 31, 1945.
In 1985, the Yad Vashem memorial middle posthumously honored her with the title of “Righteous One of many World”, and in 2004, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople canonized her because the Venerable Martyr Mary of Paris. On the identical time, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger famous that the Roman Catholic Church may even honor Mom Mary because the holy martyr and patron saint of France. On March 31, 2016, the inauguration ceremony of Mom Maria Skobtsova Road was held in Paris, which is adjoining to Lourmel Road within the Fifteenth arrondissement, the place Mom Maria lived and labored. On the signal underneath the title of the brand new avenue is written in French: “Mom Maria Skobtsova Road: 1891-1945. Russian poetess and artist. Orthodox nun. A member of the Resistance. Killed at Ravensbrück.’
The French are pleased with this title. Nonetheless, few folks take note of the truth that mom Maria was Ukrainian by beginning. Everyone seems to be misled by her purely Russian surname Skobtsova. Nonetheless, it’s truly the final title of her second husband. She was married twice, in her first marriage she bore the surname Kuzmina-Karavaeva, and in her second marriage she married the outstanding determine of the Kuban Cossack motion Skobtsov, with whom she later separated and accepted monasticism.
As a woman, Maria bore the surname Pilenko and belonged to the well-known Ukrainian previous Cossack household of Pilenko, whose representatives are descendants of the Zaporozhian Cossacks. Her grandfather Dmytro Vasilievich Pilenko (1830-1895) was born in southern Ukraine, was the chief of employees of the Kuban Cossack military and the pinnacle of the Black Sea area. Her great-grandfather Vasily Vasilievich Pilenko was born in Poltava area (Poltava area), was an engineer on the Luhansk foundry and head of coal mining in Lisichansk, first found iron ore deposits in Kryvyi Rih, and later was head of salt mining in Crimea . Her great-great-grandfather, Vasil Pilenko, was a soldier and regimental standard-bearer of the Persozinkovo Hundred of the Hadiach Cossack Regiment, and later obtained the rank of second main, and in 1788 was appointed treasurer of the Zinkovo District within the Poltava Area. He died in 1794. Vasil Pilenko’s father additionally served within the Pervozinkovo Hundred of the Hadiach Regiment, and his grandfather, Mihailo Filipovich Pilenko, served in the identical regiment.
The “ancestral nest” of the Pilenko Cossacks is the city of Zenkov – the centenary middle of the Hadyach Cossack Regiment within the Poltava Area.
As might be seen, St. Mary of Paris is Ukrainian by beginning, though she was raised within the Russian custom. Skobtsova is her final title from her second marriage, which she later ended by accepting monasticism.
After the canonization of the martyr, she typically continued to be referred to as by the secular surname of her second husband – Skobtsova, if solely to emphasise her “Russian roots”. That is how, in line with a generally accepted inaccurate apply, she was even recorded within the calendar of church saints in Ukraine. Particularly, the annex to the choice No. 25 of the Synod of the OCU of July 14, 2023, § 7 states: “… so as to add to the church calendar prpmchtsa Maria (Skobtsova) Pariska (1945) – to ascertain March 31 as a day for commemoration in line with the New Julian calendar, on the day of her martyrdom”.
On the identical time, this widespread apply has lately raised sure doubts. Though after the divorce in civil paperwork in France, Maria didn’t change her surname (at the moment it was a fairly difficult bureaucratic process), it’s not fairly right to name her in a nunnery by the secular surname of her second husband. Additionally, saints aren’t often referred to as by a secular surname.
It will most likely be extra right to name her by her maiden title Pilenko or not less than the double surname Pilenko-Skobtsova, which might be extra dependable from a historic and biographical standpoint.
In any case, St. Mary of Paris is the successor of the fantastic Ukrainian Cossack elder. And that is price remembering each in Ukraine and in France.
On this instance we see how the unifying Russian imperial affect continues to subliminally persist in our time even in different nations. Till lately, few folks on the planet knew and paid consideration to Ukraine, its uniqueness, historical past and heritage. Ukrainians are perceived primarily underneath the affect of Russian imperial narratives as a part of the “Russian world”.
The struggle of Russia in opposition to Ukraine, the heroic and self-sacrificing resistance of Ukrainians in opposition to Russian aggression, the determined wrestle for their very own freedom, independence and identification made the world notice that folks know nearly nothing about Ukrainians, together with those that lived amongst them and have grow to be well-known in varied fields. These Ukrainians, even when they had been Russified and introduced up in a international custom, stay outstanding representatives of Ukraine. Now we have no proper to surrender them and their heritage. They’re additionally an decoration of Ukraine and its colourful and multifaceted tradition, equal to the nice cultures of different nations of the world. The filtering out of sure imperial influences of their heritage, which as soon as arose by way of the suitable upbringing within the absence of their very own statehood, ought to return these names to the Ukrainian treasury of world tradition.
Photograph: Mati Maria (Pilenko-Skobtsova).
Observe concerning the article: Shumilo, S. “Forgotten Ukrainian roots of the well-known “French” saint for instance of imperial unification and denationalization” (Шумило, С. „Забытые украинские корни известной „французской“ святой как пример имперской унификации и денационализации“ (Религиозно-информационная служба Украины)– on the web page risu.ua (Non secular Data Service of Ukraine).
Observe about the writer: Sergey Shumilo, Candidate of Historic Sciences, Physician of Theology, Director of the Worldwide Institute of Athos Heritage, Analysis Fellow on the College of Exeter (UK), Honored Employee of Tradition of Ukraine.