НАСЕЛЬНИКИ КАНІВСЬКОЇ АРХИМАНДРІЇ (1776–1782 РР.): РЕКОНСТРУКЦІЯ БІОГРАМ

The purpose of the study is to trace the life path of the monks of the Kaniv Archimandrite. Research methodology. To verify the biographical material, personal information was compared with similar statistical and reference documents of church origin. The scientific novelty is that the biographies of the Basilian monks of the Kaniv Archimandery were reconstructed on the basis of the collected material. Conclusions. On the basis of the collected and analyzed biographical material about the monks of the Kaniv Archimandrite, it was found that the number of monks of the Kaniv Archimandrite ranged from 7 to 5 monks. In total, 13 monks (11 hieromonks and 2 professional brothers) associated their spiritual ministry with the monastery between 1776 and 1782. By territorial origin, natives of the Volyn and Ruthenian provinces of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth predominated. In terms of age, most future monks chose ascetic ministry between the ages of 21 and 30. At the time of their arrival in Kaniv, most of them had already gained more than ten years of experience in spiritual service in various monasteries of the Basilian Order. Accordingly, the numerical predominance in the monastic community was made up of monks who had reached 30-40 years of earthly life. The community’s personnel was renewed mainly in two years by 25%. A small part (40%) of the future ascetics received a secular education (poetry, rhetoric, philosophy) before entering the monastery. Admission to the Basilian Order facilitated their spiritual education (novitiate school, studies in rhetoric, philosophy, and theology). Being a member of the Basilian Order imposed a number of administrative, economic, ecclesiastical, and educational duties on the archimandrite’s residents. We consider the discovery and processing of personal documentation (diaries, reports, sermon texts), which would significantly supplement the biographical information about the monks of the Kaniv Archimandrite, to be a promising area for further research.