Union of Uzhhorod
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (June 2011) |
Union of Uzhhorod | |
---|---|
Discovered | 2016[1] Drugeth of Humenné Collection State Archive of Prešov, Slovakia[1] |
Discovered by | Juraj Gradoš[1] |
Culture | Ruthenian[1] |
The Union of Uzhhorod (
The terms outlined within the document are similar those of the 1596
The document
The document discovered in 2016 is only a single sheet of paper, front and back. The front of the page consists of a half-page of Latin text, detailing the terms of Union, and a half-page of signatures from various priests; the back of the page solely includes further signatures.[1]
— Union of Uzhhorod, 1646[1]
As of 2016, it was unknown whether the document of the Union found was the only copy, or if there were originally multiple.[1]
As of 2016, the document was located in the Drugeth of Humenné Collection in the state archive in Prešov. Originally, the document was part of the Drugeth family private archives located in Humenné, Slovakia. Somewhat miraculously, the document survived multiple relocations during the World Wars and a fire in 1947 before being transferred to state institutions, under which it was moved to Levoča in 1952, and finally Prešov in 1957.[1]
Background
The Union of Uzhhorod was not the first union between the
On the Hungarian side of the Carpathian Mountains, as on the Polish side, the Orthodox Church had been the only church for the more than 600 years since Eastern Christians Slavs had first arrived in the Carpathians.[citation needed] However, under the governance of the Kingdom of Hungary (and later the Habsburg monarchy), Orthodox clergy saw their status slowly erode. In the 16th century, when Hungary implemented proprietary serfdom, Orthodox clergy were enserfed along with peasants, while Catholic clergy were exempt.[4] Even the Bishop of Mukachevo was at the mercy of the Hungarian lords. As Orthodox clergy, their status became that of vassals with requisite feudal duties.[5] To improve their conditions, some Orthodox priests wished to form a new church under the Catholic church. Simultaneously, "Roman Catholic magnates lead by the Drugeth family" sought to expand the reach of the Roman Catholic Church. These forces culminated in several attempts to implement church union.[4]
First, in 1614, 50 priests convened at the
History
On April 24, 1646, the 63 priests from Drugeth-owned estates convened at
Initially, the Union only included lands owned or administered by the noble Drugeth family; essentially, most of the modern-day
Sometime after its creation at least one copy of the Union entered the Drugeth family private archives located in Humenné, Slovakia, where it was ultimately forgotten. Until it was rediscovered in 2016, academics had debated the actual date of union, whether a document had been signed, and even whether the Union of Uzhhorod had even transpired at all.[1]
While the Union was later approved in 1648 by the Synod in Tyrnov, the Vatican did not ratify these conditions at that time because Parfenii Petrovich was an Orthodox bishop. Only in 1655, when Rome made Parfenii its Bishop of Munkács (Mukachevo) did the Union extend to the East.
The new church was given greater material assistance from the Habsburg monarchy while still being allowed to preserve their Eastern Rite traditions, including married priests. Furthermore, the new "
In 1949, Soviet authorities "revoked" the Union, creating the Orthodox Eparchy of Mukachiv-Uzhhorod, under the Patriarch of Moscow. But in the late 1980s the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church was finally re-established in Transcarpathia, following the easing of Soviet religious persecution.
Rediscovery
An original copy of the Union was discovered in May 2016, a half page in length followed by a page and a half of signatures of the local priests seeking full communion with the local Catholic Church.
See also
- Union of Brest
- Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church
- Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
- History of Christianity in Ukraine
- Eastern Orthodox – Roman Catholic theological differences
- Eastern Orthodox – Roman Catholic ecclesiastical differences
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p
Grados, Juraj (2016). "Užhorodská únia z 24. apríla 1646 vo svetle jej dokumentu" [The 24 April, 1646 Union of Uzhhorod in Light of its Document] (PDF). Theologos (in Slovak) (2). Presov: University of Presov: 229–241. ISSN 1335-5570. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ a b c
Rábara, Pavol (2016-05-10). "Objavil 370-ročnú listinu: Je to "krstný list" gréckokatolíkov" [He discovered a 370-year document: It's the 'baptismal certificate' of Greek Catholics]. Medium (in Slovak). Translated by Silvestri, Maria. Archived from the original on 2022-03-16. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
Rábara, Pavol (2016-05-10). "Objavil 370-ročnú listinu: Je to "krstný list" gréckokatolíkov". Denník Postoj (in Slovak). Archived from the original on 2021-06-15. Retrieved 16 March 2022. - ^
Litwin, Henryk (1987). "Catholicization among the Ruthenian Nobility and Assimilation Processes' in the Ukraine during the Years 1569-1648" (PDF). Acta Poloniae Historica. 55: 57–83. ISSN 0001-6829.
- ^ a b c d e f
ISBN 9786155053467. Archivedfrom the original on 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
- ^ a b c d e
Grados, Juraj (2016). Magocsi, Paul R.; Galadza, Paul (eds.). "The Discovery of the Initiating Document of the Union of Uzhhorod (1646)" (PDF). Logos: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies. 57. Translated by Klaasen, Michael. Ottawa: Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies: 289–295. ISSN 0024-5895. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ Benedek, Andras (2001). Gens fidelissima: The Rusyns. p. 41.
- ^ Udvari, Istvan. The Rusyns - An East Slavic People. Budapest.
- ^ "He discovered a 370-year document: It's the "baptismal certificate" of Greek Catholics". Medium.com. 11 May 2016.
Sources
- Litwin, Henryk (1987). "Catholicization among the Ruthenian Nobility and Assimilation Processes' in the Ukraine during the Years 1569-1648" (PDF). Acta Poloniae Historica. 55: 57–83. ISSN 0001-6829.
- Magocsi, Paul Robert and Ivan Pop (2005). Encyclopedia of Rusyn History and Culture. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-3566-3.
- Warzeski, Walter C. (1971). Byzantine Rite Rusins in Carpatho-Ruthenia and America. Pittsburgh: Byzantine Seminary Press. ISBN none.
- Ludvik Nemec, The Ruthenian Uniate Church in Its Historical Perspective, Church History, Vol. 37, No. 4. (Dec., 1968), pp. 365–388. JStor.org
- Tóth, István György (2002). "Počiatky rekatolizácie na východnom Slovensku (The Beginning of re-Catholicization in Eastern Slovakia)". Historický časopis. 50 (4): 587–606.
- Véghseő, Tamás (2015). "Reflections on the Background to the Union of Uzhhorod / Ungvár (1646)" (PDF). Eastern Theological Journal. 1 (1): 147–181.
External links
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Ruthenians". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.