«Mykola Kostomarov’s pilgrimage to the Pochayiv Lavra». Correspondence and memoirs

Abstract

Objective: based on correspondence and memoirs, to explore the work of a professional historian who uses the region of his temporary habitation, in order to collect materials for his own research interests.

The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism, objectivity, systematization, religious impartiality, and worldview pluralism. This made it possible to consider the processes that took place in the Pochaiv Monastery and were caused by state-political and religious-confessional changes, which were reflected in the historical progress of this Volyn monastery.

Scientific novelty. The stay of a scientist and a Christian  in  the  largest  monastery of the region, which attracted a researcher as a historical object and a pilgrim, as a Christian monastery, was analyzed. The past is presented universally: a) in the context of the profession of a scientist who visits historical sites, studies  various sources, collects oral evidence, folklore materials; b) from point of view of a pilgrim traveler who honors monastic shrines, observes  the  peculiarities  of monastic life, the psychology of the inhabitants of the monastery, notes  the  presence of other Christian objects in the orbit of monastic activity.

The urgency stems from the tasks of comprehensive study of the past of Ukrainian monasteries - centers of spirituality, education, culture and art. The urgency is also conditioned due to the contribution of Pochaiv monastery in the process of creating national cultural heritage. The  state  of  the  research  of  the problems of the Pochayiv Monastery requires in-depth  study  of  issues  related to various aspects of the functioning of the largest Christian monastery in Volyn.

Conclusions. Mykola Kostomarov memoirs and correspondence about his stay in the Pochaiv Monastery,which reflect the life of the monastery after Volhynia became part of Russia,allow us to understand the confessional atmosphere in the newly annexed territories. They are a kind  of  source  that will  help  novice  scholars  to  understand  the diversity of the historian s work, which  is  based  on  the  documentary  diversity of the era they are studying. Continuation  of  the search  for  and  elaboration of new materials related to the biography of Mykola Kostomarov will further reveal the scientific potential of this person, will  complement  the  knowledge about his achievements in the field of historiography.