Patron and Educator in Southern Ukraine, Late 18th – Early 19th Century.

Abstract

Purpose of the study. To summarize the available information about Yevdokym Hranobarskyi — a prominent yet little-known figure in the socio-cultural history of Southern Ukraine in the late 18th and early 19th centuries — and to present his role against the backdrop of the era, with a particular focus on education and patronage.

Methodology. The study is based on the principles of historicism, systematicity, and objectivity. It employs methods of analysis, synthesis, and archival heuristics.

Scientific novelty. The ideological foundations, content, and significance of the patronage initiatives undertaken by this local nobleman, who played a lasting role in the development of educational infrastructure in the Orikhiv and Melitopol counties of the Tavria province and the Oleksandrivskyi county of the Katerynoslav governorate, have been established. His biography has been reconstructed in the context of broader socio-political processes in Southern Ukraine. Previously unknown archival sources have been brought into scholarly circulation.

Conclusions. Yevdokym Hranobarskyi can be regarded as a representative of the intersection between imperial administrative policy and local initiative. His social motivation combined a personal commitment to supporting those in pursuit of knowledge with the educational ideals inherent in the paternalistic policies of the Russian Empire. The awarding of a diamond ring to Hranobarskyi by the emperor in 1812 carried symbolic weight and reflected the state’s legitimization of local forms of patronage. The activities of figures such as Hranobarskyi contributed to the tangible development of educational institutions and to the gradual emergence of a social stratum capable of modernizing this peripheral imperial territory. His legacy exemplifies a form of enlightened local patriotism that invites new interpretations of colonization, cultural integration, and enlightenment within the imperial context, while also offering insights into the early stages of the formation of the modern Ukrainian nation in Southern Ukraine at the beginning of the 19th century.