Kyiv

KYIV. - Capital city of Ukraine, metropolis of the Byzantine rite and bishopric of the Latin rite.

I. THE METROPOLITANATE OF THE BYZANTINE RITE

After the baptism of St. Vladimir in 988, there were probably some Byzantine itinerant bishops active in Russia. At the latest by 1016 a bishop was established at K. The first metropolitan τῆς Ῥωσίας is indicated by the name Theopemptos: Russian sources speak, in this regard, of 1039, Byzantine ones of 1040.

Vladimir's successor, Yaroslav the Wise, made the attempt to create a local metropolitanate. For this reason he had the "Russian" Hilarion elected metropolitan in 1050 by the bishops of his empire. This, however, remained an isolated case. His successors were again Greeks. The Byzantine schism (1054) remained for a long time without repercussions in Russia. The metropolitan Nicephorus (1104-21) was the first to show a hostile attitude toward the Church of Rome. From 1147 to 1154 it was again a Russian who held the office of metropolitan of K.: the monk Clement of Smolensk. He was preferred in the choice to the Greek metropolitan Michael (1130-45). His successor Constantine (1156-1158) also seems to have been a Russian. Like Nicephorus, these two metropolitans too were, for their times, men of culture. In the 13th century the metropolitan Cyril I (1224-33) was consecrated at Nicaea by the patriarch Germanus II. The conquest of Constantinople by the Venetians therefore did not alter the dependence of the Russian metropolitanate on the Byzantine patriarchs. The metropolitan Cyril II (1249-81) worked actively for the reform of his Church, which after the Tatar invasion (1238-41) and the consequent annexation of the principal Russian [lands] into the great Tatar empire had notably declined. In 1299 the metropolitan Maximus (1283-1305) transferred the seat of the metropolitanate from K., totally destroyed, to the region of the upper Volga at Vladimir, on the Klyazma. Maximus's successor, Peter (1308-26), transferred it, without consulting the patriarch of Byzantium, to Moscow, thereby rendering a great service to the tiny principality of the same name, then in a powerful recovery: in 1339 he was canonized by the patriarch John XIV Aprenos.

In 1354 the patriarch Callistus recognized the transfer to Moscow of the seat of the metropolitanate: from then on it took the title of metropolitanate "of K. and of all Russia."

The first metropolitan who bore this title was Alexius (1354-78), whose work was entirely in the service of the principality of Moscow. He is, after Peter, the second patron of the city. Toward the end of the century the princes of Moscow acquired great influence in the choice of the metropolitan. The metropolitan Cyprian, of Bulgarian origin, was the first able to consolidate his position. Under him Byzantine influence also strengthened again. Through the separation from the metropolitanate of a Lithuanian branch and another Galician one, the patriarchs of Constantinople obtained the weakening of the unifying spirit of the members of the metropolitanate. For a certain time the archbishopric of Novgorod even attempted to acquire a certain autocephaly.

At the beginning of the 15th century there was in the patriarchate of K. and of all Russia a strong resonance of the spiritual struggle conducted by the Byzantine Church. The new metropolitan Photius (1408-31) was completely under the influence of the anti-Latin Byzantine circles, which, in contrast with the emperor and the patriarch, were opposed to unification with the Church of Rome. Since the political situation in Moscow likewise did not urge unification with Rome, the efforts for union of the metropolitan Isidore, imposed on the Russians by Byzantium, found no understanding among the princes of Moscow and the bishops. They therefore did not recognize the union of Florence.

In 1448 they therefore chose, against the metropolitan Isidore and independently of the Byzantine patriarch, their own autocephalous metropolitan of Moscow by the name of Jonah (1488-94). From then on the metropolitanate of Moscow begins. The new metropolitan immediately upheld the claim to ecclesiastical supremacy over the ancient territory of K. but did not succeed in maintaining it.

In 1458 the patriarch of Byzantium Gregory Mammas consecrated as Isidore's successor, as metropolitan of K., Gregory, appointed by the Pope, who however tried in vain to extend his influence toward the East beyond the grand duchy of Lithuania. Thus the metropolitanate of K. persisted alongside that of Moscow. The former differed from the latter above all in that it upheld dependence on Byzantium. Until the early years of the 16th century relations with the Church of Rome were weak and often interrupted. In the 16th century the metropolitanate declined.

The holders of the episcopal see were quite often laymen; neither the metropolitan nor the bishops could offer effective resistance to the invading Protestantism.

All this, besides other causes, led, toward the end of the century, the hierarchy of the metropolitanate to unite with the Church of Rome. The union was concluded at Brest-Litovsk in 1596. Thus there came about the "Ruthenian Uniate Church" in what were then called the "Ruthenian lands." In 1620, however, despite all the Polish legal prescriptions, a new metropolitanate of K. separate from Rome arose, for those who were opponents of the union. At first the bishops of this separate church remained very pro-Muscovite; nevertheless, after the recognition obtained from the Polish Parliament in 1632, they concluded a reconciliation with the Polish State. The most important schismatic metropolitan of this era was Peter Mogila. He founded at K. a school of the Western type, which later became the academy of K. Famous teachers taught in this school.

In the war between Ukrainians and Poles the metropolitans sided rather with the Ukrainians; they were always suspected of maintaining their submission to Byzantium.

Although the city of K. passed under the principality of Moscow in 1668, the metropolitans remained in Poland. When these then began negotiations for union with Rome, the schismatic bishop of Lutsk went to K., where he was named metropolitan, while the schismatic titular, Joseph Szumlański, accepted unification in 1701. Thus there died out in Poland that schismatic metropolitanate. The metropolitanate of K. of the Ukraine subject to Moscow had already come to an end in 1685 as an autonomous ecclesiastical administration, since it had been simply annexed to the patriarchate of Moscow. Thus there remained only the metropolitanate of K. united with the Church of Rome, which died out in 1805 upon the death of the metropolitan Rostocki.

II. THE BISHOPRIC OF THE LATIN RITE

Already in the time of Princess Olga a Latin bishop lived at K. for two years. Perhaps a Latin bishop was also at K. for a certain time under Prince Yaroslav before the battle of Llatwin.

In the 13th century a Latin bishop was consecrated for K. Toward the end of the 14th century the Pope wished to know anew whether a Latin bishopric should be established at K. The bishops appointed afterward did not reside in the city. Before one of them Giuseppe Szumlański made his profession of faith in Warsaw in 1701. - See plate XLIV.

Alberto M. Ammann