SACRUM AND PROFANUM IN RELIGIOUS LIFE OF PEASANTS IN WESTERN UKRAINE (1918 – 1939)

Authors

  • Volodymyr MISKO Associate Professor of the Department of History of Ukraine, Archeology and Special Branches of Historical Sciences of Volodymyr Hnatyuk Ternopil National Pedagogical University, Ukraine
  • Andriy KYDANYUK Associate Professor of the Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences of Volodymyr Hnatyuk Ternopil National Pedagogical University, Ukraine

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24919/2519-058x.11.170707

Keywords:

Western Ukraine, peasants, sacrum, profanum, religious life, interwar period

Abstract

The purpose of the article to analyze the religious life of the peasants of Western Ukraine during 1918 1939 and to outline the peculiarities of the ideological landmarks in the spiritual sphere. The methodology of the research is based on the principles of historicism, systemicity, scientism, verification, the author’s objectivity, a moderate narrative constructivism, as well as the use of the general scientific (analysis, synthesis, generalization) and special-historical (historical-genetic, historical-typological, historical-systemic, historical and chronological) methods. The scientific novelty of the work is that for the first time in Ukrainian historiography, based on the analysis of the previously unknown archival documents and materials, the correlation between sacrum and profanum in the religious life of the peasants of Western Ukraine during 1918 – 1939 has been investigated. Conclusions. The religious life of the peasants of Western Ukraine during the above-mentioned period was determined by a number of factors. Firstly, the declared problem coincides with the time of the formation and establishment of the Polish statehood, which in turn predetermined the strict regulation of the spiritual sphere by the authorities. Secondly, the Polish authorities and the local Roman Catholic clergy, officially declaring t hefreedom of religion, in practice succeeded in the administrative pressure, manipulating and aggravating the interfaith relations. Under such conditions, the rural population, who formed the Orthodox and the Greek Catholic communities, became hostages in the struggle to preserve the traditional religious rituals and the national identity. The consequence of this was shifting the emphasis from the primary (sacred) cultivation of the Christian beliefs towards the profane. In particular, important were the external features of the churches, a religious self-determination, the administration of a religious life, and the involvement of the parish community into the political processes. The rural population was not particularly concerned with the essence of the Christian doctrine, being limited to the external attributes: the regular visits to the church, a jealous (demonstrative) observance of the traditional religious rites, the worship, the celebration of Christian holidays, a regular payment of donations. Actually an important duty of the peasants was the strict observance of the established, traditional religious ritual. The understanding of the Christian doctrine and the communication with the God were a pastoral matter. It is worth noting that the clergy did not attempt to overcome this prevailing stereotype, and the parishioners were often viewed as a source of the clergy’s wealth by means of conducting the sacred services.

References

Aloshyna, O. A. (2008). Rol A. Richynskoho u pidhotovtsi ta provedenni Lutskoho tserkovnoho z’izdu [The role of A. Rychinsky in the preparation and conduct of the Lutsk Church Congress]. Zbirnyk navchalno-metodychnykh materialiv i naukovykh statei istorychnoho fakultetu, Lutsk: Volynskyi natsionalnyi universytet imeni Lesi Ukrainky, 14, 129–133. [in Ukrainian].

Baran, O. Ya. (2009). Materialne stanovyshche halytskoho silskoho dukhovenstva (kinets XIX – 30-ti rr. XX st.) [The financial situation of the Galician rural clergy (the end of the 19th and 30s years of the 20th century)]. Visnyk Prykarpatskoho natsionalnoho universytetu imeni Vasylia Stefanyka, Seriia: Istoriia, XV, 14–21 [in Ukrainian].

Borodynska, L. (2009). Yevanhelski khrystyiany u derzhavno-tserkovnykh vidnosynakh Polshchi (1918 – 1939 rr.) [Evangelical Christians in the state-church relations of Poland (1918 – 1939)]. Naukovi pratsi istorychnoho fakultetu Zaporizkoho natsionalnoho universytetu, Zaporizhzhia: ZNU, XXVII, 143–147. [in Ukrainian].

Borodynska, L. (2010) Kulturnytska diialnist yevanhelskykh khrystyian u Polshchi (1918 – 1939 rr.) [Cultural Activity of Evangelical Christians in Poland (1918 – 1939)]. Aktualni problemy vitchyznianoi ta vsesvitnoi istorii. Naukovi zapysky Rivnenskoho derzhavnoho humanitarnoho universytetu, Rivne: Rivnenskyi derzhavnyi humanitarnyi universytet, Vyp. 17, 117–120. [in Ukrainian].

Borodynska, L. I. (2009). Vykonannia hromadianskykh obov’iazkiv yevanhelskymy khrystyianamy Polshchi (1918–1939 rr.) [Execution of civil duties by evangelical Christians of Poland (1918–1939)]. Aktualni problemy vitchyznianoi ta vsesvitnoi istorii. Naukovi zapysky Rivnenskoho derzhavnoho humanitarnoho universytetu, Rivne, 17, 131–135. [in Ukrainian].

Borshchevych, V. (1998). Avtonomna pravoslavna tserkva na Volyni [Autonomous Orthodox Church in Volyn]. Lutsk: Red.-vyd. viddil Volyn. derzh. un-tu im. Lesi Ukrainky. 98 p. [in Ukrainian].

Borshchevych, V. (2008). Pravoslavne dukhovenstvo Volyni u mizhvoiennyi period: etapy formuvannia, tendentsii rozvytku [Orthodox clergy of Volyn in the interwar period: stages of formation, trends of development]. Ukraina: kulturna spadshchyna, natsionalna svidomist, derzhavnist, 17, 249–256. [in Ukrainian].

Borshchevych, V. (2009). Mentalni obrii volynskoho pravoslavnoho dukhovenstva 20–30-kh rr. XX st. [Mental horizons of volyn Orthodox clergy 20-30s of the twentieth century]. Ukrainske relihiieznavstvo 49. 224–235. [in Ukrainian].

Borshchevych, V. T. (2000). Ukrainske tserkovne vidrodzhennia na Volyni: (20–40-vi rr. XX st.) [Ukrainian Church Revival in Volyn: (20–40s of the 20th Century)]. Lutsk: Vezha. 253 p. [in Ukrainian].

Borshchevych, V. T. (2000). Ukrainskyi natsionalno-tserkovnyi rukh na Volyni u mizhvoiennyi period [Ukrainian national-church movement in Volyn in the interwar period]. Ukrainske tserkovne vidrodzhennia na Volyni (20–40-vi r. XX st.). (pp. 39–121). Lutsk [in Ukrainian].

Borshchevych, V. T. (2009b). Tserkovno-hromadska diialnist volynskoho pravoslavnoho dukhovenstva u 20–80-kh rr. XX st. [Church-public activity of the Volyn Orthodox clergy in the 20–80s of the twentieth century]. Istorychni studii Volynskoho natsionalnoho universytetu imeni Lesi Ukrainky, Lutsk, 2, 47–54. [in Ukrainian].

Borshchevych, V. T. (2009а). Natsionalna samoidentyfikatsiia pravoslavnoho dukhovenstva Volyni u 20–30-kh rr. XX st. [National identity of the Orthodox clergy of Volyn in the 20-30s of the twentieth century]. Naukovyi visnyk Volynskoho natsionalnoho universytetu imeni Lesi Ukrainky, 13 (Istorychni nauky), 185–191. [in Ukrainian].

Borshchevych, V. T. (2010). Volynske dukhovenstvo u XX st.: identychnist, status, evoliutsiia: monohrafiia [Volyn clergy in the twentieth century: identity, status, evolution: monograph]. Lutsk: Volyn natsionalnyi universytet imeni Lesi Ukrainky, 582 p. [in Ukrainian].

Derzhavnyi arkhiv Ternopilskoi oblasti [SATRState Archive of Ternopil Region]. [in Ukrainian].

Fedevych, K. K. (2009). Halytski ukraintsi u Polshchi. 1920 – 1939 rr. (Interhratsiia halytskykh ukraintsiv do Polskoi derzhavy u 1920 – 1930-ti rr.) [Galician Ukrainians in Poland. 1920 – 1939 (Intercession of Galician Ukrainians to the Polish state in the 1920s – 1930s)]. Kyiv: Osnova, 280 p. [in Ukrainian].

Halukha, L. (2008). Orhanizatsiini pytannia zhyttiediialnosti pravoslav’ia u Druhii Rechi Pospolytii [Organizational issues of the life of Orthodoxy in the Second Rzeczpospolita]. Naukovi zapysky Rivnenskoho derzhavnoho humanitarnoho universytetu. Seriia: Aktualni problemy vitchyznianoi ta vsesvitnoi istorii, Rivne,13, 188–193. [in Ukrainian].

Hulai, V. V. (2011). «Revindykatsiina» aktsiia 1937–1938 rr. na pivnichno-zakhidnykh ukrainskykh etnichnykh zemliakh yak instrument represyvnoi etnokonfesiinoi polityky Druhoi Rechi Pospolytoi [Action «Revindykatsiina» (1937 – 1938) in the northwestern Ukrainian ethnic lands as an instrument of the repressive ethnoconfessional policy of the Second Rzeczpospolita]. Slov’ianskyi visnyk, Seriia: Istorychni ta politychni nauky, Rivne, 12, 187–190. [in Ukrainian].

Istoriia relihii v Ukraini: navchalnyi posibnyk (1999). [History of Religion in Ukraine: tutorial ]. Za red. A. M. Kolodnoho, P. L. Yarotskoho, Kyiv: Znannia, 735 p. [in Ukrainian].

Kramar, Yu. V. (2015). Zakhidna Volyn 1921 – 1939 rr.: natsionalno-kulturne ta relihiine zhyttia [Western Volhyn 1921 – 1939: national-cultural and religious life]. Lutsk: Vezha-Druk, 404 p. [in Ukrainian].

Mały Rocznik Statystyczny R. 9 (1938). [Small statistical yearbook]. Warsaw: Główny Urząd Statystyczny, 407 p. [in Polish].

Marchuk, V. (2012). Tserkva, dukhovnist, natsiia: Ukrainska hreko-katolytska tserkva v suspilnomu zhytti Ukrainy XX st. [Church, spirituality, nation: Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the public life of Ukraine of the twentieth century]. Ivano-Frankivsk: Plai. 464 p. [in Ukrainian].

Mytropolyt Andrei Sheptytskyi, (2014). Vybrane: 365 dniv z velykym Mytropolytom. Rozumy na shchoden [Selected: 365 days with the great Metropolitan. Reflections on everyday]. Zhovkva: Misioner, 568 p. [in Ukrainian].

Pylypiv, I. (2010). Konkordat Rechi Pospolytoi z Apostolskym prestolom ta yoho naslidky dlia HKTs [Concordat of the Rzeczpospolita with the Apostolic See and its consequences for the GCC ]. Naukovyi visnyk Chernivetskoho universytetu. Istoriia. Politychni nauky. Mizhnarodni vidnosyny, Vyp. 514–515, 166–171. [in Ukrainian].

Pylypiv, I. V. (2011). Hreko-katolytska tserkva v suspilno-politychnomu zhytti Skhidnoi Halychyny (1918 – 1939 rr.) [Greek Catholic Church in the social and political life of Eastern Galicia (1918 – 1939)]. Ternopil: Ekonomichna dumka TNEU, 428 p.: tabl. [in Ukrainian].

Pylypiv, I. V. (2013). Konstytutsiia Druhoi Rechi Pospolytoi ta natsionalno-relihiina polityka polskoi vlady v Halychyni (1921 – 1925 rr.) [The Constitution of the Second Rzeczpospolita and the national-religious policy of the Polish authorities in Galicia (1921–1925)]. Zbirnyk naukovykh prats Kharkivskoho natsionalnoho pedahohichnoho universytetu imeni H. S. Skovorody. «Istoriia ta heohrafiia», 47, 83–89. [in Ukrainian].

Sheptytskyi, A. (2009). Pastyrski poslannia 1918 – 1939 rr. [Pastoral Messages of 19181939]. Lviv: Artos, 1248 p. [in Ukrainian].

Srokowski, K. (1924). Sprawa narodowoościowa na kresach wschodnich [Nationality case in the Eastern Borderlands]. Kraków: Drukarnia «Czasu», 56 p. [in Polish].

Stokolos, N. H. (1999). Neouniia yak eksperyment skhidnoi polityky Vatykanu v Polshchi (1923 – 1939 rr.) [Neouniia as an experiment of the Eastern policy of the Vatican in Poland (1923 – 1939)]. Ukrainskyi istorychnyi zhurnal, 4, 74–89. [in Ukrainian].

Stokolos, N. H. (2003). Konfesiino-etnichni transformatsii v Ukraini (XIX – persha polovyna XX st.) [Confessional-ethnic transformations in Ukraine (XIX – first half of XX century)]. Rivne: Lista, 480 p. [in Ukrainian].

Stokolos, N. H. (2005). Polityka uriadiv mizhvoiennoi Polshchi (1918 – 1939 rr.) shchodo pravoslavnoi tserkvy y ukraintsiv [Policy of the governments of the interwar Poland (1918 – 1939) concerning the Orthodox Church and Ukrainians]. Ukrainskyi istorychnyi zhurnal, 5, 59–81. [in Ukrainian].

Syvitskyi, M. (2005). Istoriia ukrainsko-polskykh konfliktiv [History of Ukrainian-Polish conflicts]. Pereklad Ye. Petrenka, Kyiv: Vydavnytstvo imeni Oleny Telihy, 344 p. [in Ukrainian].

Zieliński, H. (1983). Historia Polski. 1914 – 1939 [History of Poland. 1914 – 1939]. Wrocław, Warszawa; Kraków; Gdańsk; Łódź: Zaklad narodowy imienia Ossolinskich, 427 p. [in Polish].

Downloads

Issue

Section

Articles