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Nasza Przeszłość

Vol. 62 (1984): Our Past

Articles

The Armenian Church in Russia in the Middle Ages

  • Krzysztof Stopka
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52204/np.1984.62.27-95  [Google Scholar]
Published: 1984-12-30

Abstract

It is difficult to determine the beginnings of the reorganization of the Armenian Church in Russian lands solely on the basis of written sources. When King Casimir the Great annexed part of the Galician-Vladimir principality to his possessions, he found an Armenian bishopric already there. The episcopal see was probably in Lutsk, which later fell, at the same time as Vladimir, to the Lithuanian prince Lubart, the great enemy of the king of Poland. It was therefore in the interest of Casimir the Great to move the mentioned headquarters to Lviv, which he managed to do during the fights with Lithuania. In 1367, the king confirmed a certain Gregory as bishop, authorizing him to build his capital near the new Armenian church in Lviv, which had been built in 1363. Initially, the Armenian community established in Volhynia (including Vladimir and Lutsk) and the Lviv region were subject to the jurisdiction of the Armenian bishop. When there were disputes with the Patriarchate of Sis, on which the Polish Armenians were dependent, this jurisdiction later extended to the Armenians of Podolia, Ruthenia and Moldavia. All Armenian bishops bore the title of archbishop. It was a purely honorary title in the Church of Armenia, because in this "archdiocese" there was no other bishop than the bishop of Lviv. The latter was elected by the entire Armenian community of Lviv, accepted by the community of Kamieniec, consecrated by Katolioos (first from Sis and later from Etchmiadzin) and finally approved by the king of Poland. Because the Armenian Church was an integral part of its community, it depended largely on its believers. The secular council, chaired by the "erespochan", was responsible for managing secular affairs. Representatives of this council even sat on the episcopal tribunal. This close dependence of the bishops on temporal power led them to take various steps to avoid it on several occasions, including attempts at union with the Catholic Church from the 14th century. Their efforts were crowned with success around the middle of the 17th century, when the Armenian metropolis joined the See of Peter.

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