Romanian Orthodox Church presents icon of St. Petro Mohyla to Kyiv church

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - An icon of the 17th century spiritual and cultural leader Metropolitan Petro Mohyla, prepared by monks of the Romanian Orthodox Church in honor of his canonization in Romania, was presented to the Annunciation Church of the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy on January 14.

The Romanian Orthodox Church had canonized Metropolitan Mohyla a saint on October 13, 2002, during a ceremony in his hometown of Iasi, present-day Romania, assigning December 22 as the date of his commemoration. In 1997 a synod of the Romanian Church had recognized the canonization of Mohyla by the Ukrainian Orthodox. The metropolitan was canonized by both the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate (1996) and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate.

Representatives of the Ukrainian Embassy in Romania presented a stylized likeness of the legendary metropolitan of Kyiv, Halychyna and all of Rus' to the Annunciation Church of the National University of Mohyla Academy. Today known as the Church of St. Petro Mohyla, the church honors Metropoitan Mohyla, who founded the Kyiv academy that bears his name in 1631. Monks of the monastery in Iasi created the fresco.

"The tireless work of Metropolitan Petro Mohyla, who was born into the family of the Moldavian nobleman Simeon Mohyla, is an example of the friendship, cooperation and good-friendliness between the Ukrainian nation and the nations of Moldavia and Wallachia (later Romania)," explained Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release.

Ukraine's Ambassador to Romania Anton Buteiko sent a greeting to the Annunciation Church in which he underscored that the "transfer of the icon to the Annunciation Church of the Kyiv Mohyla Academy, which is a gift worthy of the memory of the great metropolitan, will undoubtedly become one more memorable page in the litany of good neighborly relations between Ukraine and Romania."

In 1632, Metropolitan Mohyla was largely responsible for re-establishing the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on Ukrainian lands then held by the Polish Commonwealth after he successfully lobbied the Polish crown to restore the legality of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Shortly afterwards, Orthodox deputies in the Polish Sejm nominated Mohyla to become metropolitan. He was consecrated at the Dormition Church in Lviv in May 1633.

Metropolitan Mohyla, who had been appointed the archimandrite of the Kyivan Cave Monastery in 1627, in 1631 established the Kyivan Cave Monastery School. In 1632 the Kyivan Cave Monastery School merged with the Kyiv Epiphany Brotherhood School to create a college. With time it became the Kyiv Mohyla Academy - eventually the largest educational and scholarly center in Eastern Europe.

Metropolitan Mohyla bequeathed a large portion of his personal fortune to developing the academy. He also spent great sums of money on projects to uncover and restore ancient churches, including St. Sophia Sobor and the Church of the Tithes (Desiatynna). He helped finance Romanian projects as well, including the publication of the first Romanian book in 1641 and the establishment of a collegium in his hometown in 1640.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 19, 2003, No. 3, Vol. LXXI

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