The Contribution of Matthew of Myra to the Spreading of the Orthodox Book Culture in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the beginning of the 17th Century

• In Event: Impacts of Ukrainian Voluntary Brotherhoods of Laymen on the European Book Culture: For the Legacy of Y. D. Isaievych

Abstract

Matthew of Pogoniana, honorary metropolitan of Myra and abbot of Dealu Monastery was sent to Moscow between 1595 and 1597, and in 1599 to Lviv, by the Ecumenical Patriarch, in the context of the controversies and problems generated within the Orthodox Church by the pro-unionist efforts in (what was known back then as) Malorusia and the Tsardom of Russia. Matei carried out a rich activity as a calligrapher and miniaturist. The large number of manuscripts, but especially the quality of the writing, places him among the most important copyists of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. In this paper, we highlight his contribution to the Spreading of the Orthodox Book in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Author

• Anca Mihaela Sapovici, Romanian Academy (Romania)