Career Peter Mogila

ukrainian stamp



moldovan stamp

in 1620s, mohyla traveled ukraine @ time in political turmoil due internal , external factors, in part due poland’s annexation of ukrainian lands. started preparing spiritually @ aristocratic home in rubiejovka, founded church dedicated saint john new suceava. settled in kyevo-pechers’ka lavra in kiev (kiev pechersk lavra), political, cultural, spiritual, , educational center of ukraine. there joined ivan boretsky, zakhariy kopystetsiy, , pamvo berynda, , group of scholars , orthodox clerics promoted ideas of national liberation , cultural self-preservation. effects of political instability affected spheres of life in country. number of printed publications reduced , many schools closed. in order preserve privileges before polish king, nobility, in great numbers, started convert orthodoxy greek , roman catholicism. romanians moldavia, wallachia , transylvania belonged eastern orthodox church, , old church slavonic used, until 17th century, common liturgical language in romanian principalities. in 1632 mohyla became bishop of kiev , abbot of pecherska lavra. because of ties several european royal homes, leadership of orthodox clergy entrusted him negotiate polish sejm (parliament) , king lift repressive laws against orthodox church , ease restrictions on use of ukrainian language in schools , public offices. mohyla’s diplomatic talent paid off. king władysław iv reinstated status of ukrainian orthodox church. first years abbot mohyla showed had far-reaching goals reform not monastic life @ lavra , church. wanted strengthen orthodox spirituality , enhance sense of national identity raise educational level in country , in russian , romanian lands equal in western europe.

one of first steps in implementing vision, mohyla founded @ lavra school young monks (1632). tutoring conducted in latin. students studied theology, philosophy, rhetoric, , classical authors. @ same time, mohyla improved print shop @ lavra orthodox books published not in old slavic in latin , distributed various places in eastern europe. later year, mohyla merged school kiev brotherhood school , created mohyla collegium later became known kyiv mohyla academy (national university of kyiv-mohyla academy). students @ collegium had diverse backgrounds. came noble, clerical, gentry, cossack , peasant families. school offered variety of disciplines: ukrainian, latin, greek, , polish languages; philosophy; mathematics, including geometry; astronomy; music; , history. because of high profile of faculty, collegium received status of higher educational establishment.

in next few years, mohyla established whole network of schools around ukraine slavonic-greek-latin academy in vinnytsia , collegium in kremenets. also, supplied prince of wallachia, matei basarab, upon request, printing press , printers. in 1635 prayer books published in prince basarab’s monastic residence distributed in wallachia, (later become romania), , ukraine. helped establish school in iași in moldova well.