Kiev Christianity in an Imperial Interior: the 18th Century

The article examines the transformations that took place in the life of the Kiev Metropolitanate after its entry into the Moscow Patriarchate in 1686. The author analyzes the concept of “Kiev Christianity” and indicates its characteristic features that were formed by the end of the 17th century. At the time of its entry into the Moscow Patriarchate, the Kiev Metropolitanate was a specific world, with its expressive specificity. A special tradition of interaction with state authorities has been developed here, and special preferences have been established in the fields of theology, education and church art. During the 18th century the life of the Kiev Metropolitanate underwent the process of strict unification with the rest of the Russian Church. The article shows how the territory of the Kiev Metropolitanate and its administrative-territorial division has been changed, what the title of the Kiev Metropolitans has become, and how the scope of their rights has changed. The procedure for the election / appointment of Kiev metropolitans is considered. Attention is drawn to the changes in parish life connected with the order of appointment of the parish clergy. The author shows that by the end of the 18th century the Metropolitanate of Kiev has been transformed from a vast metropolitan area into one of the ordinary dioceses of the Russian Church. However, despite the processes of unification, the Kiev church tradition in the 18th century did not disappear. Moreover, it had a noticeable influence on church life in Russia. In fact, the “Kiev school” became one of the important substrates from which the Synodal Church grew.