The reasons of the conflict between the church authorities of Cherson, Sougdea-Foul, Gothian metropolies for the parishes of the southern coast of the Crimea (second half of the 14th century)

The article reviews the conflict that took place in the second half of the 14th century in the territory of the Mountain Crimea between the metropolitan of Cherson, on the one hand, and the metropolitans of Gothian and Sougdea-Foul for the domination in two ecclesiastical districts of Eliss and Kinsanus. The historical outline of events is preserved in five acts of the Patriarchate of Constantinople from 13 82 to 1390. These districts are localized on the territory of the Southern Сoast of Crimea, from the village Nikita in the west to the village Kanaka (actual Lutch) in the east, they bordered each other in the Alushta area. The research showed, that the movement of the Orthodox population within the territories of different metropolitanates influenced the fact, that in the middle of the 14th century the oldest, once the richest and most populated diocese in the Crimea, comes to desolation. The city of Chersonesus disappears as a large city and a significant regional center. Capture of tow parish districts by Cherson’s hierarchs became possible for two reasons. The first reason is the changes in political borders in this region. After almost a thousand years domination of the Byzantine Empire in the middle of the 13th century the Southern Coast of Crimea with the Byzantine (Greek) agricultural population pass under the jurisdiction of the Mongolian state. Later, in the second half of the 14th century a new process begins - the transition of the coastal territories of the Mountain Crimea from the Golden Horde to the Genoese State, which finishes in 1387. The second reason is the patronage of Cherson metropolitans from new Genoese authorities, with support of the emperors Andronicus IV and John VII Paleologues, loyal to the Genoese, and their protege Macarius, Patriarch of Constantinople.