Orthodox traditions The Basilian Order originates from the tradition of Orthodox monasticism in the
Ruthenian lands of the
Kingdom of Poland and the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Its precursors were
St. Anthony and his disciple
St. Theodosius, founders of the monasteries in the
Pechersk Lavra in the 10th century, which followed the rules of
St. Basil the Great and
St. Theodore the Studite. The
lavra model was adopted by other monastic communities in Ruthenian lands, combining
eremitic and
cenobitic forms of life. Unlike monks of the
Latin Rite, they did not form congregations but operated independently, subject only to local bishops. They also generally did not engage in educational, charitable, or pastoral activities, and few among them were priests. The monasteries, however, had immense cultural significance and served as the intellectual and spiritual backbone of the Orthodox Church. Because of their black habits, the monks were called
chernets ("black monks") of the Rule of St. Basil, or simply "Basilians" since half of 14th century.
Union of Brest and monastic reform In the second half of the 16th century, the Orthodox Church in the
Polish-Lithuanian lands experienced a crisis, most evident in the decline of monastic life and the weakening of discipline. Many Orthodox clergy saw the solution to these problems in renewing union with the Latin Church. Representatives of three monasteries from
Bratslav, Lavryshiv and
Minsk took part in the
Synod of Brest in 1596, which led to the union. However, delegates from ten other important monasteries participated in the anti-synod. The division within the Christian of Greek tradition had a profound impact on the state of the monasteries, which repeatedly changed their confessional affiliation.
Development At the Synod of Novogrudok in 1617, the Congregation of the Holy Trinity was established, bringing together all Uniate monasteries. At that time, there were five monasteries in Vilnius,
Novogrudok, Minsk,
Zhyrovichy and Byten, with 60 monks in total. The order was approved in 1631 by
Pope Urban VIII. As the Union expanded, the number of monasteries within the congregation also increased. Not all monasteries that accepted the Union, however, joined the congregation; this mainly concerned those located in the Crown, which differed from the Lithuanian ones in their greater poverty, simpler clothing, longer beards and generally lower intellectual level of the monks. In 1739, a new Congregation of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary was founded for monasteries in the Kingdom of Poland. It was labelled the "Ruthenian", "Crown", or "Polish" congregation, to distinguish it from the older Lithuanian one. Claims to precedence by the Lithuanian province led to the unification of both congregations into the Ruthenian Order of Saint Basil the Great (
Ordo Sancti Basilii Magni Ruthenorum) by
Pope Benedict XIV in 1744, with the former congregations becoming provinces. The
archimandry of
Supraśl, together with its residences in
Warsaw and Kuźnica, remained outside the order. At the time of the union, the order comprised 195 monasteries and 1,145 monks. The Order of Saint Basil the Great spread and flourished across modern-day
Belarus and Ukraine, playing a key role in the education both of laity and clergy while helping preserve the distinctiveness of Ruthenian culture in the predominantly Polish and Roman Catholic
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, until the
partitions of Poland at the end of the 18th century. In 1772, the Order had over 200 monasteries and over 1,000 monks, six
seminaries, 20 schools and colleges, and four printing houses.
Suppression in Russia In the last years of the 18th century, most of the
Ruthenian lands came under the
Russian Empire, where the Order along with the whole Ruthenian Church was persecuted. Eventually the monasteries were subjected to the
Russian Orthodox Church. A small part of modern Ukraine came under
Austrian rule where the Ruthenian Church fared much better. However, the Order suffered under the policies of
Emperor Joseph II directed against all religious orders. In the second half of the 19th century, efforts were undertaken to renew the Order. By 1882, it was reduced to just 60 monks in 14 monasteries. With permission from Pope
Leo XIII, the Basilian Constitution was updated with help from the
Society of Jesus starting with the
Dobromyl Monastery, by which it became less sedentary and more missionary, among other things allowing the monks to work with the
Ukrainian diaspora overseas. The Basilians reached
Brazil (1897),
Canada (1902), the
United States (1907), and
Argentina (1934). New provinces were established covering
Transcarpathia,
Hungary, and
Yugoslavia and
Romania. By 1939, the number of monks rose to over 650 and in 1944, the Order purchased the
John E. Aldred Estate at
Lattingtown, New York, now known as St. Josaphat's Monastery. Following the
Second World War, the
Soviet Union entered further into Europe and forced the
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church underground. In all Soviet-controlled territories, only a single Basilian monastery was left open, in the Polish capital of
Warsaw. Nonetheless, the Order survived among the Ukrainian diaspora in the free world, in
communist Yugoslavia where the regime was relatively benign, and in
Ukraine itself where the monks secretly prayed and catechized.
Revival After the
collapse of the Soviet Union, the Order was reestablished in independent Ukraine and other Central and Eastern European countries such as Hungary,
Romania,
Slovakia and
Portugal. Some old monasteries have since been restored and new ones established. In 2001,there were over 600 monks, 300 of whom were in Ukraine. == Saints, Blesseds, and other holy people ==