Korogodina, Maria Vladimirovna. Unknown Epistle to tsar’ Fedor Ivanovich from Constantinople

The research was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project № 18-512-18006 Болг_а

The paper is about a little known epistle which is kept in the unique handwritten miscellanea of the first part of 17^th century. This epistle is addressed by unknown monk from Constantinople to orthodox tsar’. It contains wordy praises on tsar’ and his favors to different counties. The author asks to send a sermon about faith and two printed books into Rech’ Pospolitaya. The epistle should be brought to Moscow by Danila Ivanovich Isleniev, a Russian ambassador in Constantinople. So the epistle was a covering letter for unknown sermon.

Data comparison and studying of archive documents let us to suppose that the epistle was addressed to Moscow tsar’ Fedor Ivanovich and was written in 1594–1596 before the Brest’s Union (1596). The author of the epistle was an orthodox monk, native of Rech’ Pospolitaya who was going to live in one of the Athos’ hermitages later. Probably the epistle was written by Isaakiy Boriskovich, a follower of Meletios Pigas, the Patriarch of Alexandria. Isaakiy Boriskovich departed from Constantinople before Brest’s Union. He visited Athos but later his life was completely connected with struggle of Orthodox believers against the Union in the KyivMetropolia. It is unknown what was the sermon about faith he asked to send to orthodox believers in KyivMetropolia. We can suppose that it was one of numerous sermons and epistles of orthodox Greek hierarchs (probably of Meletios Pigas).

• Antonov, Anton Vladislavovich. Akty sluzhilyh zemlevladelcev 15 – nachala 17 veka [Acts of the salaried landowners from the 15^th till the beginning of 17^th centuries]. Moscow: Monumentsofhistorianideas Publ., 1998. Vol. 2. 608 p.

  Chentsova, Vera Georgievna. Monahi iz Zographa v Kyive i Moskve v 20–30-e gody 17 veka [Zographou monks in Kyiv and Moscow in the years 1620–1630], in Historian Bulletin. ChristianityintheNearEast. Moscow, 2017. Vol. 20. P. 164–189.

  Dianova, Tatiana Vladimirovna. Filigran’ “Kuvshin” 17 veka [Watermark “Pot” in 17^th century]. Moscow: State Historian Museum Publ., 1989. 80 p.

  Dobrianskiy, Flavian Nikolayevich. Opisaniye rukopisey Vilenskoy publichnoy biblioteki, cerkovno-slavyanskih i russkih [Description of the Church-slavonic and Russian manuscripts of the Vilna’s public library]. Vilna: Print. by A. G. Syrkin, 1882. LV+533 p.

  Eskin, Yuriy Moiseevich. Ocherki istorii mestnichestva v Rossii 16–17 vekov [Studies on the history of seniority in Russia at 16^th and 17^th centuries]. Moscow: Kvadriga Publ., 2009. 512 p.

  Fonkich, Boris Lvovich. Gramota Konstantinopolskogo patriarha Ioasafa II i sobora vostochnoy cerkvi, utverzhdayuschaya tsarskiy titul Ivana IV [Charter of Constantinople Patriarch Ioasaph II and the Council of East Church with the ratification of tsar’s title of Ivan IV], in Rossia i grecheskij mir v 16 veke. Moscow: Nauka Publ., 2004. Vol. 1. P. 381–388.

  Fonkich, Boris Lvovich. K istorii texta odnogo iz poslaniy Alexandriyskogo patriarcha Meletiya Pigasa [About the text history of one epistle of Meletius Pegas, patriarche of Alexandria], in Otcherki feodal’noy Rossii. Moscow: URSS Publ., 2003. Vol. 7. P. 105–111.

  Heawood, M. A. Watermarks mainly of the 17^th and 18^th centuries / Monumenta Chartae Papyraceae. Vol. I. Hilversum: The Paper Publications Society Publ., 1950. 154 p. + 533 pl.

  Kulish, Panteleymon Aleksandrovich. Materialy dlya istorii vossoyedineniya Rusi [Materials for the history of reunion of Rus’]. Moscow: Obschetvennayapol’za Publ., 1877. Vol. 1. 322 p.

  Malyshevskiy, Ivan Ignatievich. Alexandriyskiy patriarh Meletiy Pigas i ego uchastiye v delah Russkoy cerkvi [Alexandria’s Patriarch Meletios Pigas and his participation in the affairs of Russian Church]. Kyiv: Print. by Kyevo-Pecherskaya Lavra, 1872. Vol. 2. 163+133+9 p.

  Morozova, Nadezhda Afanasievna. Kirillicheskiye rukopisniye knigi, hranyaschiesya v Vilnuse. Katalog [Cyrillic manuscripts kept in Vilnius. Catalogue]. Vilnius: Lietuvių literatūros ir tautosakos institutas Publ., 2008. XXXIV+243 p.

  Regel, WasiliyEduardovich. Analecta Byzantino-Russica. Petropoli: Eggers & S et I. Glasunov Publ., 1891. CLIV+153p.

  Sheremetev, Sergey Dmitrievich. Trudy po istorii Smutnogo vremeni [Proceedings on the history of Trouble time]. Moscow: Centr vnedreniya innovaciy i tehnologiy Publ., 2015. 356 p.

  Shumilo, Sergey Viktorovich.Staretc Ioann Vyshenskiy: afonskiy podvizhnik i pravoslavnyy pisatel-polemist. Materialy k zhizneopisaniyu “Blazhennoy pamyati velikogo starca Ioanna Vyshenskogo Svyatogorca”[Elder Ioann Vyshenskiy: an Athos ascetic and orthodox writer and polemist. Materials to the biography of blessed great elder Ioann Vyshenskiy of Holy Mount]. Kyiv: Print. by Ukranian Orthodox Church, 2016. 207 p.