The Earliest States of Eastern Europe

Institute of Archaeology of Crimea of the Russian Academy of Sciences

For citation: Mogarichev, Yurii M. Missionary Activities of Crimean Eparchies in the Early Middle Ages // Drevneishie gosudarstva Vostochnoi Evropy (The Earliest States of Eastern Europe). 2022: The Role of Religion in the Formation of Socio-Cultural Practices and Ideas / Editors of the volume Е.V. Litovskikh, Е.А. Melnikova. Мoscow: GAUGN-Press, 2022. S. 127–141.

DOI: 10.32608/1560-1382-2022-43-127-141

Abstract: Written sources contain accounts of the missionary activities of five Christian eparchies on the Crimean Peninsula in the Early Middle Ages. The earliest eparchies, Bosporan and Chersonese ones, appear to have been established in the 4^thcentury. It is highly probable that Sougdaia eparchy emerged in the mid-8^th century, that of Gothia in the late 8^th – early 10^thcenturies. Phoulloi eparchy was apparently established in the early 10^thcentury. All the five Crimean ecclesiastical administrative and territorial units were for the first time mentioned in Not. VII (early 10^thcentury). Information on missionary activities of the Crimean eparchies is fragmentary and usually refers to the Chersonese one. In the Early Middle Ages Chersonese was the chief Byzantine town on the Crimean Peninsula and the center of imperial influence on North Pontic littoral. It is known that the task of the Chersonese hierarch was Christian education of the neighboring land of Dori (the South-Western Crimea). According to the letters of Nicholas Mysticos, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Byzantine tried to organize the life of Christian parishes in Khazaria through the Chersonese bishop. As far as Bosporan eparchy is concerned there are no direct sources on its missionary activity, most likely, because from time to time the territory of the eparchy fell into enemies’ hands, and lost the immediate control of Constantinople. As for Gothia eparchy, “the Crimean layer” of the so called De Boor’s Notitia (Not. III according to J. Darrouzès) is noteworthy. In the opinion of a number of modern authors, Not. III dates, probably, to the 9^thcentury. It seems to have been an unrealized project (or its draft) to establish a system of the Christian eparchies in the Khazar Khaganate. Despite different historical interpretations of the Not. III data, the authors of the project suggested that Gothian eparchy, the center of Christian education in the Khazar Khaganate, should be elevated to the status of Metropolia. Missionary activities of Sougdaia hierarchs were partially reflected in The Life of St Stephen of Surozh. Phoulloi eparchy has the scantest source base among medieval ecclesiastical administrative and territorial establishments in the Crimea. There are but two oblique pieces of evidence on missionary activities there (The Life of John of Gothia, The Life of Constantine the Philosopher). Conclusion: Extant sources evidence the activities of Christian education only on Chersonese eparchy, as Chersonese was the center of Byzantine influence on the Crimean Peninsula and, therefore, Chersonese bishops were entrusted with Christian missions.

Keywords:

Byzantium, Khazaria, Crimea, Kherson, Bosporus, Gothia, Metropolia, eparchy

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