Eugeny, Metropolitan (Bolkhovitinov Eufimy Alekseevich)

Eugeny, Metropolitan (Bolkhovitinov Eufimy Alekseevich) (1767–1837) – Metropolitan of Kiev and Galich, ecclesiastic historian, bibliographer; main works in the field of the history of Russian Orthodox Church.

In the years of his learning in the Slavic and Greek and Latin Academy (1785 – 17880, E. visited also lectures at the Moscow University, where he made acquaintance with N. I. Novikov and his milieu. At the same time, he worked as corrector at the M. P. Ponomarev Typography – they published educative and innovative books of the epoch of Enlightenment in Moscow, than in Vladimir. For Novikov he translated works by P. Marechal and F. Fenelon. He was also under strong influence of archeographer and historian N. N. Bantysh-Kamensky. Having returned to Voronezh, E. taught in the local seminary and actively participated in foundation of a typography. After the death of his wife and three children, he became monk and was invited to St. Petersburg (1800). Being an active supporter of the Enlightenment ideas, he participated in reforming of spiritual schools. At the same time, he was strongly against the activity of the Biblical Society in Russia, because he was sure that the Russian Biblical Society could existed in the system of the Synod only.

Compositions

Considerations on the Necessity of Greek Language for Theology and Particularly on Its Benefit for Russian Language. Moscow, 1793. (in Rus.)
A Description of the Kievan-Pechery Lavra with a Supplement of Various Documents and Excerpts, Explaining It, as well as Plans of the Lavra and Both Caves. Kievan-Pechery Lavra, 1826. (in Rus.)
Historical Lexicon on Writers of Ecclesiastic Rank of Greek-Russian Church Worked in Russia. Vol. 1-2, St. Petersburg, 1818 (2nd publ. St. Petersburg, 1827). (in Rus.)
Historical Research on Hierarchs of Russian Church. Kiev, 1834. (in Rus.)
Lexicon of Russian Laic Writers, Compatriots and Foreigners, Who Worked in Russia. Vol. 1-2, Moscow, 1845. (in Rus.)

About him

Grot Ya. К. Correspondence between Eugeny and Derzhavin. St. Petersburg, 1868. (in Rus.)
Bychkov А. F. On the Lexicons of Russian Writers by Metropolitan Eugeny. St. Petersburg, 1868. (in Rus.)
Nikolaevsky P. Research Works by Reverend Eugeny Bolkhovitinov, Metropolitan of Kiev, on the Subject of Russian Ecclesiastic History // Khristianskoe chtenie. 1872, No 7, pp. 375–430. (in Rus.)
Speransky D. Research Activity of Eugeny // Russkyi vestnik. 1885, No 4—6. (in Rus.)
Shmurlo Е. F. Metropolitan Eugeny as a Scholar: Early Years. 1767—1804. St. Petersburg, 1888. (in Rus.)
Poletaev N. I. Works by Metropolitan of Kiev Eugeny Bolkhovitinov on the history of Russian Church. Kazan’, 1889. (in Rus.)
Chistovich I. А. Leaders of Spiritual Enlightenment in the First Half of the Current Century. St. Petersburg, 1894. (in Rus.)
Zdobnov N. V. History of Russian Bibliography up to the Early Twentieth Century. 3rd publ., Moscow, 1955, pp. 198-204. (in Rus.)
Sharadze G. S. Eugeny Bolkhovitinov – the First Russian Specialist in Rustaveli: Essays from the History of Rustavelian Studies. Tbilisi, 1978. (in Rus.)

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