Grigory Shyshatsky
Encyclopedia
Grigory Shyshatsky was an Orthodox clergyman and the Archbishop
of Mogilev
. During the French invasion of Russia
he was accused of taking a loyalty oath to Napoleon
, forcing junior clergymen to do the same, celebrating Napoleon's birthday and saying prayers for Napoleon instead of the tsar
's family. After a long trial by the Holy Synod
, Varlaam was found guilty, stripped of the rank and confined to a monastery.
in the Malorossian
family and studied first in the Pereyaslavl
Seminary, then in the Kiev
Church Academy. As the best alumnus of the academy he was sent to Italy, but due to military activities there returned to Kiev. In 1787 Varlaam was sent to Poland to manage the Vilno Monastery of the Holy Spirit.
During the French invasion to the Russian Empire the Russian officials escaped, but clergymen stayed. On 25 July 1812, the Marshal of France
Louis-Nicolas Davout ordered Archbishop Varlaam to induce the population to swear an allegiance oath to Napoleon. Varlaam had served a public service in the cathedral, which mentioned "the great-power sovereign, French Emperor and Italian King, the great Napoleon and his wife, the Empress and Queen Marie Louise
". The Mogilev clergy, as well as the Smolensk
ones, were then accused of collaboration with the French. On May 1, 1813 Varlaam was deprived of his church ranks and sent to the Novgorod-Seversky Monastery of Transfiguration, where he died.
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Mogilev
Mogilev
Mogilev is a city in eastern Belarus, about 76 km from the border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and 105 km from the border with Russia's Bryansk Oblast. It has more than 367,788 inhabitants...
. During the French invasion of Russia
French invasion of Russia
The French invasion of Russia of 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. It reduced the French and allied invasion forces to a tiny fraction of their initial strength and triggered a major shift in European politics as it dramatically weakened French hegemony in Europe...
he was accused of taking a loyalty oath to Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
, forcing junior clergymen to do the same, celebrating Napoleon's birthday and saying prayers for Napoleon instead of the tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
's family. After a long trial by the Holy Synod
Holy Synod
In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod...
, Varlaam was found guilty, stripped of the rank and confined to a monastery.
Life
Varlaam was born in Chernigov GuberniyaGuberniya
A guberniya was a major administrative subdivision of the Russian Empire usually translated as government, governorate, or province. Such administrative division was preserved for sometime upon the collapse of the empire in 1917. A guberniya was ruled by a governor , a word borrowed from Latin ,...
in the Malorossian
Little Russia
Little Russia , sometimes Little or Lesser Rus’ , is a historical political and geographical term in the Russian language referring to most of the territory of modern-day Ukraine before the 20th century. It is similar to the Polish term Małopolska of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth...
family and studied first in the Pereyaslavl
Pereyaslavl
Pereyaslavl can refer to:* Pereslavl-Zalessky - a town in the Yaroslavl Oblast in Russia * Pereyaslavl Ryazansky - renamed Ryazan in 1778...
Seminary, then in the Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
Church Academy. As the best alumnus of the academy he was sent to Italy, but due to military activities there returned to Kiev. In 1787 Varlaam was sent to Poland to manage the Vilno Monastery of the Holy Spirit.
During the French invasion to the Russian Empire the Russian officials escaped, but clergymen stayed. On 25 July 1812, the Marshal of France
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
Louis-Nicolas Davout ordered Archbishop Varlaam to induce the population to swear an allegiance oath to Napoleon. Varlaam had served a public service in the cathedral, which mentioned "the great-power sovereign, French Emperor and Italian King, the great Napoleon and his wife, the Empress and Queen Marie Louise
Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma
Marie Louise of Austria was the second wife of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French and later Duchess of Parma...
". The Mogilev clergy, as well as the Smolensk
Smolensk
Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
ones, were then accused of collaboration with the French. On May 1, 1813 Varlaam was deprived of his church ranks and sent to the Novgorod-Seversky Monastery of Transfiguration, where he died.