Krzysztof Stopka

Mesrob z Kaffy († 1624) – ostatni przedunijny arcybiskup „wszystkich Ormian obojga płci, mieszkających we Lwowie, Kijowie, Łucku i Zamościu”

Introduction

Mesrob z kaffy († 1624) – ostatni przedunijny arcybiskup „wszystkich ormian obojga płci, mieszkających we lwowie, kijowie, Łucku i zamościu”. Poznaj historię Mesropa z Kaffy (†1624), ostatniego przedunijnego arcybiskupa Ormian we Lwowie, Kijowie, Łucku i Zamościu. Artykuł bada jego życie i dziedzictwo.

Abstract

MESROP OF KAFFA († 1624). THE LAST PRE-UNION ARCHBISHOP OF “ALL ARMENIANS OF BOTH GENDERS, LIVING IN LVIV, KIEV, LUTSK AND ZAMOŚĆ” Mesrop from Kaffa (Kaffatsi), the last pre-Union archbishop of Lviv before the union of the Armenian Church in Poland with the Holy See, came from the Principality of Moldavia. He was born in a mixed Armenian-Ruthenian family. As a child, he was sent to the vardapet Hovhannes Aintabetsi in Sebastia to receive education. According to his vardapet command, he left for Crimea before finishing studies, where he was probably ordained a monk. For this reason, he later referred to himself as “from Kaffa” – Kafatsi, Kafali (1605). In Crimea, he arbitrarily accepted the title of a master (rabbuni) and a vardapet afterwards. In the search of Armenian manuscripts, he travelled to eastern Armenia (Ejmiatsin, Khor Virap, Saghmosavank, Sanahin and Haghpat). In 1607, he was in Jassy and in 1608 in Suceava, thence he moved in 1610 to Lwów, where in 1611 he was employed as a preacher- vardapet in the Armenian cathedral. In 1613, he began a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. On the way back (about 1616) in Aleppo, he was already formally appointed as a vardapet by his former teacher Hovhannes Aintabetsi the catholicos of Cilicia, who also ordained him as a bishop of Poland and Moldavia. In 1617, he was recorded in Lwów as a local archbishop. In 1621, during the Polish-Turkish war, he was in the monastery of Saint Auxentius in Suceava. On 4 March 1623, the Polish king Sigismund III Vasa, during the Warsaw Seym approved him as the archbishop of Lwów. Mesrop was a benefactor of the Armenian church of Saint Nicholas in Kamieniec Podolski where he founded an altar dedicated to Saint Gregory the Illuminator. He also took care of churches in Lwów and Zamość. He died 12 May 1624 in Zamość and was buried there. The article includes three supplements in Polish translation: the royal confirmation of the archbishop Mesrop by Sigismund III from 1623, written in Latin; the will of the archbishop Mesrop made on 9 May 1624 in Zamość in Kipchak-Armenian ethnolect, according to the transcription of Edward Tryjarski, and an extract of the Armenian chronicle by Grigor Daranaghtsi, concerning the archbishop Mesrop.

Review

This article offers a meticulously researched and comprehensive biographical study of Mesrop z Kaffy, the last pre-union Armenian Archbishop of Lviv. The research reconstructs the multifaceted life and ecclesiastical career of a pivotal figure whose jurisdiction encompassed significant Armenian communities in Lviv, Kiev, Lutsk, and Zamość, immediately prior to the union of the Armenian Church in Poland with the Holy See. By tracing Mesrop's journey from his origins in Moldavia through his education, extensive travels across Crimea, Eastern Armenia, and the Levant, and his eventual rise to archiepiscopal office, the study effectively illuminates a critical period in Armenian diaspora history. A significant strength of this work lies in its detailed chronological mapping of Mesrop's professional and spiritual development. The abstract highlights his progression from a vardapet to a formally ordained bishop, culminating in his royal confirmation by Sigismund III Vasa. The article's commitment to primary source documentation is particularly commendable, with the promise of three invaluable supplements: the Latin royal confirmation, Archbishop Mesrop's will in Kipchak-Armenian ethnolect (transcribed by Edward Tryjarski), and an extract from Grigor Daranaghtsi's Armenian chronicle. These additions not only provide direct access to crucial historical evidence but also enrich the study with linguistic and cultural nuances, offering a robust foundation for the biographical narrative. This detailed examination of Archbishop Mesrop z Kaffy makes a substantial contribution to the fields of Armenian history, religious studies, and early modern European history. By focusing on a figure at the cusp of significant ecclesiastical change, the article provides essential insights into the internal workings of the Armenian Church in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the complex dynamics leading to the union, and the lived experiences of its communities. The meticulous reconstruction, grounded in rare documentary evidence, ensures that this study will be an indispensable resource for scholars seeking to understand the socio-religious landscape and the enduring legacy of the Armenian presence in Eastern Europe.

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