"East Meets West” : Pochayiv Monastery as Part of Russia’s Imperial Policy in Galicia

Pochayiv Monastery in Volyn was one of the most famous Marian shrines. The origins of it as a place of worship date back to the thirteenth century. It achieved the greatest splendour and significance in the waning days of the Kingdom of Poland, when it was a Uniate monastery. The Uniate period marked the erection of the majestic church and monastery buildings. Also during that time, many high-profile, well-attended religious ceremonies would take place on a regular basis. After the failure of the November Uprising of 1830-31 and the takeover of the monastery by the Orthodox Church, the sanctuary was turned into a centre of Russification propaganda, aimed largely at the non-Polish population of Galicia. In addition to religious purposes, this activity was to serve the geopolitical intentions of Russia, as it planned to “unite” all the Russian lands under a single banner. The scope of such activity in this area highlights the importance of the instrumentalisation of religion in the empire of the Tsars. On the other hand, the “Pochayiv indulgences” made manifest the degree to which the Galician Uniate population was susceptible to Russian influences.