Ukrainian Orthodoxy		Orthodoxie ukrainienne

Hetman Ivan Mazepa

Dr. Alexander Roman alex.roman@unicorne.org

Calling All Ukrainian Churches, Organizations and Families:  Let’s all mark September 22nd as the Anniversary of the Repose of Ukraine’s great Hero, Hetman Ivan Mazepa.

It is a fact of life that Ukraine's greatest historical figures are often hated and despised by others, while their significance to and impact on their own country and people are not given the acknowledgement they deserve.

Hetman Ivan Mazepa, celebrated in the West in Lord Byron’s poem and in a play that was popular throughout the U.S., was vilified by official Russian historiography for his “betrayal” of the Tsar and his “violation” of the Treaty of Pereyaslavl after he sided with King Charles XII of Sweden against Russia.  (In the aftermath of the Hetman’s siding with Sweden, the Cossack capital Baturyn was razed by the Tsarist army and dead Cossacks were tied to crosses and then sent downstream the Dnipro river to incite terror in the Ukrainian people against following their Hetman in revolt . . .).

Not being content with pronouncing him a traitor, Peter I had the Russian Orthodox Church excommunicate him.  This was followed up by the creation of a “liturgical service” sung in Russian and other Orthodox parishes on the anniversary of the Tsarist victory at Poltava where the Hetman’s anathema is reaffirmed and he himself is reviled as being “three times the traitor that Judas was (!)”

What this meant for Ukrainian Orthodox parishes under Russian control is that they could not hold requiem services for the Hetman on the anniversary of his death which occurred during the night of September 21-22nd, 1709.  What often occurred was that Ukrainian Orthodox laity had Ukrainian Greek-Catholic priests serve the panakhyda services . . .

The fact is that the anathema against the Hetman is still in effect and this despite the fact that the Patriarch of Moscow, St Tikhon the New Hieroconfessor, had previously said that all politically-forced church actions were null and void – including the anathema against Hetman Mazepa. 

In fact, the current extension of Russian historiography’s vituperant vilification of the Kozak leader of Ukrainian independence from Moscow is, in and of itself, a continuing political action that influences the Russian Orthodox Church’s views in this regard.

This month marks the beginning of the 300th anniversary year of the repose of Ukraine’s great Hetman and there should not be one Ukrainian Orthodox or Greek-Catholic parish that does not hold a Panakhyda service in commemoration of him anywhere! 

Let’s decorate our church halls and homes, if we haven’t already done so, with portraits of the Hetman, draped with embroidered towels.  Could we not also organize special parish events to mark the memory of this hero? 

Could special flags and lapel pins bearing his coat of arms be made and widely disseminated among our people?  Naming of streets and monuments after him?  And formal statements in the provincial and state legislatures about him – together with Ukrainian flag-raisings?   And how about letting our local Canadian press know more about him and the significance of the 300th year of his repose?  When it comes to celebrating whatever, Ukrainians know what to do and they do it with flare. 

The fact is that the name of Hetman Ivan Mazepa still stirs controversy in Ukraine today where he continues to be vilified by those who think they are the ones who are still in control of the country.

So, Ukrainian Churches and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, LET’S GO ON THIS!  We have a year – plenty of time to do something significant in memory of one who gave his life in defence of our nation and patrimony.

If your parish is planning a commemoration of the Hetman, please do let us know here so we can let everyone else know too!

[ Home ] [ Articles ] [ Prayer ] [ Saints ] [ Theophilus ] [ Q & A ] [About Us] [ ]