www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Synaxis of the Carpatho-Russian Saints

dave wrote: Carpatho-Rus may not have definate borders, but we can say what Carpatho-Rus is not (how's that for apophatic geography? ). Procopius of Sazava, Wenceslaus, Ludmila, and Gorazd really can't be called "of Carpatho-Rus." But why are they included? Did the Bohemia of Wenceslaus and Ludmilla include Carpatho-Rus? If saints like Procopius, a Benedictine from Bohemia--now Czech Republic--is included, why not include other saints from that area? Why is Rostislav of Moravia included, but Stephen of Hungary and Vladimir of Kiev not included? When you start to include saints from the bordering areas, or saints that Rusyns held in devotional esteem, you start to make it less exclusive, and defeat the purpose of this day.


Rostislav is included because he invited Cyril and Methodius to Moravia. There's not much evidence that survives about his piety, but he was certainly a political genius. Where would the Slavs be today without him?

He was canonized, I think in Brno, Moravia, about 10 years ago by the Czech Orthodox Church. The ceremony was rather politicized (I wasn't there but read reports & saw the photo coverage), mainly by Moravians who at that time were seeking some form of political autonomy.

I must say I detect some political motivation in the Czech Orthodox trying to publicly promote Wenceslaus, Prokop (Procopius), Ludmila, Rostislav & thereby demonstrate a link to early Christianity in the Czech Lands. Politicization has been THE major problem of Christianity in The Czech Lands for several centuries now. On the other hand, we can regard this as an ecumenical gesture by one Orthodox Church.

Stojgniev

Thank you the information you provided. I found it to be very helpful in understanding more about the Carpatheo-Russian Orthodox Church.

Dear Friends,

Brno was mentioned above and I have corresponded with the Orthodox Bishop of Brno who, some years ago, told me that the Orthodox baptismal certificate of Jerome of Prague, close friend to John Hus, was found in Latvia, I think it was.

He said that there are voices in the Czech Orthodox Church in support of Jerome's canonization as an Orthodox saint!

Russian Orthodox theologians in the 19th century, in the spirit of the Cyrillo-Methodian movements then, made the conscious connection between Hus and the ministry of St Cyril and St Methodius in that area as well.

Alex