The purpose of the research is to analyse the activity of OSBM sisters in Eastern Halychyna in the end of XIX - first half of XX centuries.
The object of the research – the functioning of the Greek-Catholic Church in Eastern Halychyna during the outlined period.
The subject of the research is the peculiarities of the OSBM sisters’ activity and their role in the creation of the national system of education, development of private schooling, spiritual education and formation of moral and ethical priorities of the Ukrainian youth of Eastern Halychyna in the late XIX - early XX centuries.
Theoretical and methodological principles of studying the activities of OSBM sisters have been considered. The author proceeded from the principles of historicism, systematicity, scientific objectivity, terminological, cognitive and systemic approaches to the study of historical phenomena, which made it possible to conduct a comprehensive, holistic and objective study of OSBM sisters’ activity in Eastern Halychyna in the late XIX - early XX centuries.
The complex nature of the research is ensured by the use and combination of general scientific (analysis, synthesis, generalization, deduction, induction, etc.) and special-historical (problem-chronological, comparative-historical, historical-genetic, historical-typological, historical-systemic, historiographical analysis etc.) methods.
The scientific novelty of the obtained results is that for the first time the activity of the sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great in Eastern Halychyna in the end of XIX – first half of XX centuries has been thoroughly studied.
The level of the issue studying in historiography has been clarified and, the source base and methodological principles have been studied. For the first time on the basis of a comprehensive and systematic analysis of a large array of documentary sources from scientific libraries and archives of Ukraine and Europe comprehensively and thoroughly covered the activities of OSBM sisters in Eastern Halychyna during the outlined period.
The organizational principles of the convents of the OSBM sisters, as well as their formation, structure and development have been comprehensively and holistically analysed; the content of the key reforms of the Basilian convents, their influence on the improvement of the activity of nuns has been revealed. It has been determined that the reform of monasteries carried out in 1897–1909 by Metropolitans Sylvester Sembratovych and Andrei Sheptytskyi caused transformational processes, both in the structure and organizational principles of the Basilian Sisters’ convents and in strengthening their influence on the cultural and spiritual development of the Eastern Halychyna population.
The core activities of the OSBM sisters in the end of the XIX - first half of the XX centuries have been outlined. It has been proved that theological-religious, pedagogical-educational and social work in the Basilian Sisters’ convents consisted in prayer-ascetic life and teaching in the novitiate, spiritual practices, the spread of church organizations, including the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and conducting catechesis for children and youth. Moreover, the Basilian sisters opened primary, secondary and vocational schools, the Ukrainian Private Girls’ Gymnasium in Lviv and teachers’ seminaries in Yavoriv, Lviv, Stanislaviv and Drohobych.
The role of convents in the creation of the national system of education, the development of private schooling, spiritual education and the formation of moral and ethical priorities of Ukrainian youth has been highlighted. In total, 8962 girls from Ukrainian families studied in teachers’ seminaries for a quarter of a century. Functioning of educational institutions, in the establishment and activity of which the main role was played by the Basilian sisters has been highlighted.
The mechanism of increasing the number of classes in ordinary schools, as well as the establishment of other types of educational institutions: gymnasiums, teachers’ seminaries, vocational schools, orphanages, boarding schools, nurseries (preschool educational institutions) has been monitored. The peculiarities of the activity of the Basilian Sisters’ convents during the Second World War and before the liquidation of the Greek Catholic Church have been studied.
It has been emphasized that the activity of OSBM sisters was an important component of religious life in Eastern Halychyna during the period under consideration, since it embraces their most active theological, religious, educational and social life. Adhering to Christian moral and ethical principles, the Basilian sisters contributed a lot to the spiritual enrichment, cultural upbringing of the nation and raising the level of its education.
