The study states that despite the general support of autocracy policy and St. Synod aimed at the denationalization of the church and the laity in the Ukrainian regions of the Russian Empire, the Orthodox Ukrainian clergy until the middle of the 19th century also contributed to the struggle for the Ukrainization of the Orthodox Church, supporting the upbringing of leaders among the Orthodox clergy who at the beginning of the 20th century were one of the driving forces of the Ukrainian national and spiritual revival.
The description of the attempts of patriotic representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox clergy already at the end of the 1840s – in the 1850s to introduce church services, translations and printing of the Holy Scriptures in churches and liturgical books in the Ukrainian language is given in the research. It is proved that the key influence on this was owned by Podil archpriest V. Grechulevych, who first started Ukrainization of church services and published a number of collections of sermons in the Ukrainian language.
The role and importance of the clergy in the development of education, science and local studies is analyzed. The research states that during the studied period the Right-Bank Ukraine clergy took an active part in the preparation of historical descriptions about Orthodox dioceses, parishes, churches and monasteries, settlements of the region, fundamental editions of descriptions of the Kyiv, Podillia and Volyn dioceses, as well as the creation of diocesan historical and statistical committees, church historical and archaeological societies and other public scientific and local lore institutions.
The contribution of representatives of the clergy to the process of general Ukrainization of education, science and culture, as an example of this is the creation of the history of cities and villages, parishes, churches and monasteries, thus forming a powerful driving force of development local history movement and regional studies. The protest actions in theological institutions (meetings, riots, strikes) with demands to reform the education and observe the rights and freedoms are also analyzed. The research also states that in the second half of the 19th – at the beginning of the 20th century in theological institutions of the Right Bank Ukraine, there was a wide variety of Ukrainian communities such as clubs, libraries of forbidden literature.
The research focuses on the unrest of the clergy on the part of peasants, while protecting them from the arbitrariness of the landlords and officials, defending the rights to education, justice, freedom and land, which corresponded to the main directions of Ukrainian national revival.
The participation of representatives of the Orthodox clergy in the events of 1905-1907 revolution is highlighted. Based on a wide range of sources, the study confirmed that patriotic clergy of the Ukrainian dioceses of the Orthodox Russian church supported revolutionary events, took part in church and reform movement, as well as social reforms, came to the defense of democratic conquests, rights and freedoms of the laity. The participation of the patriotic clergy in the events of the revolution made it possible to form in its midst activists of national and spiritual revival who made a significant contribution to the future autocephaly of the church.
A characteristic feature of this period was the shifting of the struggle for reforms to II–IV State Dumas, where the faction of the clergy from Ukrainians governorates developed draft laws on church reform and implementation Ukrainian language in primary education.
. The research states that in the period the revolution of 1905–1907 and before the beginning of the First World War the reforms on democratization of the church system were prepared and partially implemented; significant work on revival of foundations of Ukrainian Orthodoxy, publishing a translation of Holy Scriptures into Ukrainian and the introduction of the native language in theological educational institutions and worship were carried out. However, at this stage representatives of the national spiritual revival had only debates about the need for autonomy of the Ukrainian church and did not stand up for its independence from the Orthodox Russian church. Thus, the main achievement of the church reform movement was upbringing of leaders among the patriotic clergy and leaders of the national spiritual revival, which during the Ukrainian revolution of 1917–1921 took into practice the mission to create and develop the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and became its hierarchs.
