| Latin:Ordo Sancti Basilii Magni | |
 Saint Josaphat Kuntsevych | |
| Abbreviation | OSBM |
|---|---|
| Formation | 20 August 1631 (394 years ago) (1631-08-20) |
| Founder | SaintJosaphat Kuntsevych |
| Type | Monastic order ofpontifical right (for men) |
| Membership | 484 (338 priests) (2025) |
| Robert Lysseiko, OSBM | |
Parent organization | Greek Catholic Church |
TheOrder of Saint Basil the Great (Ukrainian:Чин Святого Василія Великого,romanized: Chyn Sviatoho Vasyliia Velykoho;Latin:Ordo Sancti Basilii Magni, abbreviatedOSBM),[1] also known as theBasilian Order of Saint Josaphat, is aGreek Catholic monastic order of pontifical right that works actively amongUkrainian Catholics and other Greek-Catholic churches in central and Eastern Europe. The order received approbation on August 20, 1631, and is based at theMonastery of the Holy Trinity, Vilnius.
In the 16th century, with the efforts ofMetropolitan of KievJosyf Veliamyn Rutsky and Archbishop of PolotskJosaphat Kuntsevych, the monastic order was revived on territory of thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. FollowingWorld War II, the order was eliminated by the Russian Orthodox from its original territory and forced into exile. With thefall of the Soviet Union, it was reestablished again in modern Ukraine as part of theUkrainian Greek Catholic Church.
Besides the Order of Saint Basil the Great, there is a smaller order ofStudite Monks that was revived at the end of 19th century by Metropolitan of GaliciaAndrey Sheptytsky and is based in theUniv Lavra.
The order is based upon the ascetic writings ofBasil of Caesarea (329–379, in accordance with theRule of St Basil laid down by him and later developed byTheodore the Studite (760–826),Theodosius of Kiev (†1074),Josaphat Kuntsevych (1580–1623), and theMetropolitan of KievJoseph Benjamin Rutsky (1574–1637).
Monastic life began to develop in Ukraine in the time ofVladimir the Great (980–1015), when the first monks settled in caves nearKiev, led byAnthony andTheodosius. After the Mongol invasions in the 13th century, the monks fled west toHalych-Volhynia and theGrand Duchy of Lithuania, spreading Eastern Monasticism there. TheEastern Rite Ruthenian Church (in modern-dayBelarus and Ukraine) has re-affirmed its communion with theCatholic Church in theUnion of Brest in 1596. The monasteries living according to the rules of St. Basil and St. Theodore Studite, previously undergoing a period of laxity and decline, were reformed by the initiative ofJosaphat Kuntsevych and Joseph Benjamin Rutsky, beginning with themonastery of the Holy Trinity inVilnius. Following this reform in 1617 the individual monasteries united into a single congregation under a Protarchimandrite directly subject to the Metropolitan, similar to the path Western Rite monasticism took during the Middle Ages. In 1739 a second congregation was formed by monasteries in Halychyna and in 1744 both congregations were united in the Ruthenian Order of St. Basil the Great by PopeBenedict XIV.
The Order of Saint Basil the Great spread and flourished across modern day Belarus and Ukraine and played a key role in the education both of laity and clergy, and helped to preserve the distinctiveness of the Ruthenian culture in the predominantly Polish and Roman CatholicPolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth until thepartitions of Poland at the end of the 18th century. In 1772 the Order had over 200 monasteries and over 1000 monks, sixseminaries, twenty schools and colleges, and four printing houses.
In the last years of the 18th century most of theRuthenian lands came under theRussian Empire, where the Order along with the whole Ruthenian Church was persecuted. Eventually the monasteries were subjected to theRussian Orthodox Church. A small part of modern-day Ukraine came underAustrian rule where the fate of the Ruthenian Church was much better. However, the Order suffered under the policies ofEmperor Joseph II directed against all religious orders. In the second half of the 19th century efforts were undertaken to renew the Order. By 1882 it was reduced to just 60 monks in 14 monasteries. With permission from PopeLeo XIII the Basilian Constitution was updated with help from theSociety of Jesus starting with theDobromyl monastery, by which it became less sedentary and more missionary, among other things allowing the monks to work with theUkrainian diaspora overseas. The Basilians reached Brazil (1897), Canada (1902), United States (1907), andArgentina (1934). New provinces were established coveringTranscarpathia, Hungary, andYugoslavia and Romania. By 1939 the number of monks rose to over 650. In 1944 the order purchased theJohn E. Aldred Estate atLattingtown, New York, now known as St. Josaphat's Monastery.[2]
Following theSecond World War, theSoviets entered further into Europe and forced theUkrainian Greek Catholic Church underground. In all of the Soviet-controlled territories only a single Basilian monastery was left open, in the Polish capital ofWarsaw. Nonetheless, the Order survived among the Ukrainian diaspora in the free world (and in communist Yugoslavia where the regime was relatively benign) and in Ukraine itself where the monks secretly prayed and catechized.
After thecollapse of the Soviet Union, the Order was reestablished in independent Ukraine and other Central and Eastern European countries such as Hungary,Romania,Slovakia andPortugal. Some old monasteries have been restored and new ones established. In 2001 there were over 600 monks, 300 of them in Ukraine.
Saints
Blesseds
Venerables
Servants of God
Protoarchimandrites of theOrder of Saint Basil the Great | |
|---|---|
| Holy Trinity Congregation(1617—1743) |
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| Intercession of the Theotokos Congregation(1739—1741) | |
| United order(1743—1804) | |
| Basilian order of St. Josaphat(since 1931) | |
