Metadata: Orthodox spiritual consistory of Vilnius
Collection
- Country:
- Lithuania
- Holding institution:
- Lithuanian State Historical Archives
- Holding institution (official language):
- Lietuvos Valstybes Istorijos Archyvas
- Postal address:
- Mindaugo g. 8, 03107 Vilnius
- Phone number:
- +370 5 213 7482
- Web address:
- https://www.archyvai.lt/lt/lvia.html
- Email:
- istorijos.archyvas@lvai.lt
- Reference number:
- F. 605
- Title:
- Orthodox spiritual consistory of Vilnius
- Title (official language):
- Vilniaus stačiatikių vyskupijos dvasinė konsistorija (Виленская православная духовная консистория)
- Creator/accumulator:
- Lithuanian State Historical Archives
- Date(s):
- 1582/1942
- Language:
- Russian
- Polish
- Lithuanian
- Extent:
- 17,685 files
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Physical condition:
- good
- Scope and content:
-
This collection is a valuable source for researchers studying the interaction between the Orthodox Spiritual Consistory of Vilnius and Jews (individuals and kahals).
The files in the first inventory may be divided into several groups. The most interesting group are the files connected to apostasy and conversion including files on the life of baptised Jews: collection of documents on apostasy from Judaism and baptism of Jews, duty to educate children of baptised Jews (246), duty to inform the police about the place of residence of baptised Jews (1559), acceptance of a baptised Jew as a monastic novice (638), and decrees on the rules for conversion from Judaism to Orthodoxy (2541).
File number 64 "The case of the Jew Zelman Nurok who wanted to convert to Orthodoxy" from 1840 gives an idea on the stages of conversion from Judaism to Orthodoxy (petition addressed to the abbot of the monastery, kahal's certificate of honest behaviour, consent to further paperwork from the archimandrite, testimony from the petitioner of the representative of the Orthodox Church, teaching the Articles of Faith and Prayers), autobiography, detailed information about the family (class, marital status, data of parents, children), career description, and motives for conversion. File number 235 "The case of the Jew Smujlo Aronovich (son of Chaim) who wanted to be baptised" from 1842 gives information on the consequences of escape during the conversion from Judaism to Christianity, family relationships, and denunciation.
The next group of files relates to property and financial relations between Orthodox Church institutions and Jews. There are documents relating to land lease (1596, 2224), placement of a church in a Jewish building (308), construction of buildings by Jews on the land of the Orthodox Church (722, 1990, 2111), and providing money for the Jewish kahal (341).
The third group of files contains information on bans on Jews, and rules for Jews using their real estate near Orthodox Church institutions (703, 1601).
The last group of this inventory includes documents on Jewish contractors for the construction of Orthodox churches (48, 78 - 80). These files provide information on concrete contractors like Solomon Kacenelenbogen, Icek Solovejchik, and merchants Eljash Mejerovich, Jankel Prejs, Orel Klachko, etc.
The seventh inventory contains files 839 and 906 on conversion to another religion.
Inventory number 9 includes files on conflict over Jewish buildings and Jewish activities near Catholic Church institutions (905), land disputes (898), apostasy from Judaism (57, 117, 158, 1086, 1342, 1528, 2050, 2051, 2141), recovery of a debt from a priest in favour of a Jew (1283), and aid for Jewish refugees by an Orthodox priest (1917). File number 905 is entitled "The case according to the report of the administration of the Vilnius Holy Spiritual Monastery on the closing of windows in the Gordons’ house, which overlooked the monastery garden" while file number 1917 comprises the "Journal of the meetings of the consistory for 10 October1916 on the patronage of Jewish refugees by the priest of the Staro-Krasnoselskaya Church" from 1916.
- Archival history:
- The fonds was supplemented in 2019.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The Lithuanian Orthodox Diocese was founded in 1839. On March 6, it included the Vilnius and Grodno provinces. From 17 April 1840 it was called the Lithuanian-Vilnius Diocese. After 1845, its centre was temporarily located in the Irovice Monastery. On May 9 it moved to Vilnius. The Ecclesiastical Consistory was an advisory body to the episcopal administration and court. Its statutes were finally approved in 1841. From 1918 to 1923 its functions in Vilnius were performed by the Lithuanian Diocesan Council. Jews began to convert to Christianity in the 19th to early 20th centuries, when religious affiliation to Judaism ceased to be rigidly defined by nationality. The conversion to Christianity removed from Jews the educational and other restrictions that existed in a number of states (in the Russian Empire until 1917). Mass baptism of Jews was practiced in the era of Nicholas I, when up to 30 thousand Jews were baptised. A thousand people a year converted from Judaism to Orthodoxy in the era of Nicholas II. Most often, the cantonists (minors who were called up for military service) wore the cross. Jews from the Pale of Settlement were recruited into the Russian army following the Tsar's decree on 26 August 1827. Cantonists received Orthodox names (according to the calendar), as well as the surname of their godparents (including noble families such as the Ivanovs, Petrovs and Stepanovs). However, some cantonists returned to Judaism after their discharge.
- Access points: locations:
- Grodno
- Sokolka
- Švenčionys
- Vilnius
- Finding aids:
- There is an electronic archive catalogue.
- Yerusha Network member:
- Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People
- Author of the description:
- Maryia Sawicka; 2021
