On 24 February 2024 (12 February Old Style), we commemorate the 185th anniversary of the Council of Polotsk, which abolished the Union in the Belarusian and Lithuanian lands.
His Eminence Joseph (Semashko, 1798/99–1868) served as a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan of Lithuania and Vilnius, honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, man of letters, and an outstanding labourer in the Lord’s vineyard. Orthodox believers venerate him for his remarkable achievement in bringing over 1,600,000 Belarusian Uniates back into the fold of the Russian Orthodox Church. His life’s work culminated in the Act of the Polotsk Council of 1838, by which “Those torn away by force (1596) were reunited in love (1839)” with the Mother Church, as the inscription on a medal commemorating this event reads.
Front and reverse of the medal inscribed “Those torn away by force (1596) were reunited by love (1839)”, issued to commemorate the return of the Uniates to the fold of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1839
At a conference in 2018, Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) remarked: “The Union was, and sadly remains, a special project of the Catholic Church aimed at undermining canonical Orthodoxy. Here, on Belarusian soil, the infamous ‘Union of Brest’ of 1596 was once concluded, bringing untold suffering to the Orthodox population of this land.” It deepened existing social rifts and conflicts, ultimately escalating them into hostility and bloodshed, leaving the Orthodox population effectively marginalised and outlawed.
At that juncture in history, political agendas, along with ambitious and self-serving interests, gained the upper hand, inflicting immense harm upon God’s work. It took the Church over 250 years of struggle, through the efforts of those dedicated to prayer, martyrs, ascetics, people of goodwill, and, most importantly, through the assistance of God’s abundant grace, to erase the devastating consequences of these misguided actions.
In the final third of the 18th century, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, as Stefan Runkevich (1867–1924) vividly described, there existed “laws without power, a king without authority, a parliament without order, an army without discipline, a treasury without funds, a people without rights, and a nobility without strong moral foundations…” The relentless persecution of Orthodox Christians within this state was yet another factor that ultimately led to the partitions of the Commonwealth in 1772–1795.
According to Metropolitan Joseph (Semashko), “the Union operated unevenly, both in time and location… It gained strength and established itself primarily where the Roman Catholic clergy, and especially the Jesuits, held sway. Thus, closer to Warsaw and Vilnius, the Union took deep root from the outset and became firmly established over time. However, further towards the borders of Russia, where the population was almost exclusively Russian and the Latin clergy were few in number, the Union spread with considerable difficulty, barely taking hold in the last fifty years of Polandэs existence.”
In his renowned memorandum of 1827, the future Metropolitan Joseph (Semashko) wrote: “I am confident that few peasants of Russian descent within the Roman rite would have joined it already during Russian rule.” It stands to reason that if the Russian government had remained inactive, the Uniates would have simply vanished into the depths of Polish Latinism. Semashko explicitly warned of this danger: “…perhaps all it would take is one favourable opportunity, and one and a half million Russians by blood and language will be forever alienated from their elder brothers.”
Russian emperors Paul I and Alexander I did not take significant actions to shield the Belarusian population from Polonisation and Catholicisation. However, during the reign of Emperor Nicholas I (1796–1855), the situation changed dramatically. By the early 19th century, circumstances had evolved that favoured the return of those forcefully drawn into the Union, and who had suffered from it in various ways, back to the embrace of the Orthodox Church. By this time, pro-Orthodox and pro-Russian sentiments existed among many priests within the Uniate Church itself, especially among the most educated clergy. It was from their midst that Divine Providence, in the late 1820s, brought forth the future hierarch of reunion, Joseph (Semashko), onto the historical stage.
The village of Pavlovka, Kiev Governorate (present-day Vinnitsa region)
God’s chosen one, the future Metropolitan Joseph (Joseph Iosifovich Semashko in the world), drew his first breath in 1799, in the village of Pavlovka, Kiev Governorate (present-day Vinnitsa region), within the well-to-do household of Joseph and Thecla Semashko. In 1811, his father embraced the role of a Uniate priest. Joseph’s ancestors and numerous kin on both sides of the family also belonged to the Uniate clergy. As the newborn Joseph arrived into the world, the bells of the local Orthodox church pealed joyfully, summoning the faithful to the Christmas Matins. Decades later, when the Uniates reunited, his aged father would recall this moment: “Clearly, it wasn’t for nothing that my son was born on the same day as Jesus Christ… truth must be on his side.”
Eight children graced the family: five brothers and three sisters, with Joseph being the eldest of the sons. The everyday life and customs of the Semashko family, considered “gentlefolk” in the village, differed little from the routines and traditions of the peasantry. Joseph senior possessed fifty hectares of land, which he cultivated with the help of hired hands. Moreover, he kept a substantial apiary, traded in fish, dispatching wagon trains to the Don for it, and also brought salt from Crimea on his carts. The children grew up in an environment of love, guided by their parents’ example, and were accustomed to work from a tender age. To the villagers who questioned why he tasked his “gentlemen” with strenuous chores, Joseph senior would invariably reply: “Let them learn to work first, they can ‘lord it’ later.”
The River Don in the steppe
The Semashkos held no prejudice against Orthodoxy. As there was no Uniate church in Pavlovka, the father would sometimes attend services at the local Orthodox church and, until Joseph was twelve, sent him there for worship along with the farmhands, always insisting that his son recount the Gospel and Epistle readings from the service. The boy embraced the Orthodox worship wholeheartedly. When the time came to introduce him to the local gentry and take him to the Catholic church, he was unimpressed. In his own words, everything in the Catholic church “seemed odd to him, and the service itself was more like a play than a prayer.” Growing up amidst Ukrainian peasants, Joseph developed a fondness for their legends, songs, and tales; his heart swelled with profound empathy for the Orthodox people, their faith, and, along with it, for Russia.
The town of Nemirov, Kamenets-Podolsky Governorate (present-day Vinnitsa Oblast)
From 1809 to 1816, Joseph pursued his education at the Nemirov Gymnasium (Podolsky Governorate), under the patronage of Prince Adam Czartoryski. The language of instruction was Polish. The young man graduated at the top of his class and proceeded to the Catholic Theology Faculty of Vilnius University, known as the “Main Seminary.”
Here, members of the Catholic and Uniate clergy pursued higher education, later stepping into senior administrative roles in the Catholic and Uniate Churches, as well as filling teaching positions in diocesan seminaries. On 6 July 1820, Joseph completed his studies at the Main Seminary, earning a Master’s degree in Theology.
The grand courtyard of the University, Vilnius
His remarkable talents, keen intellect, and education opened up brilliant prospects for this young and distinguished church leader. During 1820-21, the Uniate Bishop of Lutsk, Jacob Matusevich, ordained Joseph (Semashko), who had embraced celibacy, first as a deacon and then as a priest. By 1822, at just twenty-three years old, Joseph was already an archpriest and dean of the Uniate churches in the Lutsk diocese. That same year, at the instigation of Bishop Jacob, Joseph (Semashko) transferred to St. Petersburg to take up the position of assessor in the Second Uniate Department of the Roman Catholic College. Over the next few years, he was conferred the title of Canon and subsequently of Prelate (an honorary ecclesiastical title awarded by the Catholic Church for exceptional service). However, these outward successes and achievements did nothing to alter Joseph’s (Semashko) affinity for Orthodoxy. Even during his time at Vilnius University, amidst his Catholic surroundings, his close associate and friend Antoniy Zubko recalled that Semashko “was already entirely independent in his convictions, leaning towards unity with the Russian people.”
His position as an assessor in the High Administration of the Catholic Church in Russia afforded Joseph (Semashko) a comprehensive view of the deeply troubled and oppressed condition of the Uniate Church, but his efforts could not turn the tide. This led Prelate Joseph, in 1827, to make the momentous decision to relinquish his burgeoning career within the Uniate Church, embrace Orthodoxy, and enter the monastic life at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. To substantiate his desire, he began writing “A Treatise on the Orthodoxy of the Eastern Church,” where he openly declared his beliefs incompatible with remaining within the Roman Catholic Church. Upon completing the “Treatise,” he intended to publicly announce his conversion to Orthodoxy. However, in early November 1827, an unexpected proposal arrived from the Director of the Department of Spiritual Affairs of Foreign Confessions, G. I. Kartashevsky, requesting him to commit his thoughts on the state of the Uniate Church to writing. Prelate Joseph’s memorandum, “On the Situation of the Uniate Church in Russia and the Means to Return it to the Fold of the Orthodox Church,” alternatively titled, “Considerations of the Chief Administrator of Spiritual Affairs of Foreign Confessions” — landed on the desk of Emperor Nicholas I and sparked his keen interest.
The emperor inscribed the following resolution on this document: “I rejoice that I have chanced upon a man in the Uniate Church who may be able to assist us in the endeavour to which I am incessantly devoted and which, God willing, I shall bring to fruition. You may inform him that I am most pleased to have made his acquaintance.” Thus began the journey of returning the Uniates to the embrace of the Orthodox Church, a mission to which Joseph (Semashko) dedicated his life.
In 1829, Joseph (Semashko) embraced monastic tonsure without a change of name and was soon consecrated Bishop of Mstislavl, serving as Vicar of the Diocese of Polotsk. Because there was no Uniate temple in St. Petersburg, the consecration took place in a Catholic church.
Districts of the Russian Empire, 1866
Upon receiving the episcopal rank, Joseph was also appointed to the Greek-Uniate Collegium and made chairman of the consistory of the Belarusian diocese. He now faced the intricate task of staffing the new church administration with dependable people who supported the reunification. His responsibilities included nurturing Uniate theological students in the Orthodox spirit in newly established and existing educational institutions, and instilling in the clergy the conviction of the necessity of reunification. Steps in this direction included: the appointment of Archpriest Anthony Zubko, a long-standing comrade and like-minded colleague of Joseph’s, as Rector of the Zhirovichi Seminary; the assigning of Archpriests A. Tupalsky and N. Slonimsky, renowned for their loyalty to Orthodoxy and Russia, as Chairmen of diocesan consistories; the publication, for parish priests, of Saint Philaret of Moscow’s “Conversations Between an Inquirer and a Believer Concerning the Orthodox Greco-Russian Eastern Church”, translated into Polish by Bishop Joseph himself; and many other initiatives.
After ten years of relentless perseverance, Bishop Joseph’s (Semashko) plan to reunite the Uniates in the Western provinces of Russia with the Orthodox Church finally bore fruit. His unyielding dedication overcame numerous challenges, bringing his vision to life.
Metropolitan Joseph (Semashko) in his later years
Metropolitan Joseph (Semashko) played a significant, and arguably decisive, role in the abolition of the Union of Brest in 1839 and the subsequent revival of Orthodoxy in the Belarusian and Lithuanian lands. It is hard to imagine that anyone with a different attitude towards faith in God, moral character, strength of conviction in their cause, courage, and selflessness could propose and successfully carry out such a transformation in the confessional allegiance of over one and a half million people. In 1859, Metropolitan Joseph remarked to the future Bishop Leonid (Krasnopevkov) of Dmitrov, then Archimandrite of the Zaikonospassky Monastery: “I do not know whether God will accept this deed from me (the dissolution of the Union), but I know that I acted sincerely, without any ulterior motives.”
On 12 February 1839, the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, a Council of three Uniate bishops — Joseph (Semashko), Basil (Luzhinsky), and Anthony (Zubko) — and 21 other high-ranking clergy members adopted a two-point decree in Polotsk. The first point proclaimed unity with the Orthodox Church and petitioned for the Uniate Church’s subordination to the Most Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. In the second, the council fathers beseeched Emperor Nicholas I to facilitate the swift reunification of the Uniates with Orthodoxy. Appended to the Council’s decree were the pledges of 1305 priests and monks, a number that swelled to 1607 following the decree’s adoption.
After the momentous signing, Bishop Joseph celebrated a solemn Divine Liturgy in the Polotsk Cathedral of St. Sophia. In a powerful and symbolic gesture, he commemorated all Orthodox patriarchs instead of the Pope of Rome, and the Orthodox Symbol of Faith was proclaimed. After the liturgy, all bishops offered a thanksgiving Moleben.
Polotsk, Saint Sophia Cathedral, where Bishop Joseph celebrated the Divine Liturgy after the signing of the Council’s decree
Bishop Joseph then conveyed the Council’s decree to Saint Petersburg and, on 26 February, presented it to the Chief Procurator of the Synod, Protasov. On 1 March, the decree was submitted to the Emperor, who passed it on to the Synod for consideration. On 13 March, the Synod resolved: “To unite the bishops, clergy, and faithful of the Greco-Catholic Church with the Orthodox Church of All Russia.” On 25 March, Nicholas I granted his assent, inscribing on the document conveying the Synod’s decision: “I thank God and accept.” On 30 March, at a plenary session of the Synod, the Emperor’s approval was announced to Bishop Joseph (Semashko), and a charter was issued to the reunited bishops, clergy, and people. Subsequently, Bishop Joseph was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan.
The practicalities of dissolving the union were handled with utmost care and sensitivity throughout 1839. This reunion stands as the most significant single missionary gain in the history of the Russian Church.
For nearly thirty years, Metropolitan Joseph, occupying the Lithuanian See, tirelessly worked to fortify Orthodoxy in the region. His approach was marked by a notable absence of fanaticism. In 1845, when transferring diocesan administration from Zhirovichi to Vilnius — into “the very heart of Lithuanian Latinism” — he especially urged his colleagues to approach Catholics with love, forgiving them for any slights and slanders (which he wisely foresaw). “This feeling of love for them,” declared the Metropolitan, “is the vow of my entire life, and petty hatred will not touch my heart even if I had to seal this disposition of mine with blood.”
Metropolitan Joseph (Semashko) on his deathbed, 1868
Even after relocating to Vilnius, Metropolitan Joseph submitted several petitions for retirement, but they went unanswered.
The twilight years of Metropolitan Joseph’s life aligned with a turbulent period marked by a fresh Polish insurrection. It was during this time that the bishop’s unifying endeavours gained recognition as a matter of profound state significance. M. N. Muravyov-Vilensky wrote: “The government owes solely to him (Metropolitan Joseph) the accomplishment of this great endeavour, which has laid a firm foundation for Russian identity in the region and enabled the rural populace to resist rebellion.”
Metropolitan Joseph breathed his last on 23 November 1868 in Vilnius. He was laid to rest in the cave church of the Vilna Martyrs at the Holy Spirit Monastery, in a crypt he had prepared for himself back in 1849.
“The work to which I was called is accomplished; the building is constructed and complete; all that remains for my successors is to smooth out a few rough edges. God will not permit the memory of this virtuous deed, so piously and diligently executed, to fade, nor will the virtuous doers be forgotten or scorned.”
(Metropolitan Joseph (Semashko))
Prepared by the team of obitel-minsk.ru
Images sourced from the internet
Sources used in preparation:
1. Joseph (Semashko I.I.; Metropolitan of Lithuania and Vilnius; 1798–1868). Memoirs / Metropolitan Joseph (Semashko); foreword by Priest Alexei Khoteyev. — Minsk: Brotherhood in Honour of the Holy Archangel Michael, 2018.
2. Kiprianovich, G.Y. The Life of Joseph Semashko, Metropolitan of Lithuania and Vilnius, and the Reunification of the Western Russian Uniates with the Orthodox Church in 1839 / G.Y. Kiprianovich. — 2nd ed., revised and expanded. — Vilna: I. Blyumovich Printing House, 1897.
3. Pashkevich, Ignatius, Priest. “My Seminary Reminiscences” / Ignatius Pashkevich, Priest. My Seminary Reminiscences // Grodno Diocesan Gazette. — No. 34. — 1909.
4. “Life and Works of His Eminence Joseph (Semashko), Metropolitan of Vilnius and Lithuania” | Bobruisk Diocese (bobreparhiya.by)
5. “Council of Polotsk of 1839” — Synodal Department of Religious Education and Catechesis (oroik.by)
6. “His Eminence Joseph (Semashko), Metropolitan of Lithuania and Vilnius (1798−1868): Significance of Personality and Activity” — Vitebsk Diocese (vitprav.by)
7. “Ecclesiological Views of Metropolitan Joseph (Semashko) of Lithuania and Vilnius and their Origins” | Bobruisk Diocese (bobreparhiya.by)
