Bishop Platon Papers
Scope and Contents
The Bishop Platon Papers contain material relating to the rebirth of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in Nazi-occupied Ukraine and its continued existence in exile in post-war Germany. The material includes records and correspondence related to the administration of the UAOC, UAOC bishops' council (Sobor) meeting minutes and related documents, records and correspondence pertaining to refugee relief and resettlement, and extensive correspondence with other UAOC hierarchs. These provide a window into the difficulties faced by Ukrainian refugees in post-war Germany and the efforts of the Church to minister to its faithful and deal with the internal conflicts that arose in that unstable time. In addition, this collection contains important information of genealogical interest in the form of employment records and relief aid distribution reports.
Dates
- 1942 - 1951
Language of Materials
Materials are primarily Ukrainian, but also inludes materials in German, English, and Belarusian.
Conditions Governing Access
Access and use of this collection may be subject to restrictions. Please contact the archivist (archives@ukrhec.org) for more information and to make arrangements.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright restrictions may apply.
Biographical / Historical
Bishop Platon (born Platon Artemiuk) was a hierarch of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, and served as the Secretary of that Church's Synod of Bishops during post-war exile in Germany. He was born on December 18, 1891 in the village of Nosov, Bilo-Pidlas'kyi county in the Kholm region of Ukraine. He completed the Bilo-Pidlas'kyi Teacher's Seminary in 1910 and worked as a teacher for 3 years before entering the Teacher's Institue in Vilnius, which he completed in 1916. He was ordained a priest on March 15, 1936 by Metr. Oleksii (Hromads'kyi) and assigned to the parish in the village of Novostavtsi in the Rivne area of Volyn'. He was ordained as the UAOC bishop of Rivne on August 2, 1942 in Kyiv. Left Rivne for Warsaw as a refugee on January 14, 1944, and was appointed Secretary of the Synod of Bishops of the UAOC by the Warsaw Sobor. He remained Secretary of the Synod in Germany throughout the DP era. He resettled in Toronto, Canada in 1951, where he died in the same year.
Extent
2.7 Linear Feet (7 boxes)
Abstract
This collection contains material relating to the rebirth of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in Nazi-occupied Ukraine and its continued existence in exile in post-war Germany.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in two subcollections: documents dating to his time as Bishop of Rivne
The collection is arranged in two subcollections: documents dating to his time as Bishop of Rivne, and documents from his period of exile. Within these subcollections, the material is arranged in 7 series as follows.
Subcollection I: Ukraine
Subcollection II: Germany and Canada
Custodial History
Part of the collection of UAOC records kept by Metr. Nikanor. Obtained by the UOC of USA upon Nikanor's death. It is not clear how the material dating to his time in Canada immediately prior to his death ended up as part of this collection.
Status of materials
These materials belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, and are on deposit with the Ukrainian History and Education Center for processing, preservation, and access.
Processing Information
In principle, this collection would be more properly broken into two and named something like "Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Records. Rivne Eparchy. Bishop (1942-1943 : Platon)" and "Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Records. Synod of Bishops. Secretary (1944-1951 : Platon)". However, Platon had no predecessor or successor in either of these positions. Therefore, we have chosen to group them together as a single personal collection, even though much of the material is administrative in nature. Given this, it was not clear where to demarcate the boundary between the Platon's papers as Secretary of the Synod of Bishops and the Administrative Records of the UAOC. We have made the decision to include in this collection those materials with which Bishop Platon appears to have had direct involvement based on internal evidence.
- Title
- Guide to the papers of Bishop Platon
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Michael Andrec
- Date
- 12-19-2011
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Ukrainian History and Education Center Archives Repository