Boretsky, Yov

Boretsky, Yov [Борецький Йов or Іов; Borec'kyj, Jov], d 2 March 1631 in Kyiv. Outstanding church leader and educator, defender of the Orthodox faith, the Orthodox metropolitan of Kyiv (1620–31). His family came from Bircha (Bircza) in Galicia. He was educated at the Lviv Dormition Brotherhood School and abroad. He worked as a teacher and rector at the Lviv Dormition Brotherhood School (1604–5) and was the first rector of the Kyiv Epiphany Brotherhood School (1615–18). In 1620 he helped found the Lutsk Brotherhood of the Elevation of the Cross School. In 1619 he became hegumen of Saint Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery of Kyiv. In August 1620 the patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophanes III, ordained Boretsky metropolitan of Kyiv. Boretsky had a strong influence on the Cossacks under Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny's hetmancy. As metropolitan Boretsky composed a petition in defense of the Orthodox herarchy entitled Protestacja (1621). Along with the Uniate metropolitan Yosyf Rutsky, he favored a general reconciliation within the Ukrainian church, but failed to gain the support of the Cossacks for his plans. A prolific translator, Boretsky also wrote poems honoring saints, petitions, prefaces, and edicts. Perestoroha is attributed to him. He was the coauthor of Apolleia Apolohii (A Refutation of 'A Defense,' 1628) and the translator of Antolohion from the Greek (1619).

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 1 (1984).]