Kiev-Pechersk Lavra to host an international scientific conference dedicated to the 1000th anniversary of Old Russian monasticism on Mount Athos

On 25-26 October, the Kiev Theological Academy and Seminary of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church will host the International scientific conference dedicated to the 1000th anniversary of Old Russian monasticism on Mount Athos and the influence of monastic traditions on religious education and culture in Eastern Europe.

It is organized by the Kiev Theological Academy of the UOC and the International Institute of Mount Athos heritage in Ukraine. The organizing committee of the conference told a UOJ journalist that on the first day the participants will gather for a special plenary session at the Refectory Church of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

Foreign guests of the forum will be prominent theologians from the United States, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic and Russia. The conference will also feature breakout sessions and a round table dedicated to the historical, spiritual and cultural ties with the Holy Mount of Athos.

Also the year 2016 marks the 200th anniversary of a famous church hierarch and scholar, a graduate of the Kiev Theological Academy, Metropolitan Macarius (Bulgakov, 1816-1882). A special conference section is planned to be devoted to this date.

The following issues are on the agenda of the conference:

- The interaction of the secular and ecclesiastical sciences in the study of the Mount Athos spiritual and cultural heritage;
- The role of Mount Athos in the development of the monastic, cultural and educational traditions in Ukraine and other Slavic countries;
- Athos ascetics John Vyshenskiy, Job of Maniava (Kniaginitskiy), Isaac Boriskovich and their role in the revival of Orthodoxy in Ukraine and after the Union of Brest;
- Former Athos monks – martyrs and confessors of the faith in the ХХ century;
- The history and present state of spiritual and theological schools;
- The interaction of secular and ecclesiastical sciences in the study of the creative heritage of the Kiev Theological Academy professors.

Professors and students of the spiritual and secular educational institutions, experts in the field of theology, philosophy, history and pedagogy are welcome to take part in the conference.

The materials of the conference are planned for publication in a special edition of the "Proceedings of the Kiev Theological Academy."

The UOJ will monitor and report on the developments.