Hilarion of Kyiv

Leonid S. Chekin (Independent Scholar - North America)

Ed. by Andrei Rogatchevski, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 2.2.1.00: Slavic and Russian Writing and Culture: Old, Medieval and Tsarist, 700-1917.
Vol. editors: Neil Cornwell (University of Bristol), Roman Koropeckyj (University of California, Los Angeles), Andrei Rogatchevski (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway)

Dates

Born c. 1000
Died c. 1055
Activity c. 1000-c. 1055

Places

Active in Ukraine

Activities

Primary

Preacher

Resources

of Kyiv's Works

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Hilarion (Ilarion), Metropolitan of Kyiv (Kiev) from 1051 to 1054 or 1055, is the author of the earliest extant works of original literature in the so-called “Old East Slavic,” or “Rusian” language. These terms designate a group of linguistic varieties in the realm of

Kievan Rus

. Kievan Rus of the time of Hilarion should be understood as a domain of Rurikid princes, with the prince of Kiev being the senior prince, and a single Orthodox Church jurisdiction under the rule of the Metropolitan of Kyiv. Literary historians have elevated Hilarion’s most famous work, the Sermon on Law and Grace, to the status of a founding text of literature in East Slavic languages.

Medieval chronicles provide some information about Hilarion’s career. In an entry dated in the year 1051, the Primary

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2493 words

Citation: Chekin, Leonid S.. "Hilarion of Kyiv". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 June 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=15140, accessed 21 November 2024.]