The Orthodox Church in the context of state and church development in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Ruthenia, Samogitia and the Kingdom of Poland (1458-1509)

ENThe purpose of the study is to analyze the state and legal processes that influenced the organizational development of the Orthodox Church in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Grand Pricipality of Ruthenia (Rus’), the Grand Duchy of Samogitia (Žemaitija) and the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and as the consequence – transformation of the society. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism, systematic, scientific, verification, authorial objectivity, moderate narrative constructivism, as well as the use of general scientific (analysis, synthesis, generalization) and special historical (historical and genetic, historical and typological, historical and systemic) methods. The scientific novelty of obtained results is determined by the fact that there have been comprehensively analyzed the state and church relations in the Ukrainian lands in the second half of the XVth – at the beginning of the XVIth centuries to comprehend the experience. The Conclusins. In the middle of the XVth century weakened Kyiv metropolitanate became the object of active interest of two religious centres – Rome and Moscow. Religious policy of the Lithuanian and Polish rulers of the second half of the XVth – the beginning of the XVIth century was determined by the pressure of the papal throne on the accession of the Orthodox to the Roman Church (including by means of the Union) and the personal attitude of this or that ruler. Religious intolerance on the part of the Catholic Church and secular authorities forced the Orthodox population to seek protection among the rulers of the Grand Duchy of Moscow.Under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan of Kyiv there remained the dioceses, which were located on the territory of two states: the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland. The difficult situation of the Orthodox Church in the Catholic state, the appointment of dubious people to higher ecclesiastical positions by the king, put on the agenda the need for church reforms. The resolutions of Vilnius Synod were the results of the attempt of the Church, in the person of Metropolitan Joseph, to react to the transformed right of patronage and to propose a model of church and state relations. The decisions of Vilnius Synod reflected the struggle against the interference of the secular authorities in the affairs of Kyiv metropolitanate. Key words: Kyiv metropolitanate, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Kingdom of Poland, the Ukrainian lands, Union, religious policy, state and church relations.