Religious Art under the auspices of the Basilian Order in the 18th century

Abstract

The article considers the influence of Basilian monasteries on the development of
ecclesiastical art of the Ukrainian Uniate church. Chronological frames cover the most vital
development of the Uniat church during the middle and second part of the 18th century.
Significant changes in the equipment of the churches of the OSBM monasteries, which were
the result of the attention of the higher clergy, are highlighted. The main conclusion of the article
is that in the middle – second half of the 18th century, OSBM had a significant emphasis on the
establishment of the denomination by means of religious art in the adopting of the new Rococo
style. It was a rather decisive removal from the ecclesiastical tradition, which included both the
advantages of stylistic renewal with detailed symbolics and semantics of images, and the danger of
“blurring” the pictorial identity of the Eastern rite.
Key words: Basilian Order, religious art, monastic church, iconostasis, altar