Basil Buturlin (1654)

Nicholas Zharkikh

Abstract of the chapter

Detailed argumentation in ukrainian version

Moscow boyar V.V.Buturlin at the Pereyaslav Council January 8, 1654 passed to the hetman Khmelnytsky tsar's banner depicting St. Savior, Pechersk Saints and st. Barbara [Acts, related to the history of South and Western Russia. – St. Petersburg, 1878, v. 10, col. 230].

The Russian government, while preparing this flag and speech, already had quite some information about Kyiv relics and found them as valid relics of st. Barbara (without going into the question of their origin).

As Moscow government received this information? In my opinion, it was gaved by Kyiv monk Theodosius Sofonovych during his trip to Moscow in August 1649.

If my assumption comes true, it turns out that T.Sofonovych became a propagandist of Kyiv relics at least from 1649. As we will soon see, he was a major enthusiast of this matter during the next quarter century.