The monograph of Eugeniusz Iwaniec Z dziejów staroobrzędowców na ziemiach polskich w XVII–XX w. [The history of the Old Believers in Poland in the 17>th—20th century] is devoted to discussing reasons, the course and results of migration of the Old Believers from Russia to the areas currently within the Republic of Poland. The work assumes an interdisciplinary perspective to the presented issues. The author uses the methodology of broadly understood humanities, combining historical, sociological, ethnographic, religious, literary, culture and linguistic studies’ approaches. The book is comprised of an introduction, seven chapters, a list of bibliographical references and a names index. Chapters I and II present social-historical reasons behind the schism (Raskol) in the Russian Orthodox Church in the mid-17th century, as well as the genesis of the Old Believers’ movement in the newly established Russian Empire ruled by the Romanov dynasty. Outlining the main rules of “the old belief,” the Author separately focuses on doctrinal features of numerous Old Believers’ factions (communities), such as their attitude to spiritual hierarchy, baptism, marriages, etc. Chapter III contains brief information on the history of Old Believers’ migration to the Republic of Poland, which started in the second half of the 17th century and lasted until the beginning of the 20th century. Additionally, it provides a description of the position of the Old Believers Church in Poland at the time the monograph was published (1977). Chapters IV and V are devoted to the history of shaping communities of the Old Believers, respectively in the Białostockie voivodeship (in the region of Suwalszczyzna) and in Mazury in Olsztyńskie voivodeship. The presented history was compiled on the basis of archives and “oral history” narrated by villagers. In the next two chapters, the Author presents elements of traditional religious (VI) and material (VII) culture of the Old Believers living in Poland. Detailed descriptions of artefacts of culture are illustrated with unique photographs taken by the Author himself. The monograph is complemented with rich bibliography, which includes scientific publications and Russian, German and Polish archival sources, as well as a names index.
The translation and publication of the monograph were financed from the resources of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education as part of the National Programme for the Development of Humanities (Uniwersalia 2.1), project no. 21H1818010086.