Background
Was descended from a noble bulgarian family. Received his humanitarian training in the Holy Trinity Patriarchal Monastery near Tyrnovo under the guidance of Patriarch Euthymius.
Was descended from a noble bulgarian family. Received his humanitarian training in the Holy Trinity Patriarchal Monastery near Tyrnovo under the guidance of Patriarch Euthymius.
Received his humanitarian training in the Holy Trinity Patriarchal Monastery near Tyrnovo under the guidance of Patriarch Euthymius
His world-view was formed in an atmosphere of
social, political and religious life of the southern and eastern Slavs in the
late 14th - early 15 cent., which were then under the influence of
Greco-Byzantine culture. During Turkish expansion in the Balkans he was forced
to leave the country (1394), took up preaching in the monasteries of Byzantium
(Abbot of the Pantocrator monastery), Moldova (presbyter of the Sachauskaya
church), Serbia (Abbot of the Detchany monastery), the Grand Duchy of
Lithuania, from 1415, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Lithuanian-Belarusian state.
The first ceremonial words G.Tsamblak wrote in Byzantium in the 1397-1400 and 1403-1406:
"Eulogy to Great Martyr George", "Eulogy to the Forty Martyrs," "Word on
Holy Thursday", "Word on Holy Friday," etc. Being in Moldavia
(1401-1403) created "Life of John the New of Belgorod", "Eulogy
to the Three Youths and Prophet Daniel," "Word on the
departed", "Eulogy to St. Peter and St. Paul", etc.
In 1406, Tsamblak for the first time visited the Belarusian land while passing
them through on the way to Moscow by the request of Cyprian. In Vilna he
learned of the death of Metropolitan of All Rus' (some researchers believe that
Cyprian was his uncle). Then he went to Serbia, where he wrote one of the great
works - "The Life of Stephen of Detchany." In 1409 he visited Kiev,
where he said "Graveside Oration to Metropolitan Cyprian". During his
living in the Lithuanian-Belarusian state, met Orthodox bishops and Grand Duke
Vytautas, whose relationship with Russian Metropolitan Photius came
complicated. At the suggestion of Vytautas he was promoted to be the
metropolitan of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania by the council of the Belarusian-Ukrainian
bishops in 1414. Despite the anathema of Patriarchs of Constantinople and
Photius, 15.11.1415 the synod of Orthodox Bishops in the Belarussian city
Navagradak (Novogrudok) elected Gregory Tsamblak to be the Metropolitan. Gregory made Novogrudok his residence in spring, 1416. In 1418 as a head of a delegation of 300 representatives from
the Belarusian-Lithuanian state, Veliky Novgorod, Moldova, and the Great
Horde he attended Konstantsky synod, where he made two speeches ("Welcoming
speech to Pope Martin V" and "Welcoming speech to the
fathers of the Konstantsky synod"), but didn't support the
union. Living in Belarus (1414-19), Tsamblak wrote
"Eulogy to Euthymius of Tyrnovo" "Eulogy to St. Demetrius
", a polemical word "How Germans Keep Faith", " words"
on holy days (on Ascension, The Dormition of the Theotokos, the beheading
of John the Baptist and etc.), a sticheron "On the Dormition of the
Theotokos", rewrote prayer books, participated in the preparation of
"Akhrughovaya ghramata" and "Exculpatory letter of western
Russian bishops". Died most likely in 1419, however, some researchers
(A.Yatsymirski and others) suggested that about 1429 he went to Moldova, where
he was a monk until the mid-15th
century.
Tsamblack's works were written in vivid figurative language in the expressive and emotional
florid style. On the Belarusian land he continued and developed the tradition
of ceremonial eloquence of Cyril of Turov, raised issues of public importance.
Protection of native faith and culture, glorification of the national-cultural
figures at the time of the Turkish invasion was a deeply patriotic act, that
raised the importance of his works. Hesychasm of Gregory's mentality orientated
him to the temporal world, in his Lives one can feel interest in the inner
state of a person, the description is specified, the abstract mental image of the hero is created. Tsamblak's literary heritage was well known among eastern and southern Slavs, his "Words" were marked by
pre-renaissance trends, and were preserved in numerous handwritten collections
of 15-19 centuries. - "Torzhestvennikhi", "Lives of
Saints," "Chetstsy Minhneyi" (Menology), were included in the
black-letter "Sobornik" published in 1642.
His preachings and Lives were actively rewritten in the Belarusian monasteries
(Suprasl, Slutsk Holy Trinity, Zhyrovichi, Orsha, Lavrishesky, etc.), being
original literary examples for local scribes and preachers, spiritually
enriching belarusian readers. Creative work of Tsamblak indicates fruitfulness
of interslavic literary relations. It played an important role in the history
of Belarusian literature, especially in the period of its development, as well
under the violent polemical struggle at the end of 16 - 17 cent. for the
preservation of the national culture and traditions.