JDU INSTITUTE OF HISTORY, JASNA GÓRA AND KYIV PECHERSK LAVRA TO COLLABORATE ON RESEARCH INTO MARIAN DEVOTION

Jasna Góra welcomed a delegation from the National Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Reserve in Kyiv. The delegation comprised dr Kostiantyn Kryinyi, Deputy Director General for Research, and dr Olha Krainia. The meeting was attended by dr Bartosz Stuła and dr Norbert Morawiec from the Institute of History at Jan Dlugosz University in Czestochowa, together with Marcin Barczyński, Managing Representative of the Jasna Góra Information Centre.

During their visit, the guests were introduced to the history and heritage of Poland's national Marian shrine. They visited, among other places, the Jasna Góra Votive Offerings Research Centre, where they learned about the Centre's scholarly work on one of Europe's most valuable collections of votive offerings. The delegation also had the opportunity to explore the significance of the Jasna Góra collections for research into the history of religious devotion, sacred art, and cultural heritage.

The principal aim of the meeting was to discuss opportunities for establishing cooperation between the Institute of History at Jan Dlugosz University in Czestochowa, Jasna Góra, and the National Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Reserve. The discussions focused primarily on research into Marian devotion, the history of pilgrimage shrines, and votive offerings as an important source for the study of religious history and the cultural heritage of Central and Eastern Europe.

These themes closely align with the research interests of dr Bartosz Stuła and dr Norbert Morawiec, whose work explores the history of Marian devotion, pilgrimage shrines, and their role in shaping religious and cultural identity. The planned cooperation will include joint research projects, the exchange of academic expertise, the organisation of conferences, and the further development of research into Marian devotion and votive offerings as exceptional testimony to the history, religious life, and cultural heritage of Poland and Central and Eastern Europe.

The meeting marked an important step towards establishing long-term cooperation between the JDU Institute of History, Jasna Góra, and the National Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Reserve, opening up new opportunities for joint research and public engagement initiatives dedicated to the preservation and study of the Christian heritage.