The Last Lover of the Empress

The main character of a new book written by Ivan Korsak, a famous Ukrainian litterateur from Volyn, Arceniy Matsievich (1697-1772 is the representative of the second wave of Ukrainian enlighteners generation in Russia. The son of priest from Volynian nobility. The member of saint Synod. Rostov metropolitan for 20 years (it’s the lightest period in the history of Rosrov). The Great preacher: he wrote 217 gospels. He passionately defended the rights of the Church from government interference.

The lasting fight ended in defrocking and life imprisonment. The metropolitan had been judged for perverse and repellent interpretation of Holy Writ and for ruffling of the lieges for seven days. After the first court Catherine II sent him as a simple monk to the monastery situated near Arkhangelsk. Then he was brought to justice as a political criminal (who should be executed and killed) and the Czarina ordered to immure him in the casemates of Revel fortress.