Alexander Ksaverievich Bulatovich (russian: Алекса́ндр Ксаве́рьевич Булато́вич; 26 September 1870 – 5 December 1919)
tonsure
Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice in ...
d Father Antony (отец Антоний) was a Russian military officer, explorer of
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
, writer,
hieromonk
A hieromonk ( el, Ἱερομόναχος, Ieromonachos; ka, მღვდელმონაზონი, tr; Slavonic: ''Ieromonakh'', ro, Ieromonah), also called a priestmonk, is a monk who is also a priest in the Eastern Orthodox Church and E ...
and the leader of the
imiaslavie
''Imiaslavie'' (russian: Имяславие, literally "praising the name") or ''Imiabozhie'' (), also spelled ''imyaslavie'' and ''imyabozhie'', and also referred to as onomatodoxy, is a Christian dogmatic movement that asserts that the name of ...
movement in
Eastern Orthodox Christianity
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...
.
Biography
Early life
Alexander was born to a family of
Oryol
Oryol ( rus, Орёл, p=ɐˈrʲɵl, lit. ''eagle''), also transliterated as Orel or Oriol, is a city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast situated on the Oka River, approximately south-southwest of Moscow. It is part of the Central Fed ...
nobility and was of Russian/Belarusian, French, Georgian, and Tatar descent.
He studied in
Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum
The Imperial Lyceum (Императорский Царскосельский лицей, ''Imperatorskiy Tsarskosel'skiy litsey'') in Tsarskoye Selo near Saint Petersburg, also known historically as the Imperial Alexander Lyceum after its founde ...
, then served in the
Hussar
A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely ...
Leib Guard regiment.
Accomplishments
In 1896 he was a member of the Russian mission of the
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
in
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
, where he became a confidant of
Negus Menelek II of Ethiopia
, spoken = ; ''djānhoi'', lit. ''"O steemedroyal"''
, alternative = ; ''getochu'', lit. ''"Our master"'' (pl.)
Menelik II ( gez, ዳግማዊ ምኒልክ ; horse name Abba Dagnew (Amharic: አባ ዳኘው ''abba daññäw''); 17 A ...
. He begins arrival to Ethiopia with phenomenal showy courier's marathon by reason of record speed with the use of camel, during this courier's march the
Nikolay Leontiev
Nikolay Stepanovich Leontiev, 1st Count of Abai, (russian: Никола́й Степа́нович Леонтьев; 26 October 1862 – 1910) was a Russian military officer, geographer and traveler, explorer of Africa, writer, first Count of the E ...
meets him to give help. In 1896 - 1899 he became a military aide of Menelek II in his war with
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
and the southern tribes. Bulatovich joined the expedition of
Ras
Ras or RAS may refer to:
Arts and media
* RAS Records Real Authentic Sound, a reggae record label
* Rundfunk Anstalt Südtirol, a south Tyrolese public broadcasting service
* Rás 1, an Icelandic radio station
* Rás 2, an Icelandic radio stati ...
Wolde Giyorgis and became the first European to provide a scientific description of the
Kaffa province (conquered by Menelek II where Bulatovich was among the Army). He was the first European to reach the mouth of the
Omo River. Among the places named by Bulatovich is the
Nicholas II Mountain range. He had to ask permission from the Emperor himself to name the range in his honour.
After Bulatovich returned to Russia he received a Silver Medal from the
Russian Geographical Society
The Russian Geographical Society (russian: Ру́сское географи́ческое о́бщество «РГО»), or RGO, is a learned society based in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It promotes geography, exploration and nature protection wi ...
for his work in Ethiopia and the
military rank
Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a ...
of a
poruchik
The rank of lieutenant in Eastern Europe ( hr, poručnik, cs, poručík, pl, porucznik, russian: script=latn, poruchik, sr, script=latn, poručnik, sk, poručík) is one used in Slavophone armed forces. Depending on the country, it is either ...
(later
rotmistr) of the Leib Guard Hussars. He served in
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
. In 1903 after his talks with Saint
John of Kronstadt
John of Kronstadt or John Iliytch Sergieff ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform russian: Иоа́нн Кроншта́дтский; 1829 – ) was a Russian Orthodox archpriest and a member of the Most Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. ...
he resigned from the Army and became a monk (later hiero-schema-monk) of the Russian
Skete of Saint Andrew near the much larger
St. Panteleimon Monastery
Saint Panteleimon Monastery (russian: Монастырь Святого Пантелеймона; el, Μονή Αγίου Παντελεήμονος, ''Moní Agíou Panteleímonos''), known as Rossikon (russian: Россикон, ''Rossikon''; ...
on
Mount Athos
Mount Athos (; el, Ἄθως, ) is a mountain in the distal part of the eponymous Athos peninsula and site of an important centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism in northeastern Greece. The mountain along with the respective part of the penins ...
in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
. He also visited Ethiopia again trying to establish a Russian Orthodox Monastery there. He was tonsured as Father Antony and became known as Hieromonk Antony Bulatovich.
In 1907 after reading the book ''On Caucasus Mountains'' by the schema-monk
Ilarion Ilarion ( bg, Иларион, sr, Иларион, russian: Иларион, uk, Іларіон) is a variant of the Greek given name ''Hilarion'', found in Slavic and Romanian languages. It may refer to:
* Hilarion of Kiev or Ilarion (11th century ...
, he became one of the leaders of the
imiaslavie
''Imiaslavie'' (russian: Имяславие, literally "praising the name") or ''Imiabozhie'' (), also spelled ''imyaslavie'' and ''imyabozhie'', and also referred to as onomatodoxy, is a Christian dogmatic movement that asserts that the name of ...
movement within the Russian Orthodox Church. When the movement was proclaimed a
heresy
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
and disbanded by a Russian military force in 1913, he was in St. Petersburg pleading the cause of monks.
He continued his fight for the recognition of ''imiaslavie'', published many theological books proving its dogmas, obtained an audience with the
Tsar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East Slavs, East and South Slavs, South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''Caesar (title), caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" i ...
and eventually managed to secure some sort of rehabilitation for himself and his imiaslavtsy comrades. They were allowed to return to their positions in the Church without repentance.
Military service
In 1896–1899 he became a military aide of Menelek II in his war with
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
and the southern tribes. Bulatovich joined the expedition of
Ras
Ras or RAS may refer to:
Arts and media
* RAS Records Real Authentic Sound, a reggae record label
* Rundfunk Anstalt Südtirol, a south Tyrolese public broadcasting service
* Rás 1, an Icelandic radio station
* Rás 2, an Icelandic radio stati ...
Wolde Giyorgis and became the first European to provide a scientific description of the
Kaffa province (conquered by Menelek II where Bulatovich's was with the army ). He was the first European to reach the mouth of the
Omo River. Among the places named by Bulatovich is the
Nicholas II Mountain range. He had to ask permission from the Emperor himself to name the range in his honour.
After Bulatovich returned to Russia he received a Silver Medal from the
Russian Geographical Society
The Russian Geographical Society (russian: Ру́сское географи́ческое о́бщество «РГО»), or RGO, is a learned society based in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It promotes geography, exploration and nature protection wi ...
for his work in Ethiopia and the
military rank
Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a ...
of a
poruchik
The rank of lieutenant in Eastern Europe ( hr, poručnik, cs, poručík, pl, porucznik, russian: script=latn, poruchik, sr, script=latn, poručnik, sk, poručík) is one used in Slavophone armed forces. Depending on the country, it is either ...
(later
rotmistr) of the Leib Guard Hussars. He served in
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
. In 1903 after his talks with Saint
John of Kronstadt
John of Kronstadt or John Iliytch Sergieff ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform russian: Иоа́нн Кроншта́дтский; 1829 – ) was a Russian Orthodox archpriest and a member of the Most Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. ...
he resigned from the Army and became a monk (later hiero-schema-monk) of the Russian
Skete of Saint Andrew near the much larger
St. Panteleimon Monastery
Saint Panteleimon Monastery (russian: Монастырь Святого Пантелеймона; el, Μονή Αγίου Παντελεήμονος, ''Moní Agíou Panteleímonos''), known as Rossikon (russian: Россикон, ''Rossikon''; ...
on
Mount Athos
Mount Athos (; el, Ἄθως, ) is a mountain in the distal part of the eponymous Athos peninsula and site of an important centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism in northeastern Greece. The mountain along with the respective part of the penins ...
in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
.
On August 28, 1914, Antony Bulatovich received permission to join the Russian Army as an army priest. During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
Father Antony not only served as a priest but on "many occasions led soldiers to attack" and was awarded the
Cross of St. George
The Cross of Saint George (russian: Георгиевский крест, Georgiyevskiy krest) is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was initially established by Imperial Russia where it was officially known as the Decoration of t ...
Later life
After returning from the war he took part in the discussion about the ''imiaslavie''. In October 1918 the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church canceled the decision allowing imyaslavtsy to participate in church services provided they repent. The decision was signed by
Patriarch
The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...
Tikhon of Moscow. In January 1919, Anthony Bulatovich stopped any relations with the Holy Synod and Tikhon and returned to his family estate in Lebedinka, where he started a small
skete
A skete ( ) is a monastic community in Eastern Christianity that allows relative isolation for monks, but also allows for communal services and the safety of shared resources and protection. It is one of four types of early monastic orders, al ...
and lived the life of a
hermit
A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions.
Description
In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...
. He was the spiritual opponent of any civil war.
Death
On the night of December 6, 1919 he was murdered. There are conflicting accounts if the killers were deserters of
White Army
The White Army (russian: Белая армия, Belaya armiya) or White Guard (russian: Бѣлая гвардія/Белая гвардия, Belaya gvardiya, label=none), also referred to as the Whites or White Guardsmen (russian: Бѣлогв ...
or
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
or some unaffiliated robbers.
Bulatovich in Russian literature
Antony Bulatovich was most probably the original for the grotesque Schema-Hussar Alexei Bulanovich from the novel ''
The Twelve Chairs'' by
Ilf and Petrov. He is also the hero of
Valentin Pikul's story ''The Hussar on a Camel''. In addition he is the hero of the novel ''The Name of Hero'' by Richard Seltzer (published by
Houghton Mifflin
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
in 1981). The complete text of that novel is online for free at http://www.seltzerbooks.com/hero.html
"Mazepa! Layers of Legend," short story by Richard Seltzer inspired by Bulatovich's life. Online for free at https://medium.com/@seltzer_57387/mazepa-layers-of-legend-1d4173fea9dd
Writings
* A. K. Bulatovich, ''Ethiopia Through Russian Eyes: Country in Transition, 1896-1898'', translated by Richard Seltzer, 2000, . http://www.seltzerbooks.com/russianeyes.html
* A. K. Bulatovich, ''With the Armies of Menelik II'' translated by Richard Seltzer http://www.seltzerbooks.com/armies.html
* A. K. Bulatovich, ''From Entotto to the River Baro'' translated by Richard Seltzer http://www.seltzerbooks.com/entotto.html
* A. K. Bulatovich, My Third Journey to Ethiopia, 1899-1900 translated by Richard Seltzer http://www.seltzerbooks.com/thirdjourney.html
See also
;Russian people in Ethiopia
*
Leonid Artamonov
*
Nikolay Leontiev
Nikolay Stepanovich Leontiev, 1st Count of Abai, (russian: Никола́й Степа́нович Леонтьев; 26 October 1862 – 1910) was a Russian military officer, geographer and traveler, explorer of Africa, writer, first Count of the E ...
*
Nikolay Gumilyov
References
Article in the ''Bibliographical Dictionary of Victims of Political Repressions''Article on the site of Russian orthodox Church* Tatiana Sénina (moniale Kassia)
Un palamite russe du début du XXème siècle : le hiéromoine Antoine Boulatovitch et sa doctrine sur l’énergie divine in ''Scrinium'', t. 6: ''Patrologia Pacifica Secunda'' (2010) 392–409.
* Tatiana Senina (Nun Kassia)
The status of divine revelation in the works of Hieromonk Anthony Bulatovich in ''Scottish Journal of Theology'' 64:4 (2011) 377–389.
* Tatiana Sénina (moniale Kassia)
La doctrine du hiéromoine Antoine Boulatovitch sur les idées et sa théorie de la connaissance in ''Scrinium. Journal of Patrology, Critical Hagiography and Ecclesiastical History'', vol. 7-8: ''Ars Christiana: In Memoriam Michail F. Murianov (21.XI.1928-6.VI.1995)'' (2011-2012) Pt. 2, p. 314-325.
THE ORIGINS OF ‘HERESY’ ON MOUNT ATHOS: ILARION’S NA GORAKH KAVKAZA (1907)* For numerous related documents, including his official military record, as well as interviews with and letters from his sister Princess Mary Orbeliani see http://seltzerbooks.com/sourcesandrelateddocuments.html
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bulatovich, Alexander
1870 births
1919 deaths
People from Oryol
People from Orlovsky Uyezd (Oryol Governorate)
Nobility from the Russian Empire
Explorers of Africa
Theologians from the Russian Empire
Religious leaders from the Russian Empire
Imperial Russian Army officers
Explorers from the Russian Empire
Anthropologists from the Russian Empire
Geographers from the Russian Empire
20th-century Eastern Orthodox theologians
19th-century Eastern Orthodox theologians
Russian military personnel of World War I
Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum alumni
Male murder victims
Murder victims from the Russian Empire