Vladimir Sergeyvich Pecherin (Владимир Сергеевич Печерин) (1807–1885), was a controversial Russian political figure both in 19th-century Ireland and in Russia. A rebellious writer and
Romantic lyricist poet that rejected
despotism, his writings in his autobiographical notes and in his letters to other Russians provide a historical context to the evolution of Russian intellectual thought of the 1860s and 1870s. Pecherin's writings present the Russian Zeitgeist of the period artistically.
Early years
Pecherin was born in the town of
Velyka Dymerka
Velyka Dymerka ( uk, Велика Димерка) is an urban-type settlement in Brovary Raion (district) of Kyiv Oblast (province) in northern Ukraine. It was founded in 1552 as a village, and it retained that status until it was upgraded to that ...
in the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
(modern-day
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
) on 27 June 1807. He was raised in the
Russian Orthodox Church
, native_name_lang = ru
, image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg
, imagewidth =
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia
, abbreviation = ROC
, type ...
.
Pecherin was attracted to the moral and religious ideology of Utopian Socialism. He entered
Moscow University, as a student of classical languages, and he wrote manuscripts of poetry that circulated among his university companions. Pecherin was sent abroad for two years on a government scholarship to complete his education.
In 1835, after returning to
Moscow University from his travels, even before completing his degree, Pecherin was appointed as Professor of Greek Language and antiquities. After one term, in 1836, he left Russia to pursue radical politics in Europe. In a letter explaining to the authorities, Pecherin stated that he would never return to a country among whose inhabitants it was impossible to find the imprint of their Creator. He is considered by some to have been the first Russian political emigrant.
Self-exile
In 1840, after four years of exploring Europe, at times reduced to complete poverty, Pecherin unexpectedly converted to
Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and became a member of the
Redemptorists
The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...
whose mission was to work among the poor. He lived in a monastery in
Clapham
Clapham () is a suburb in south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (most notably Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth.
History
Early history ...
, near London and later in Ireland.
In 1855, he was the last person to be tried for
blasphemy in Ireland. The trial, which was a major public event, took place at Kingston (now
Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown.
The town was built following the 1816 legislation that allowed the building of a major port to serve Dubli ...
) for allegedly burning Protestant Bibles with many works of immoral literature on
Guy Fawkes Day
Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Fireworks Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in Great Britain, involving bonfires and fireworks displays. Its history begins with the e ...
. Despite many witnesses, the case was not proven and Pecherin's acquittal was raucously celebrated by his followers.
Later life
In 1862, after 20 years of service as a missionary, Pecherin left the Redemptorists. He spent the last 23 years of his life serving as a chaplain at the Mater Hospital in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
, Ireland. During his time in Dublin, he wrote his memoirs, ''Apologia pro vita mea'' (Notes from Beyond the Tomb). His memoirs were so controversial, critical of both the Russian government and the Catholic Church of the time, that they were not published in Russia until a hundred years after his death. They contain an account of his experiences in Europe, particularly in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, after leaving Russia, and his fight against poverty.
Pecherin died in Dublin on 29 April 1885.
Quotes
*"How sweet it is to hate one's native land and avidly desire its ruin - and in its ruin to discern the dawn of universal rebirth."
In popular culture
*Pecherin's philosophy influenced
Fyodor Dostoevsky and it is believed that Dostoevsky's anti-materialist "one secluded thinker" in
The Idiot
''The Idiot'' ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Идиот, Idiót) is a novel by the 19th-century Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published serially in the journal ''The Russian Messenger'' in 1868–69.
The title is an ...
is an allusion to Pecherin.
[''Dostoevsky: The Miraculous Years, 1865-1871'' by Joseph Frank, p. 201.]
*In the movie ''
The Russia House
''The Russia House'' is a spy novel by British writer John le Carré published in 1989. The title refers to the nickname given to the portion of the British Secret Intelligence Service that was devoted to spying on the Soviet Union. A film b ...
'', starring
Sean Connery,
Klaus Maria Brandauer's character "Dante," a Russian scientist, quotes Pecherin.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pecherin, Vladimir
1807 births
1885 deaths
People from Kyiv Oblast
People from Ostyorsky Uyezd
Russians in Ukraine
19th-century Roman Catholic priests from the Russian Empire
Former Russian Orthodox Christians
Converts to Roman Catholicism from Eastern Orthodoxy
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom
Russian male poets
Russian Catholic poets
19th-century poets
Redemptorists
19th-century male writers from the Russian Empire