Галшка Гулевичівна

Activity: Science and Education
Date of birth: 1575 or 1577
Date of death: 1642
Navigator: Cossack Era

A noblewoman, philanthropist, and founder of the Kyiv Brotherhood School, which later developed into the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Halshka Hulevychivna, probably born in Volhynia in the 1570s, was a woman who played an important role in the emergence of one of today’s most renowned educational institutions in Ukraine — the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. She came from one of the most influential Volhynian families of the 16th century — the Hulevych family. The family had five children, each of whom received an excellent education. Halshka was no exception: she studied at the Ostroh Academy.

The girl, baptized according to the Orthodox rite, was named Yelyzaveta (Elizabeth). However, today we know the Polonized version of her name — largely due to her feelings for Krzysztof Potii, the son of Metropolitan Ipatii Potii. Their story resembles Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, as the love between the young couple only intensified the hostility between their families: Krzysztof’s family defended the Uniate faith, while Yelyzaveta’s family upheld Orthodoxy, and any departure from family traditions was considered almost a betrayal of state importance. Nevertheless, they married in 1593, and Halshka persuaded her husband to flee to her father. The couple lived happily, but soon Krzysztof died of illness. He left behind a daughter, whom Yelyzaveta later baptized in the Orthodox faith despite the objections of the child’s paternal relatives.
After marrying for the second time — to the nobleman Stefan Lozka, with whom she had a son — Halshka moved to Kyiv. There, her concern for faith and her understanding of the value of education were reflected in her philanthropic activities: on October 15, 1615, she signed a donation charter to the Kyiv Epiphany Brotherhood for the establishment of schools and monasteries. In 1760, the authors of the history of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy discovered a privilege issued by King Sigismund III that mentioned Hulevychivna’s charitable act — the allocation of funds for the development of the brotherhood.
Thanks to this funding, the Kyiv Brotherhood School was soon established. Among those involved in its activities were such prominent figures as the future Metropolitan of Kyiv, Halych and all Rus’, Yov Boretskyi; the linguist and passionate polemicist Meletii Smotrytskyi; another future Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Rus’, Isaia Kopynskyi; the educator Lavrentii Zyzanii; the poet Oleksandr Mytura; the encyclopedist Pamvo Berynda; and the archimandrite of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Yelysei Pletenetskyi. In 1658, after the signing of the Treaty of Hadiach, the school received the status of an academy.
There are many blank spots in the biography of Halshka Hulevychivna, yet the facts we do know present the image of a benefactress who remained faithful to her convictions throughout her life, defended her faith, and made a contribution to the development of Ukrainian education that continues to bear fruit to this day.

Brief conclusions

Stateswoman and reformer — she was not a stateswoman, yet her activities were aimed at supporting Orthodoxy, education, and spirituality.
Legislator — she was not a legislator in the modern sense, but she became one of the most influential figures in the history of Ukrainian philanthropy.
Builder and philanthropist — she donated her own funds, estate, and land for the establishment of the Kyiv Brotherhood Monastery and School, which became the foundation for the creation of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy; she also provided financial support to the Lutsk Brotherhood.
Church policy — she supported church brotherhoods, schools, and monasteries, strengthening the position of Orthodoxy.
Legacy — she became one of the first women whose name is associated with the formation of the Ukrainian educational tradition and entered history as an example of selfless service to the community.

Author: Marharyta Kasianenko