Did you know that the Printing House of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra published the panegyric work of Pylyp Orlyk in 1698?

It appeared under the name of “Hippomenes Sarmacki” and was dedicated to the wedding of Ivan Obidovsky, Hetman Ivan Mazepa’s nephew, and Anna, the daughter of Judge General Vasyl Kochubey?

The panegyric was written in Polish. Its name refers to the Greek myth about the transformation of Hippomenes into a lion. Hippomenes was the husband of Atalanta, whose image was assimilable with the image of a bride. Thus, the marriage between the representatives of the leading families of the Hetmanate was marked as an extraordinary event. In addition to the marriage theme, the panagyric widely revealed the military victories of the Ukrainian Cossacks in the Crimea and Azov campaigns. The publication was decorated with an engraved portrait of colonel Ivan Obidovsky (made by Leontiy Tarasevych), as well as the panorama of Kyiv with churches and secular buildings. One can also see Mazepa’s coat of arms on the edition. It was presented in an interesting manner by means of a cross “Kurch” (from the Polish “Kurcz”, “Kniaz”) that grew, like a tree, on the hill washed by two sprouts flowing down to the river and allegorically associated with a married couple. The publication was presented to the newlyweds as a wedding gift by the author himself.

Caption to the illustration:

1. The panegyric “Hippomenes Sarmacki” (“Hippomenes of Sarmatia”) with heraldic and marital symbols

Hanna Filipova