P ODILLIA C HURCH H ISTORICAL AND A RCHAEOLOGICAL S OCIETY IN THE S TUDY OF A RCHAEOLOGICAL H ERITAGE

The purpose of the research paper is to analyze the role of Podillia Church Historical and Archaeological Society (1865-1920) in the study of archaeological heritage and to determine its significance in the overall heritage of its scientific achievements. Scientific novelty . After studying the documentary sources it has been found out that


INTRODUCTION
In 1904, a postcard with the stamp of the city of Washington was received in Kamianets-Podilskyi.The Library of Congress of the United States, while preparing the World Guide to Scientific Associations and Learned Societies, sent a request for detailed information in order to include Podillia Church Historical and Archaeological Society (hereinafter -the Society) on the list.The Americans were interested in the details of the organizational structure of the Society, its statutory goals, the periodicity of publications and the possible presence of special (thematic) issues, funds of historical sources at the disposal of the Society, and the nature of the fund allocations of researchers' work 1 .That, without a doubt, was evidence of a decent level of scientific achievements, high authority in academic circles, and a good reputation regarding the organization of activities of Podillia Society.Conclusions of a similar content are also confirmed by an appeal to the Society of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg dated January 17, 1907, with a request to share books from the collected holdings for the establishment of a library of Russian history in Rome 2 , as well as a request from Kyiv Handicraft Society dated October 21, 1908 for participation in the arrangement of the exhibition and the provision of appropriate samples of household item from the funds of Podillia Society 3 .
It was the time of the highest level of activity in the work of Podillia Church Historical and Archaeological Society, but the beginning of the 20 th century was marked by upheavals (revolutions, wars, etc.) that did not contribute to scientific work.Therefore, the activity of the Society gradually faded away, wound down, and eventually completely ceased as early as 1920, leaving behind a rich legacy of historical objects (including various items of material culture) and scientific research works as a result of more than half a century of activity, which began in 1865 (at the time of its establishment, it was called the Committee for Historical and Statistical Description of Podillia Eparchy).
At the same time, one of the noticeable components of the collecting, protecting, and scientific work of the Society was the archaeological heritage, with which our research deals with.Therefore, the purpose of the research paper is to analyze the role of Podillia Church Historical and Archaeological Society (1865-1920) in the study of archaeological heritage and to determine its significance in the overall heritage of its scientific achievements.

LITERATURE REVIEW
The achievements of Podillia Society were highly esteemed already in the days of its activity, but a detailed study of its work and active figures started only with the collapse of the Soviet system and with the gaining of Ukraine's independence.In particular, at the 4 th Republican Scientific Conference on Historical Local Lore in 1989, A. Zinchenko, an expert in the local history of Podillia, presented a general overview of the Society's activities from the time of its foundation to its closure, and also made a brief analysis of twelve issues of the Society's (Committee's) Proceedings 4 .

FORMATION AND MAIN STAGES OF THE SOCIETY'S DEVELOPMENT
In 1834, a hubernia statistical committee was established in Kamianets-Podilskyi, which began collecting and accumulating various information about the life of Podillia region.In 1838, the publication of 'Podolskie Hubernskiie Vedomosti' was started, where sketches on the history of the region were sometimes published, among others.
The next step towards the establishment of Podillia regional history center was the initiation of the 'Podolskie Eparchialnyie Vedomosti' (PEV) publication in January 1862, which was supposed to publish historical and statistical descriptions of churches and monasteries, individual stories from the history of the church, biographies of prominent people, ethnographic information, etc 13 .Leading experts in local history, priests of Podillia -Mykhailo Orlovskyi, Moisei Doronovych, Pavlo Troitskyi, and others rallied around the editorial board of the PEV.So even before the establishment of the organizing center of researchers, that is, during 1862-1865, 32 historical and statistical descriptions and sketches on the history of Podillia towns and villages, as well as on the history of local churches, were published on the pages of PEV 14 .
It is quite likely to assume that it was the specified research and journalistic activity of local priests that led to the emergence of the idea of organizing them and direct their activities in the 'proper direction'.On July 8, 1865, with  According to the 'Committee's Action Plan', it was expected that its members would check, correct, and bring to a certain standard (in fact, ready for printing) historical and statistical descriptions of churches and monasteries, which were supposed to be prepared by priests and reverend fathers of monasteries on the ground 17 .In order to organize the work more effectively, the members of the Committee (which initially were 20 people) shared among themselves the responsibility for processing materials that were to come from the povits of the hubernia.
However, the materials from the field were obtained extremely slowly, and very often, due to the formality of execution and the incompetence of the priests, did not have any cognitive value.According to the report, during three years, as of September 1, 1868, 774 descriptions were received from the entire eparchy, but only 231 of them were considered valuable by the members of the Committee and processed for publication 18 .
In 1874, Feohnost, Bishop of Podillia, ordered the establishment of a special printed publication entitled 'Proceedings of the Committee for the Historical and Statistical Description of Podillia Eparchy.'The pages of the 'Proceedings' were opened for the publication of historical descriptions of churches and monasteries, articles on the general history of the Church in Podillia, as well as for the publication of important documents that were expected to be found in the course of working with the consistory's funds 19 .
Thus, during the 1880s, the activity of the Committee was characterized by an indepth study of historical sources and the subsequent accumulation of materials for writing generalized works.
A milestone event was the establishment by the Committee of the Repository for Ancient Objects in 1890, which consisted of three parts -the library (the task of which was to collect literature in all languages), the archive (for the collection of manuscripts and documentary materials associated with the history of Podillia, as well as the paperwork and records of the Committee itself), and the museum (storage of material objects of the past, or their copies).The second paragraph of the Society's charter (approved by the Synod on October 14-24, 1894) emphasized that the established Repository for Ancient Objects would collect items contributing to familiarity with the history of the region20 .
In the course of the 1890s, the work of Podillia researchers became significantly more intensive, their authority in the scientific world increased, and, by the nature of its activity, the Committee acquired all the characteristics of a scientific research center.Regular meetings of committee members were held, the work was constantly planning and reports on its implementation were heard.The existence of its own print periodicals -the 'unofficial part' represented by PEV and 'Proceedings' -made it possible to publish the results of research work without delay.
The success of the activities of Podillia researchers intensified the interest and constantly expanded the number of new amateurs who were interested in and joined the work on local history problems.So, if the first members of the Committee included 20 people21 , and by 1883 their number had even decreased to 7 people22 , then by the end of 1890 there were 53 employees, of which 37 people had the status of a 'full members', and 16 people were 'candidates for full members' 23 .
At the end of 1902, the idea of transforming the Committee into Podillia Society, with slightly different goals, appeared.There was a desire to establish a broad and thorough work on the study of secular local history and the study of ancient sites and objects, with the organization of their more thorough search, collection, and ensuring safe preservation 24 .At the same time, a draft charter of the Society of Researchers of History and Archeology was developed, which, after consideration by the members of the Committee in April 1903, was sent to the Synod for approval.Accordingly, by the Decree of the Synod of September 29, 1903, the charter was approved, and thus, Podillia Church Historical and Archaeological Society was established 25 .The new charter did not differ significantly from the previous one, only the Repository for Ancient Objects was renamed the Museum, but with the preservation of the previous structure 26 .Thus, the Committee was transformed into a society.
On October 26, 1903, a general meeting of Podillia researchers took place, where the renaming of their organization into the Society was officially proclaimed, and it was decided to consider it open to anyone who wished to join.Ye.Setsinskyi was elected Chairman of the Society and Curator of the Museum, and M. Yavorovskyi 27 was elected Deputy Chairman and Treasurer.The Presidium of the Society, as Ye.Setsinskyi later recalled that, remained in the same composition until the very end of its existence 28 .
In 1910, the government administration demanded that the Society quickly vacate all the premises of the 'Dominicans buildings' (that is, the buildings of the former Dominican Order church), which were granted in 1903 to house the Museum's holdings.Even though the Society managed to quickly raise funds for the construction of its own premises, in the spring of 1915, the Museum occupied the premises of the former theological professional school 29 .
With the establishment of Soviet power, in 1919, Podillia Society for the Protection of Antiquities and Art Objects was established (on the principles of public selforganization) in the city, and by order of the Department of Public Education, the Museum was placed under the administration of the specified newly established Society.Then, it was initiated to hold a joint meeting of the members of Podillia Society for the Protection of Antiquities and Art Objects and Podillia Church Historical and Archaeological Society, where the decision was made to unite them into one under the first name.However, as Ye.Setsinskyi recalled: "Already at the end of 1920, the Soviet authorities established a new body -Kamianets-Podilskyi Committee for the Protection of Objects of Antiquity, Art, and Nature.That Committee became the official center of archaeological activity in Kamianets, and therefore the former scientific and archeological societies, if they were not registered, were closed by themselves according to the then-approved regulations" 30 .
Antonovych and reported on the results of his study at the 6 th Archaeological Congress in Odesa in 1884 32 .
After visiting the caves of the former monastery in Bakota, Ye.Setsinskyi and M. Yavorovskyi returned with a great number of antiquities that could have become valuable museum exhibits but faced the problem of their placement.That became a kind of additional catalyst for setting up and solving the problem of founding and equipping the museum 33 .In addition to the antiquities, the members of the Committee, who had been working on various documents, old prints, manuscripts, etc. for a long time, faced the problem of placing and storing written sources that made up a significant collection of old prints and even manuscripts 34 .Also, archaeological finds were constantly sent from various places in Podillia, and they needed to be stored somewhere.
Those circumstances determined the questions discussed during the meeting of the Committee's members on October 29, 1889, when M. Yavorovskyi proposed to organize a museum where antiquities and historical documentation could be stored.The Committee decided to name that museum as Podillia Eparchy Repository for Ancient Objects.Along with M. Doronovych and V. Yakubovych, Ye.Setsinskyi also joined the Commission for the Establishment of the Repository for Ancient Objects.It was he who drafted the regulations of operation of the newly established institution, which were presented for consideration and approved by the members of the Committee on January 30, 1890 35 .
According to the adopted regulations of the Repository for Ancient Objects, the purpose of its work was recognized, firstly, in collecting and storing antiquities associated with Podillia, and secondly, in providing comprehensive assistance and support to the Committee members in their study of the region 36 .The Repository for Ancient Objects consisted of three structural units -the library of the Committee, the archive, and the actual museum of antiquities.Priest V. Yakubovych was elected Curator of the Repository for Ancient Objects, and Ye.Setsinskyi was elected Secretary of the Committee for the Repository.But already in the following year, 1891, V. Yakubovych resigned from the position of Curator, while Ye.Setsinskyi, who performed the duties of the Secretary of the Committee, was also elected Curator of the Repository for Ancient Objects.He served as Curator until 1922.
The Repository for Ancient Objects (which was renamed the Museum in 1903), ran by Ye.Setsinskyi, and taking into account the experience of the Museum of Kyiv Society, was successfully enriching with antiquities (including archaeological ones) and in a short time, considerable funds were formed there.To date, we have its Inventory List as of 1909, which was compiled by Ye.Setsinskyi and published in the 11 th Issue of the Society's 'Proceedings'.According to the List, the artifacts collected in the Museum were divided into 16 categories, 5 of which were related to archaeological antiquities (the others -to church antiquities, historical documentation, and ethnography): I. Primitive antiquities -stone chopping tools (stone scrapers, knives, arrowheads, and spearheads); polished and bronze stone tools (wedge-axes, chisels, small axes); bones of fossil animals (bones and teeth of mammoth, bull, and antlers).A total of 114 items.
XIV. Coins -antique Greek and other unclassified, Roman, Byzantine, Western European (Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands of the 17 th -18 th centuries, Austria, Prussia, France of the 17 th -19 th centuries, Bavaria, Saxony of the 18 th century, Czechia of the 15 th century, Hanover, Freiburg, Italy, Greece, America of the 19 th century, England of the 17 th -early 20 th century, Venice of the 13 th -14 th centuries, Wallachia of the 16 th century, Romania of the 19 th -early 20 th century) Eastern European (Genoese-Tatars of the 14 th -16 th centuries), Golden Horde of the 14 th century, Crimean of the 18 th century, Georgian of the 13 th -19 th centuries, Persian, Turkish, as well as unclassified, Polish-Lithuanian of the 14 th -18 th centuries, Old Rus, Russian of the 17 th -19 th centuries); monetary objects and banknotes (fiveruble and one-ruble notes, counterfeit money, stamped papers and official stamps, bill of exchange forms, landlord money bills, which were used instead of small change).A total of 2.968 items, including 3 gold coins, 1.113 silver coins, 1.828 copper coins, and 24 monetary objects and banknotes.
XV. Medals, tokens, orders, etc. -Russian (silver, bronze, lead medals of the 19 thearly 20 th century, bronze military and priest crosses, silver token); foreign (silver and bronze medals, Polish and Jewish tokens).A total of 71 items.
Thus, at the beginning of the 20 th century, the Museum had over 7.5 thousand exhibits37 , and its funds became the basis for compiling the Archaeological Map of Podillia, which was a kind of generalization of archaeological research by scholars historians and local amateur historians, who for many decades accumulated factual material (thematic collections of artifacts), put it in order and developed its theoretical understanding.

SOCIETY IN THE STUDY OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL OBJECTS AND SITES
Addressing archaeological material, mentions of archaeological landmarks of the region, and descriptions of certain artifacts appeared in the writings of Podillia researchers from the very beginning of their activity.While compiling historical and statistical sketches about churches and parishes, their authors, of course, did not miss the mention of existing archaeological antiquities.For example, when describing the town of Bohopil (now Pervomaisk, Mykolaiv oblast), it was mentioned that "of the ancient sites, remarkable are only mounds or graves, as common people call them, which are located symmetrically in parallel lines around Bohopil.One of them, four versts from Bohopil, on a huge size hill, is called Rozkopana Mohyla (Excavated Grave) because the treasure hunters unearthed it".At the same time, the author of the description assumed that those "could be the remainings of former defensive ramparts" 38 .Similarly, reports of unusual finds were also published.In the description of the village of Chorna, Olhopil povit, it was noted that the local volost clerk found «two large teeth and six fossilized bones» there and sent all that to Odesa University 39 .So, as early as the 1860s and 70s, local researchers began recording Paleolithic human settlements and other archaeological sites, which later became the initial reference point for a more thorough study.
Active, systematic, and meaningfully organized archaeological research by members of the Society was started already in the 1890s and was headed by the scholars of Kyiv University.In 1891, one more expedition of university professor Volodymyr Antonovych to Podillia took place to continue researching the remainings of Bakota cave monastery.Together with at that time young scholarship holder Mykhailo Hrushevskyi, who was collecting material for his master's thesis "Barske Starostvo", the scholars visited Kamianets-Podilskyi Society (Committee) 40 .
The works in Bakota, which were not completed in 1891, were continued in the following 1892 year, and took place during August 7-25, when, with the support of that time Bishop of Podillia Dimitrii (Sambikin), 30-40 local villagers were involved in the work to help in the excavations, and the results of the study were described in a special publication by Ye.Setsinskyi and in the Archaeological Map of Podillia prepared by him later 41 .The arrival of leading Ukrainian scholars in Kamianets-Podilskyi, in addition to official relations with the Society, also initiated their close friendship and fruitful further cooperation with Ye.Setsinskyi.This is evidenced by the long-term correspondence of the latter with V. Antonovych 42 and M. Hrushevskyi 43 .
During the 1890s, the Society established close cooperation with a great number of official state and public institutions and societies of the entire Russian Empire, which among others also performed archaeological research.In the archive funds of the Society (Committee) we find official letters of the Imperial Moscow Archaeological Society, the Tavriia Learned Archival Commission, the Imperial Archaeological Commission of St. Petersburg, the Imperial Russian Archaeological Society, Volyn Church Archaeological Society, Kyiv City Public Library, Odesa City Public Library, and others institutions 44 .The numerous letters show the close scientific ties of Podillia Society with similar institutions and societies in Poltava, Chernihiv, Voronezh, Tambov, Orenburg, Tomsk, and other cities 45 .There was an exchange of new publications, literature, information about scientific work, and various events.
The mentioned contacts of Podillia Society and the exchange of experience naturally contributed to the development of persistent and scrupulous work in the field of archaeological research.Ye.Setsinskyi, even before his direct acquaintance with V. Antonovych and M. Hrushevskyi, independently studied the archeology of the ancient Bakota, based on the discovered material remnants dated to the 12 th -14 th centuries, wrote the work "Bakota, the Ancient Capital of Ponyzzia", where he argued its importance as an urban and trade center of the entire Middle Dniester region 46 .And then, performing expeditionary surveys in various parts of Podillia and publishing numerous articles, he continued archaeological research of his native land 47 .
In 1895, Ye.Setsinskyi studied a mound in the village of Chausove Kazenne, Balta povit, where he found fragments of weapons, small Turkish coins, ceramic vessels: dark gray bowls, jugs, pots, and all that was transferred to the Museum of the Society 48 .Important finds were found during excavations near the village of Pryvorottia in 1898, which provided new materials dated to the ancient and medieval history of the region when the Museum got 24 items, among which: fragments of weapons, metal produced items, a silver frame for a medallion, ceramic spindle whorls, and fragments of vessels 49 .Later, an essential site of the Eneolithic era was discovered by Ye.Setsinskyi near the village of Keptyntsi, Kamianets povit.A megalithic burial was found there, and the researcher described the tomb, two skeletons along with the accompanying inventory: pottery (pots) and tools (two polished flint axes were especially worthwhile) 50 .In addition, in the works 'The Study of Underground Passageways in Kamianets-Podilskyi' 51 and 'A Few Explanations about Archaeological Map of Podillia Hubernia' 52 Ye.Setsinskyi provided broad outlines of the presence of troves in certain parts of Podillia.
The active usage of archaeological material during the compilation of historical descriptions of inhabited places was demonstrated in the 7 th Issue of the 'Proceedings' (1895).That issue was prepared by Ye.Setsinskyi and included the sketches on the history of all settlements of Kamianets povit.While working on it, the researcher tried to provide as much information as possible about the inhabitants of that land from the earliest times, including mentions of the Stone, Copper, and Bronze ages and therefore did not miss mentions of the ancient settlements of prehistoric people and the discovered archaeological sites 53 .That work, according to the author himself, was an attempt to present a sample of writing the history of his native land.The attempt was successful and the issue received many favorable reviews.In particular, the study was highly praised by V. Antonovych, who in a special review noted that Ye.Setsinskyi comprehensively used published sources and newly discovered local documents and artifacts 54 .
It should be noted that the fact that V. Antonovych reviewed the work by Ye.Setsinskyi was not accidental.The researchers had been collaborating fruitfully for a long time, and it was very likely that V. Antonovych exercised a kind of patronage over his colleague from Podillia.In, at least, one of the letters to V. Antonovych, Ye.Setsinskyi wrote that he had got 200 rubles from Kyiv branch of the Preparatory Committee for the organization of the 11 th Archaeological Congress to conduct archaeological excavations in 1898.Knowing that it became possible thanks to the petitions of V. Antonovych, Ye.Setsinskyi thanked him and requested the professor's advice and general supervision of the work 55 .As a result, in the materials of the 11 th Archaeological Congress held in Kyiv in 1899, archaeological maps of Volyn hubernia, authored by V. Antonovych, and Podillia hubernia, prepared by Ye.Setsinskyi, were placed next to each other 56 .
Also, the organizing committee for the preparation of the 11 th Archaeological Congress officially appealed to Podillia Society for assistance in holding that event, and in particular in sending available antiquities from its funds for the organization of the exhibition, during the work of the Congress 57 .And of course, Ye.Setsinskyi personally participated in the work of that forum and delivered two reports there: 'The Most Ancient Churches of Podillia' and 'A Few Explanations about Archaeological Map of Podillia Hubernia' 58 .Accordingly, after the end of the specified Kyiv Congress, the Imperial Archaeological Society, which organized the 11 th Congress, on August 20, 1899, expressed its gratitude to Podillia Committee for its assistance in organization and participation in the Congress 59 .
In the 'Archaeological Map of Podillia Hubernia', the scholar systematized and recorded about 2 thousand sites of the Stone Age, the Bronze, and Copper Ages, the Early Iron Age, and the period of Kyivan Rus of the 9 th -13 th centuries, and also mentioned all the important ruins of castles, fortresses, and various fortifications, provided detailed information about religious buildings, and troves 60 .In general, information about archaeological sites that were concentrated in 868 settlements of Podillia was included 61 .
In addition to using the results of his own expeditionary and research work, Ye.Setsinskyi, when compiling the 'Archaeological Map of Podillia Hubernia' (fig.1), also used a large amount of thematic literature, in particular the works of V. Antonovych, P. Batiushkov, V. Huldman, M. Symashkevych, the publications: 'Proceedings of Moscow Archaeological Society', 'Notes of the Imperial Russian Archaeological Society', 'Reports of the Imperial Archaeological Commission', publications of 'Kyivska Starovyna', 'Kyivskyi Telegraph', as well as a wide range of Polish-language literature, and manuscript materials from private and museum collections, etc 62 .
Ye. Setsinskyi chose a rather reader-friendly scheme for presenting information about archaeological sites.He submitted descriptions for each of the twelve povits of the hubernia in turn, and within each of them grouped the objects by river basins.Of course, not all descriptions are equal in content.Some sites are only mentioned.However, most of them are described rather in detail: in addition to a general description of the site itself, the geographical reference is also given, as well as the dimensions, state of preservation, and the like.Quite often, the description of the site is also accompanied by the retelling of legends and tales that have survived about it in people's memory.However, the most detailed descriptions are given for those sites where excavations were performed, such as Krynychky, Balta povit; Studenytsia, Ushytsa povit; Ivakhnivtsi, Syrvatyntsi, Pryvorottia, Kamianets povit, and special attention is paid to Bakota 63 .Of course, the largest number of archaeological sites are those objects that were best captured visually and could not remain unnoticedembankments, ramparts, ditches, and caves.They managed to record 3202 burial mounds and 287 settlements in the territory of hubernia 64 .Megalithic structures, stone sculptures, castles, fortresses, places of worship, various inscriptions, etc. are also well described.The Map has appendices, which include detailed geographical and subject indexes, which allow one to find the object of search quickly.
The Map of Ye.Setsinskyi became a kind of guide for the later archaeologists, i.e. certain archaeological sites mentioned in it aroused considerable professional interest in the following decades, and accordingly, their study was continued.In

ЕМІНАК
Eminak, 2023, 2 (42)  particular, the most notable such site was Nemyriv settlement dated to the Scythian period.First described in Setsinskyi's Archaeological Map, it was excavated by the expeditions of S. Hamchenko in 1909, A. Spitsyn in 1910, and A. Smyrnov in 1941, and  in the post-war period, it continued to be studied by expeditions headed by M. Artamonov, A. Moruzhenko, and P. Havliuk.M. Artamonov especially emphasized the important role of the Map by Ye.Setsinskyi.He verified all his reconnaissance expeditions to the Middle Dniester region with the Map, made clarifications, and wrote down comments 65 .
The Map of Ye.Setsinskyi was useful during the period of large-scale preparations for the construction of the Dniester Pumped Storage Power Station when a great number of ancient settlements in the Dniester region were being prepared for flooding.The archaeological map made it possible to quickly and clearly decide which settlements should be examined for sites and objects of certain archaeological eras.Then, among others, early Slavic settlements in Bakota, Kavetchyna, Sokil, and Teremtsi 66 , as well as ancient Rus settlements in Hrynchuk, Ivankivtsi, and Stara Ushytsia, were studied 67 .
Ye. Setsinskyi's map is also taken into account by current researchers, in particular archaeologists from Kamianets-Podіlskyi Ivan Ohiienko National University, following the descriptions of their fellow countryman, excavated dozens of burial mounds in Khmelnytskyi region dated to the 7 th -6 th centuries BCE.The most informative of them were such sites as Tarasivka, Shutnivtsi, Chabanivka, Kolodiivka, and Spasivka 68 .

CONCLUSIONS
Thus, during the 55 years of its activity, Podillia Church Historical and Archaeological Society (founded under the name of the Committee) had undergone a rather significant evolution.The Society managed to go beyond the established framework of promoting the policy of Russification of the region and actually became a research center for studying the history and national-cultural identity of Ukrainians, including conducting archaeological research, which is actually one of the most difficult areas of the development of historical knowledge and necessarily requires special training.Over the years of work, the administratively established circle of amateur local historians had evolved into a real scientific Society, with its print publications, and clearly defined organizational structure for performing activities, which were regulated by statutory provisions, with planning and reporting on activities.
The Society played a significant role in the study of archaeological sites and objects of Podillia hubernia.A primary role in that field was played by the tireless Yefimii Setsinskyi, who not only performed archaeological surveys in the region but also directly participated in the activities of Kyiv expeditions.The pinnacle of the scholar's archaeological research was his Archaeological Map of Podillia Hubernia, which was presented and highly estimated at Kyiv Archaeological Congress of 1899 (published  in 1901).
Today, archaeological materials of Podillia Church Historical and Archaeological Society and descriptions of settlements prepared by its researchers continue to play the role of a guide in archaeological surveys and excavations.
the sanction of the Holy Synod and by order of Leontii Archbishop of Podillia, the Committee for Church Historical and Statistical Description of Podillia Eparchy was founded at Podillia Theological Seminary 15 , which in 1890 was called Podillia Eparchy Historical and Statistical Committee and already in 1903 it was renamed to Podillia Church Historical and Archaeological Society.The first Head of the Committee was Feohnost (Lebediev), Rector of Podillia Seminary, while O. Pavlovych, the professor of the Seminary, was elected to be the Secretary 16 .