„For Your Episcopal Honour brings exaltation to the Grand House of Szeptycki”. The initiative to build the family esteem undertaken by the bishops of the Uniate Church from the Szeptycki family in the 18th century

Abstract

In the 18^th century, the Szeptycki family gave the Uniate Church four bishops: Barłaam Bazyli, Atanazy Antoni, Ludwik Leon, Atanazy Andrzej. The Episcopal dignity gave them a chance to foster the prestige of their family. In order to achieve this goal, the bishops used religious celebrations and festivities to as an arena in which they produced their message with the use of all means of communication known to the world of that era. Through the diversity of their appeal, they were able to reach all social layers. In their methodology of proclaiming the prestige of the family, the bishops used panegyric texts and artefacts of material culture, which they made full of genealogical and heraldic references. These initiatives allowed the bishops to sustain the position of their family on a local scale, as borne out by the official titles of some of the members of the family. However, the bishops failed in gaining any influence at the royal court. Although the main focus of all these activities was on elevating the social status of the family, the bishops’ actions influenced directly the change within the Uniate Church. Through their reliance on methods and means of communication which imitated the model developed by the Nobles and the Roman Catholic Church, the Uniate bishops brought their Church to the realm of Latin civilization.