Prawosławne wydawnictwa diecezji litewskiej w drugiej połowie XIX wieku

The meaning of Lithuanian Orthodox publishing houses and publishing activity of Vilnius Committee was unique. Diocesan magazines had a powerful impact on the religious and national awareness among the faithful living in Lithuania, Western Belarus and Podlasie region. From the half of the 19th century Orthodox Christianity was gradually returning to the lands which had been dominated by the Latinized Uniate culture. The return of Lithuanian and Belarusian Uniates to the Orthodox Church required particular changes in the religious awareness as well as shaping new culture and identity. In the second half of 19th century the Orthodox Lithuanian publishing houses served this purpose. The employment of Vilnius Orthodox teachers (from Orthodox seminary) in Vilnius Commission proved the main direction of the Commission work and simultaneously contributed to high educational level of Orthodox university of Lithuanian Diocese. Lithuanian Orthodox publishing houses established a foundation for the development of Belarusian historiography, the historiography of the Orthodox Church in the Polish Republic and ethnographic and language research of the Orthodox residents of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Publishing of Lithuanian diocese resulted in popularization of historical knowledge and Orthodox historical tradition among the faithful.