제정러시아의 우니아트교회 폐지와 루시 지역의 정체성

Identity Conflicts in Ruthenia over the Uniate Church in 19-20th centuries

1569년 루블린합병으로 폴란드가 루시 지역을 지배하면서 이 지역에는 루시와 폴란드가 혼합된 새로운 문화적·사회적 유형이 형성되었는데, 그 대표적인 것은 러시아 정교의 전례를 유지하면서 가톨릭 교의를 수용한 우니아트교회였다. 폴란드는 정교도였던 루시를 가톨릭으로 강제 개종하기 보다는 유화책으로 우니아트를 만들었다. 18세기말 폴란드분할로 루시 지역이 러시아제국에 완전히 병합되자, 러시아는 루시지역에서 폴란드 색채를 걷어내기 시작하였는데, 이 과정에서 새롭게 형성된 문화적·사회적 특색까지 모두 솎아내어져 버렸다. 벨라루스어와 우크라이나어라는 언어적 특색은 유지되었지만, 특히 종교적 측면에서 ‘정교도=루시인=러시아인, 가톨릭=폴란드인’이라는 도식에 따라 우니아트교회는 탄압되고 1839년 폐지되었다. 역사를 통해 형성되어 온 집단적 경험은 쉽게 잊히지 않는다. 러시아의 정치적 강제로 우니아트교회는 폐지되었으나, ‘루시=우니아트’라는 인식은 잔존했다. 이에 따라 벨라루스와 우크라이나의 민족주의자들은 제국과 제국, 문명과 문명이 서로 맞물린 경계지대에서 살아 온 그들 루시인의 독자성과 주체성을 우니아트교회에서 발견하려 했다. 특히 강요된 경계성을 역으로 해석하고, 그곳에 스스로의 주체성·독자성이 있다고 진단하고, 이를 바탕으로 내셔널리즘을 발양하고 있다.

Since Poland came to rule the Ruthenia by the Union of Lublin in 1569, a new cultural social type which was mixed from Polish and Ruthenian was formed in the Ruthenian region. The uniate church was the best example. It was a crossover to keep the orthodox liturgies under the condition of acceptance of the catholic doctrines. Poland did not force to convert Ruthenian Orthodox Christians to Catholicism. Instead, Poland established the uniate church in 1596, and converted Ruthenians to the uniate, based on formulas “Ruthenian is the uniate”. On the contrary Russia and the Orthodox church regarded as “the uniate is polish”. The bilateral power struggle between Russia and Poland (or between Orthodox Church and Catholicism) developed to Khmelnytsky Uprising and Polish–Russian Wars. When Poland was divided for three times at the end of 18th century, and the Ruthenian region was completely annexed by Russian Empire. Russia started to make a clean sweep of Polish manners in the region, and as a result, newly formed social and cultural characteristics was also destroyed. Linguistic characteristics of Belarusian and Ukrainian was maintained, but the uniate church was repressive and officially abolished in 1839, based on formulas “Ruthenian is also an orthodox Russian, and Polish is a Catholic”. The collective experience that has been formed through a history is not easily forgettable. Conversion was carried out by political compulsion of Russia, and the uniate church was abolished eventually, but, on the other hand, the recognition of ‘uniate Ruthenian’ was remained. Nationalists of Belarus and Ukraine have been trying to figure their subjecthood and identity out from the uniate church, because they have been in the marginal region which civilizations and neighbouring empires have been collided. They interpret the marginality inversely and positively, and discover their identity from the marginality itself.