Grigorovich-Barsky Vasil

Vasil Grigorovich-Barsky (1701, Kyiv – October 7, 1747, Kyiv), was a well-known Russian traveler and pilgrim.

He studied at the Kyiv Theological Academy but had to abandon his studies due to illness. In 1724, he enrolled at the Jesuit Academy in Lviv under the surname "Barsky," but was expelled from the academy because he was an Orthodox Christian. In the same year, 1724, he set out on foot for Rome and later traveled to the holy sites of Greece, Syria, and Palestine. In 1735, the Patriarch of Antioch, Sylvester, ordained him as a monk under the name Vasil. In 1747, already seriously ill, he returned to Kyiv.

He kept travel diaries, individual parts of which were published several times during the 18th and 19th centuries. His writings contain valuable information about Jerusalem and, especially, about the Georgian monastic communities on Mount Athos.

He visited Mount Athos twice (in 1725 and 1744). In his notes, he devoted special attention to the Iviron Monastery of Athos: he provided a detailed description of the monastery, reviewed its history, and the construction works done by Georgians. He also studied old documents. Grigorovich-Barsky pointed out that the library of the Iviron Monastery was one of the richest among all the libraries on Mount Athos.

Literary Works: Первое посещение святой Афонской горы, СПб., 1886; Второе посещение святой Афонской горы, СПб., 1887.

Sh. Tsirekidze