Work of the Order

What does the Ecumenical Order of St John of Gothia do?

The Ecumenical Order of St. John of Gothia was intended to continue the ancient traditions of the Christians of the Crimea and the Northern coast of the Black and Azov Seas. That is, we continue the traditions of the Holy Metropolis of Gothia and Kaffa. Therefore, the Order is legally independent of the Greek Catholic Exarchate of Donetsk. It is necessary to say a few words about the fact that the national palette of Ukraine throughout its history has been very diverse.

Unfortunately, it is often forgotten that in the territories mentioned above of the modern South of Ukraine, different peoples lived thousands of years ago, forming modern Ukrainians' ethnogenesis. Ukraine is not only Kyivan Rus and Zaporizhian Sich. It's a much richer story.

Even at the dawn of the first millennium, the Church in Crimea and the south of Ukraine united many peoples: Greeks, Goths, and Turkic-speaking peoples. One of the many peoples of Crimea was the Armenians. In the Middle Ages, Crimea was even called Maritime Armenia.

Even at the dawn of the first millennium, the Church in Crimea and the south of Ukraine united many peoples: Greeks, German-speaking Goths, and Turkic-speaking peoples. One of the many peoples of Crimea was the Armenians. In the Middle Ages, Crimea was even called Maritime Armenia. They were distinctive people who followed the spiritual tradition of the Armenian Church but spoke the Armenian Kipchak language, which is entirely different from the Armenian language. In 988, it was in the Crimea, in Chersonesos, that Prince Vladimir married Anna, the sister of the Byzantine Emperor Basilios II, an Armenian by origin. Together with her, a significant number of fellow Armenians moved to Crimea and subsequently to Kyiv: doctors, merchants, artisans, builders, etc.

In these same lands in the 9th century, New England was an Anglo-Saxon colony. (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_(medieval) ). New England (Latin: Nova Anglia) was a colony allegedly founded, either in the 1070s or the 1090s, by Anglo-Saxon refugees fleeing the Norman invasion of England. Its existence is attested in two much later sources, the French Chronicon Universale Anonymi Laudunensis (which ends in 1219) and the 14th-century Icelandic Játvarðar Saga. They tell the story of a journey from England through the Mediterranean Sea that led to Constantinople, where the English refugees fought off a siege by heathens and were rewarded by the Byzantine Emperor Alexius I Comnenus. They were given land to the northeast of the Black Sea, reconquering it and renaming their territory "New England."

Some part of the Church in Crimea accepted the Florentine Union with the Roman Apostolic See; Crimea had its jurisdiction of the Byzantine Rite, accepting the Primacy of the Pope. Ultimately, the Church of Gothia survived as the Holy Metropolis of Gothia and Kaffa until the 18th century, when the Christians of Crimea were expelled by the Russian Empress Catherine II to the modern Donetsk region. The Christian people have still survived in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhya regions. However, they are catastrophically disappearing, some of whom speak Greek, and some speak Urum, the Turkic language.

The main task of the Order is to preserve the unique, centuries-old tradition of Christians in Crimea and the Azov coast. We also carried out extensive humanitarian work during the Russian-Ukraine War. 

The ecumenical status of our Order allows us to invite Christians from all over the world, of different faiths and nationalities, to participate in our life. Our representatives in various countries popularize our ideas and our work and help us in different ways. For example, the Order in the USA branch is headed by our brother, the Rev’d Dr. Christian D. Boyd. Our friends in Sweden are very active; they regularly deliver humanitarian aid to us for refugees and help the Ukrainian Army's defense. We distribute clothes, food, and medicine to those in need. We bring the same clothing, food, and medicine, as well as provide vehicles, drones, and satellite broadband internet for the army for the safety and defense of the innocent civilian population.