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2. Formation of the Ukrainian Renaissance
In the XV-XVIIth centuries, despite its peripheral position Ukraine was
constantly subject to by European cultural processes. As an integral part of the
giant Central European state of Rzeczpospolita Ukraine was experiencing a period

of Renaissance, and then Renaissance-Baroque culture.
Renaissance processes in Ukraine concerned primarily urban culture, which
experienced in this period a significant European influence. In the XVIth century

in the territory of Ukraine more than 250 cities had the Magdeburg right of self-
governance. Most of the population in them were immigrants from Western
Europe, primarily from the German lands. They brought to Ukraine widespread

ideas of individualism in Europe, national and economic independence, church
reformation, etc. Also, certain trends were noticeable in the Renaissance
architecture, arts (first of all the church), in everyday life.

By struggling for equal rights with foreigners of different religion in urban
and religious life, Orthodox Ukrainians began to unite into special organizations-
fraternities. Initially, a fraternity was intended to support the Orthodox church, but
soon the scope of their activities expanded over national issues, primarily

education. Ukrainian fraternities somewhat resembled the "scuolas" commonly
used in the Renaissance Italy – unions of parishioners (usually members of a craft

shop), who took care of the church building, financed its renovation and
decoration. But Ukrainian fraternities that arose in a foreign, sometimes aggressive
religious environment, played a much more important role. Gradually, they became
centers of national culture and played an important role in the Ukrainian spiritual

life.
The first of the fraternities arose in 1463 in Lviv in the Uspensky church
community, the second Krestovozdvizhenske fraternity appeared in 1483 in Lutsk.

These formations in cities initiated the development of national education, which
was supposed to confront the Catholic and Protestant schools that were actively
planted on Ukrainian lands. In 1586, the first Uspensky Brotherhood School in

Lviv was opened, which became an exemplary institution. There, education was
accessible to children with any background: poor children studied with the support
from fraternities, wealthy parents made a certain fee. Until now, the Charter of the

Lutsk Brotherhood (the "Greek-Latin-Slavic School") has been preserved, from
which you can learn a lot about school education in Ukraine at the beginning of the
XVIIth century. The charter laid responsibilities not only for students but also for
their teachers and parents. Students were not allowed to delay and skip classes;

training included physical work: the students had to clean the premises themselves,
cut firewood, etc. The text of the school agreement was read to the student's father
in the presence of witnesses. The agreement also put forward demands for

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