Melkhisedek (Znachko-Yavorsky)

As a religious leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church in the area, he played a key role during the Cossack-Christian uprising of XVIII century on the banks of river Dnipro called Koliivshchyna.

Melkhisedek was born as Matviy around 1716 to the Lubny sotnik Karp Kostysh with a Cossack's nickname Znachko who in 1766 received an official certificate of affiliation with a noble family of Yavorsky.

Also Melkhisedek shown remarkable organizational abilities and extraordinary energy in defending Orthodox faith against advances of Uniate clergy in 1750-60s as well as established permanent relations with the Bishop of Mstislav, Orsha, and Mogilev Georgy (Konysky).

In 1765 on several occasions Melkhisedek was received by the Empress Catherine the Great who on 8 September 1765 issued a rescript to her envoy in Warsaw Nicholas Repnin whom she obligated to obtain from the Polish authorities to stop religious oppression against Orthodox at the Right bank, particularly in voivodeships of Kyiv and Braclaw.

[2] Following the end of uprising in 1768, on request of the Polish Crown Melkhisedek was appointed a hegumen of the Pereyaslav Saint Michael Monastery as he was banned to appear at the Right bank.