Mamaiivtsi

Mamaiivtsi (Мамаївці) , Kitsman Raion, Chernivtsi Oblast

Village of "Altmamajestie" (with manor house called Rewna), circa 1900 from Gemeindelexikon Gazette

The village of Mamaiivtsi is located only 10km west of the city of Chernivtsi along the banks of the river Prut. In the 19th century it was divided into two halves: Altmamajestie (“Old Mamaiivtsi”) and Neumamajestie (“New Mamaiivtsi”) with Altmamajestie lying to the west of Neumamajestie. During the Soviet era the old village was renamed to Starosillia. The villages were reunited after Ukrainian independence and today form what is essentially a suburb of Chernivtsi with a population of 5830. It is considered to be one of the wealthier villages in Bukovina.

Archaeological excavations in the villages and farms of the area have revealed that settlements existed over 5000 years ago as over 20 finds have been made from the “Tripoli-Cucuteni” culture. Later, in the first century AD there was a Slavic settlement and another village from the 12th century. In 1963 excavations also revealed a cemetery from the Kievan Rus’ period.

There are many legends that attempt to explain the origin of the village name. One theory suggests it originates with the Tatar Khan Mamai who allegedly stayed there with his troops before crossing the Carpathian Mountains. Another legend suggests it comes from a woman named Mamana who came from the mountains and settled here. The earliest mention of the village dates to 1580 when it was owned by the Metropolitan Georgio Mohyla. Sources claim that in 1667 the village was destroyed by the Turks and Tatars before being reconstructed. In 1722 the Hetman Filip Orlik passed through as recorded in his diary. During the early years of Austrian rule the population of the village rose quickly – from 318 people in 1774 to 392 in 1786. It was this increase that led to the village being divided into two.

At the start of the Austrian period there were no schools in Bukovina and the only education available was provided by the monasteries (one of which was in Mamaiivtsi) but that was restricted to a very small number of wealthy children. In 1880 a one room school was opened in Altmamajestie near the church with one teacher and a priest who came once or twice a week to teach religion. Children only went to the school for one year. After fifteen years the school expanded to three rooms and students went for four years. Much of the instruction was focused on the German language.

With the majority of the population being ethnically Ukrainian and of the Greek Orthodox faith one of the most important buildings in the town was the church. The small wooden church of St. John the Baptist, built in 1863 (other sources say 1773), still stands today with its green walls and tin roof having been recently restored. Currently it is next to a much larger and more Ukrainian Baroque style church which is also named for St. John the Baptist.  In addition to being the center of religious life in the community, during the period of Austrian rule the Greek Orthodox Church was also the major landlord in and around the village of Mamaiivtsi.