The Central State Historical Archive of Ukraine in Kyiv holds one of the key documents related to the life of Taras Shevchenko—his birth certificate. This document was shown by the director of the Central State Historical Archive of Ukraine in Kyiv, Yaroslav Fayzulin, to the head of the Culture department of the Interfax-Ukraine agency, Olga Levkun.
The record was made in the metric book of the Church of St. John the Theologian in the village of Morintsy, Zvenigorodsky District, Kyiv Province. It records the birth of the future poet on February 25, 1814 (March 9 according to the new style).
Archivists note that metric books are important primary sources for historians and researchers, as they contain official records of births, baptisms, marriages, and deaths. Such documents make it possible to reconstruct the biographies of historical figures and family histories.
In addition to Shevchenko’s birth record, the archive also contains other documents relating to his family. In particular, there are confessional records — church books recording parishioners.
Among these records is a mention of the family of Hryhorii Shevchenko, the father of the future poet. The document mentions his wife Kateryna and their children—Mykita, Taras, and Yosyp.
Historians explain that confession records were kept not only for church records. They were also used by the Russian Empire authorities to register the population and collect taxes, which is why they are of significant historical value today.
Taras Shevchenko was born into a peasant family in Morintsy, Cherkasy region. Despite a difficult childhood and early orphanhood, he became one of the key figures of Ukrainian culture — a poet, artist, and thinker whose work shaped new Ukrainian literature and became a symbol of national identity.
The archival document with the poet’s birth record is kept in the Central State Historical Archive of Ukraine: f. 127, op. 1012, spr. 1378, ark. 695 zv.
https://interfax.com.ua/news/culture/1150203.html
