The article examines the book "The Antiquities of Ireland" by Edward Ledwich, published in two editions — in 1790 and 1804. The work, which was very popular at the time, is now almost forgotten, but nevertheless, the figure of Ledwich still arouses the interest of specialists in Irish historiography and the history of thought. The main topic of the work is the analysis of the history of the Irish Church in Ledwich’s book and Ledwich’s use of Irish historical sources proper.

The article is devoted to the concepts contributed by Alexander Smirnov about the Irish Church and the role of Christian culture to the Old Irish narrative tradition in general. Archival records shows that so-called "Christian element" was entirely accepted by him and was emphasized in an initially neutral formula; later, however, passages about the ‘undoubted Christian influence’ related to some motifs were replaced by such markers as "late interpolations" or "artificial insertions". The turn from a comprehensive approach to an intensive search for the archaic "Celtic basis" has affected all aspects of Smirnov’s discourse: from the interpretation of particular motifs to the characteristics of Christianization and Irish Church organization in general. Due to these observations, we suppose to depict such Smirnov’s conceptions as the truly ‘nativist’ position.

The author gives special gratitude to the National Library of Russia, the Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House) of the Russian Academy of Sciences for an opportunity to work and consult with their founds and record series.

In the 17^th century, St. Ibar, Ailbe, Ciaran, and Declan were called quattuor sanctissimi episcopi (‘the four most holy bishops’). It is thought that they played a pivotal role in the conversion of Ireland, especially its southern parts, and were preaching Christianity there before or at the same time as St. Patrick. We learn about them from a number of sources, including Vitae Sanctorum Hiberniae, Martyrology of Oengus, Martyrology of Donegal, Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters, Book of Leinster, and Speckled Book. They are the founders of monasteries and the episcopal sees in Saigir (St. Ciaran), Emly (St. Ailbe), and Ardmore (St. Declan). St. Ibar founded the monastery on the Isle of Begerin. Their veneration is slowly building up again. The paper represents an attempt at systemising what we know about "the four bishops" from their Lives, the annals, and other sources mentioning them. The aim of the article is to place the aforementioned Saints within the life of the Irish society and Church; distill their distinctive features, spiritual, and social role within the early Medieval Church of Ireland (by analysing narrative patterns, genealogies, and mentions); and describe the development of their modern-day cult. While not claiming to present a definitive and exhaustive answer to these questions, the present paper is nevertheless part of an ongoing research into the subject.

The article is devoted to the penetration of the concept of ecclesiastical refuge into the British Isles, its spread and regional peculiarities. The focus is on the origin and realization of the right of ecclesiastical refuge in the territory of the Welsh kingdoms from the early Middle Ages, when sources record the first signs of the allocation of the temple territory as a place with a special legal status, until the XV century, when the charters of the English kings approved the traditional privilege of Welsh religious centers to provide security to those in need. Being one of the most important achievements of church diplomacy, the right of ecclesiastical refuge was directly related to the status of a religious center: documents confirming it were preserved and copied, if there were no documents, they were forged or episodes in which they hid someone from persecution within the walls of their cell or monastery were included in the lives of the patron saints. The almost simultaneous appearance of such plots in the Lives of the late XI–XII centuries. It suggests that this was one of the main arguments of the Welsh religious communities in the struggle to maintain their position in the face of the changes that began with the arrival of the Normans on the island. For representatives of the secular authorities, the right of ecclesiastical refuge was an inconspicuous but very effective political tool that allowed, on the one hand, to control local religious communities, allowing them to exercise the privilege they needed or violating it, on the other hand, creating an opportunity at the right moment to ensure the safety of both themselves and other participants in political processes.

The work examines the actions taken by the Scottish Church during the First War of Scottish Independence (1296– 1328), as well as the preliminary period starting from 1286. The main objectives are to determine the direct role of the Scottish clergy in diplomatic and political activities, to assess the impact on the national liberation movement, as well as to study the position of the Scottish Church in the Christian world at the end of the First War of Independence. Great attention is given to the propaganda activities of the bishops, as well as the relationship of the secular and spiritual authorities with the Roman Church before and after 1302. The transformation of the position and structure of the Scottish Church in relation to the Roman See and the entire Christian world, both legally and spiritually, is analyzed.