Serhij Pakhomenko, Svitlana Arabadzhy The Figure of Metropolitan Ignatius in the Construction of Identity and Historical Memory of the Azov Greeks Serhij Pakhomenko - Associate Professor of the Department of International Relations and Foreign Policy, Mariupol State University (Ukraine), spplus@ukr.net Svitlana Arabadzhy - Senior Lecturer of the Department of Historical Studies, Mariupol State University (Ukraine). svetlana.arabadzhy@gmail.com The article examines the transformation of the image of Metropolitan Ignatius in historiography and its use for constructing ethnic identity and historical memory of the Greeks of Ukrainian Northern Azov Sea region. The article analyzes historical and local historical literature and periodicals of the imperial, Soviet and post-Soviet periods. The analysis showed that the imperatives of modeling the image of the Metropolitan varied according to the political situation and the dominant ideology. The article concentrates on current commemorative practices that contribute to the formation of apologetic image of metropolitan and his cult, especially after Ignatius' canonization by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). The figure of Ignatius serves for ethnic consolidation and complementarity in the context of an alien ethnic environment. Keywords: metropolitan Ignatius, the Greeks, identity, historical memory, historiography, commemorative practices, Ukrainian Northern Azov Sea region. page 261METROPOLITAN Ignatius of Mariupol (1716-1786)-Metropolitan of Gotthei and Kafei, spiritual head of the Greek Christians of Crimea, one of the initiators and organizers of their resettlement to the lands of the Russian Empire (in the Northern Azov region). The image of Metropolitan Ignatius in historiography and historical memory is an example of modeling the identity of a Greek ethnic minority in the multiethnic region of the Ukrainian Northern Azov region1. The imperatives of this modeling changed depending on historical circu ... Read more