Viktor Danilov
Abbot of the Greek Catholic parish in Grodno, Writer, Religious Disident (1927-2016)
Viktor Danilov (20 July 1927 – 7 December 2016) was a parish priest of the Greek Catholic parish in Grodno, dean of the Belarusian Greek Catholic Church, chaplain, writer in Soviet times and religious dissident. He was also a historian, teacher and researcher.
Biography
Early life and studies
Born in Yaroslavl in 1927 in a family of medical doctors. In 1947 he entered the Yaroslavl Pedagogical Institute. In 1948 he was arrested for his criticism of Stalin, and accused of anti-Soviet propaganda. Danilov was convicted under Articles 58-10 and 58-11 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation to 10 years in a labor camp. After an attempted escape, he received a second conviction for a period of 10 years.
During his captivity he met other prisoners with many different religious beliefs and he started to rethink his position; after considering Judaism and Islam, he abandoned Marxism and atheism and became a Christian, later deciding to join the Catholic church. In 1955, he was released under the amnesty; some time later, he was completely exonerated.
In December 1955 he returned to his studies in the History Department of the Yaroslavl Pedagogical Institute.
The public source identifies “Viktor Danilov” as abbot of the Greek Catholic parish in Grodno, Writer, Religious Disident (1927-2016). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Viktor, Danilov and Abbot.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Viktor Danilov”, the useful work is to connect “abbot of the Greek Catholic parish in Grodno, Writer, Religious Disident (1927-2016)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3920371. VIAF identifies the subject as 311428275. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1927, 2016, 1947 and 1948.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Viktor Danilov”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Viktor Danilov primary sources, Viktor Danilov archive and Viktor research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Viktor Danilov”?
- Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Viktor Danilov” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.