Hryhory Yakhymovych was the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church , Ukrainska Hreko-Katolytska Tserkva), is the largest Eastern Rite Catholic sui juris particular church in full communion with the Holy See, and is directly subject to the Pope...

 from 1860 until his death in 1863.

Life

Hryhory Yakhymovych was born on 16 February 1792 in Pidbirtsi, in Pustomyty Raion

Pustomyty Raion

Pustomyty Raion is a raion in Lviv Oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is Pustomyty. It has a population of 112 009.It was established in 1959.-External links:*...

, Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

. He studied at the Lviv school and he was ordained priest

Priesthood (Catholic Church)

The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....

 on 14 September 1816. In 1818-1819 he served in the Greek Catholic parish of the St. Barbara in Wien

Wien

Wien is the German language name for Vienna, the city and federal state in Austria.* Wien , in Vienna, Austria* Theater an der Wien, a theater in Vienna located at the former river WienWien may also refer to:...

 while studying at the Institute of St. Augustine where he got a doctorate in theology, philosophy and liberal arts. Returned to Galicia

Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria

The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria was a crownland of the Habsburg Monarchy, the Austrian Empire, and Austria–Hungary from 1772 to 1918 .This historical region in eastern Central Europe is currently divided between Poland and Ukraine...

, he worked in the University of Lviv where he headed the department of religion (from 1819), was professor of pedagogy (from 1825) and theology (from 1837). Soon after he was appointed Canon

Canon (priest)

A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....

 (1835), rector of the Lviv Theological Seminary

Seminary

A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...

 (1837-1848). From 1860 to 1861 was rector of the University.

In July 1841 Hryhory Yakhymovych was appointed by Pope Gregory VI

Pope Gregory VI

Pope Gregory VI , born John Gratian , was Pope from 1 May 1045 until his abdication at the Council of Sutri on 20 December 1046....

 as auxiliary bishop

Auxiliary bishop

An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...

 of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Lviv

Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Lviv

The Archeparchy of Lviv is an archeparchy of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.The eparchy was established at some time during the mid 12th century, with its see originally in Halych...

 and consecrated a aishop

Bishop (Catholic Church)

In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....

 on 21 November 1841 in Lviv by Metropolitan Mykhajlo Levitsky.
On 5 September 1848 he was appointed bishop of the Archeparchy of Przemyśl

Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Przemysl–Warsaw

The Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Przemyśl–Warsaw is an archeparchy located in the cities of Przemyśl and Warsaw in Poland.-History:In 1087 the Eparchy of Przemyśl was established....

 and there enthroned on 25 March 1849.

During the revolution of 1848

Revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas

From March 1848 through July 1849, the Habsburg Austrian Empire was threatened by revolutionary movements. Much of the revolutionary activity was of a nationalist character: the empire, ruled from Vienna, included Austrian Germans, Hungarians, Slovenes, Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Ruthenians,...

, he was the leader of the Supreme Ruthenian Council, which supported the Ukrainophile

Ukrainophilia

Ukrainophilia is the love of and/or identification with Ukraine and Ukrainians; its opposite is Ukrainophobia. The term is used primarily in a political and cultural context. "Ukrainophilia" and "Ukrainophile" are the terms used to denote pro-Ukrainian sentiments, usually in politics and...

 and pro-Hasburg positions of the Western Ukrainian Clergy

Western Ukrainian Clergy

The Western Ukrainian clergy of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church were a hereditary tight-knit social caste that dominated western Ukrainian society from the late eighteenth until the mid twentieth centuries, following the reforms instituted by Joseph II, Emperor of Austria...

.

On 23 March 1860 he was enthroned Metropolitan of Lviv, i.e. the primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Hryhory Yakhymovych died unexpectedly on 29 April 1863 in Lviv

Lviv

Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...

.

Figure

Hryhory Yakhymovych became one of the leading figures of the Ukrainian national revival of the mid 19th century. He took part in the Synod of Russians scientists. He was vigilant in implementing the teaching of Ukrainian language in the schools and he required that the clergy to use such language in preaching sermons.
As imperial

Austrian Empire

The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...

 adviser, he defended the rights of the Ukrainian population of Galicia, and he fought for the Ukrainian language

Ukrainian language

Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....

, for the preservation of the Cyrillic alphabet

Cyrillic alphabet

The Cyrillic script or azbuka is an alphabetic writing system developed in the First Bulgarian Empire during the 10th century AD at the Preslav Literary School...

 and of the Byzantine Rite

Byzantine Rite

The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite is the liturgical rite used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches, by the Greek Catholic Churches , and by the Protestant Ukrainian Lutheran Church...

.
Because of his merits, he was awarded by the title of Baron

Baron

Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...

.