On Sunday, January 15, 2006, His Beatitude Lubomyr, Major Archbishop of Kyiv and Halych, UGCC, will visit the ancient town of Halych in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. The aim of His Beatitude's visit to the heart of Halychyna (Galicia) is to emphasize the importance of Halych in the history of our Church, since in 1303 this town became the heart of the newly created Metropolitanate of Halych.

We read in historical sources that the Metropolitanate of Halych was a church province created in 1303 on the lands of the Halych-Volyn State through the efforts of princes Lev Danylovych and Yurij I. The charter which raised the Eparchy of Halych to the rank of a Metropolitanate, and brought it out from the jurisdiction of the Kyiv Metropolitanate was signed by the Patriarch of Constantinople Athanasius and the Emperor of Byzantium, Andronicus. Six eparchies were united under the Metropolitanate: Halych, Przemysl, Volodymyr, Helm, Luts'k, and Turiv. A Greek hierarch, Nifontos was the first metropolitan of Halych (1303-1305). After him, a monk from Halychyna, Peter, was elected as Metropolitan of Kyiv, Halych, and all Rus'. He later left Halychyna for Vladimir-on-the-Kliazma. The Metropolitanate of Halych was revoked for the first time in 1347 at the insistence of Moscow. It was restored in 1370 due to the efforts of Polish King Kazimierz III the Great. In 1370 Bishop Antoniy (1391+) became the Metropolitan, and after him, Ivan, the Bishop of Luts'k served as its administrator for a time. In 1401, the Halych Metropolitanate was abolished and resubordinated to the Metropolitanate of Kyiv. In 1406 the eparchy was disbanded, and responsibility for local administration was given to vicars. During that time, the residence of the Metropolitan of Kyiv was located in Moscow.

After Halych was incorporated into the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the government addressed Rome with a request to renew the Metropolitanate. In 1807, the Pope of Rome signed a papal bull to renew the Metropolitanate of Halych on the lands of Halychyna and Kholmschyna. Antoniy Anhelovych was appointed the first Metropolitan of Halych. After him, the Metropolitanate of Halych was headed by: Mykhailo Levytskyy (1816-1858), Hryhoriy Yakhymovych (1860-1863), Syl'vestr Sembratovych (1885-1898), Yulian Sas-Kujilovskyy (1899-1900), Andrei Sheptytsky (1900-1944); Josyf Slipiy (1944-1984), Ivan Myroslav Cardinal Lyubachivskyy (1984-2000), and since 2001 – His Beatitude Lubomyr Husar.

“Kyiv never ceased being a Metropolitanate. The Metropolitanate of Halych was temporary: in the XIX-XX centuries, when the Metropolitan of Kyiv could not operate in Kyiv (due to Russian repression of the Uniate Metropolitanate on Russia's newly acquired territories in Ukraine -ed. note), his title was changed (to the title of Metropolitan of Halych), and the see, in fact, was in Lviv”, - explained His Beatitude Lubomyr for the press secretariat of the Head of the UGCC. “Today, in a certain way, we want to highlight the importance of Halych in the history of our Church. Kyiv is the see of the Head of our Church, but we should also show our respect to the town of Halych which played an important role in our history. I would like to visit Halych together with Bishop Volodymyr Vijtyshyn, the eparch of Ivano-Frankivs'k, who is entrusted the care of Halych, so that we could consider together what we can do to help preserve the memory of the former greatness and importance of that town”.

The visit of the Head of the UGCC will include a Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Dormition of the Mother of the Lord which is built near the foundations of the former Metropolitan cathedral in Krylos (the castle of the princes, the cathedral and other important buildings of the Halych - Volyn principality were located not on the territory of modern Halych, but near it in the village of Krylos). After the Liturgy, His Beatitude Lubomyr and His Excellency Volodymyr will meet the representatives of the regional and city administrations.

Fr. Ihor Yatsiv,
press secretary of the Head of the UGCC