Hryhorovych, Viktor

Hryhorovych, Viktor [Григорович, Віктор; Hryhorovyč], b 12 May 1815 in Balta, Podilia gubernia, d 31 December 1876 in Yelysavethrad, Kherson gubernia. Slavist. He taught Slavic languages at Kazan University (1839–49, 1854–65), Moscow University (1849–54), and Odesa University (1865–76). In his works he defended the theory of the Pannonian origin of Old Church Slavonic. During his expedition through Slavic countries in 1844–6 he amassed an important collection of Old Slavic manuscripts, which he donated to the university in Odesa. After his death Hryhorovych’s manuscripts, notebooks, and old books were deposited at the Rumiantsev Museum in Moscow. A book about the pre-Odesa period of Hryhorovych’s activity and its relation to Ukraine was published by Fedir Petrun in 1929.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 2 (1988).]