Križevci eparchy

Križevci eparchy. Greek Catholic eparchy in the former Yugoslavia that takes its name from its see, located in southern Croatia. It was founded in 1777 by Pope Pius VI on the urging of Maria Theresa out of the Marče-Svidník vicariate of the Roman Catholic diocese of Zagreb. This diocese had been established in the 17th century out of a separate Uniate eparchy founded in 1611, when Bishop Simeon Vratania accepted the Church Union of Berestia along with his faithful, Orthodox émigrés from Bosnia and Montenegro. Prominent Ukrainians active in the eparchy in the 18th century included Metodii Terletsky, who later became the bishop of Kholm; H. Bulo, the eparchy’s vicar in the 1730s; and Bishop H. Palkovych (1751–9) (the last two were from Transcarpathia).

In addition to the Greek Catholics of Croatia, the eparchy had jurisdiction over the Ukrainians in the Bačka region, which included parishes in Ruski Krstur and Koćura, and Slovenia (from the late 19th century). In 1920 Ukrainians in Bosnia and Greek Catholic Macedonians (in Macedonia) and Romanians (in the Banat) were also placed under its jurisdiction. While all the eparchy’s bishops in the 19th century were Croatians, since then a number of Ukrainians have held this post: Yu. Drohobetsky (1891–1920), who was born in the Prešov region; and Dionisii Niaradi (1920–40), Archbishop Havryil Bukatko (1950–81), and Yoakym Segedi (1981–3), all from Ruski Krstur. In 1983 S. Miklovsh became the bishop.

Until 2003, all 50,000 Greek Catholics in former Yugoslavia were under Križevci eparchy, including some 35,000 Ukrainians, 10,000 Croatians, 4,000 Macedonians, and a few hundred Romanians. There were 50 parishes, of which 30 were Ukrainian, 13 were Croatian, 8 were Macedonian, and 1 was Romanian. The eparchy operates a theological seminary in Zagreb. Located in Kula are a men’s monastery of the Basilian monastic order, 11 Ukrainian women’s monasteries (6 of the Basilian order of nuns and 5 under the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate), and 5 other women’s monasteries. Since 1969 the annual Khrystyians'kyi kalendar has been published in Ukrainian and in the local Ruthenian dialect.

Mykola Buchko, Roman Miz

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