Edward Likowski (26 October 1836 – 20 February 1915) was a Polish Catholic hierarch, who served as the
archbishop of Gniezno and primate of Poland from 1914 until his death in 1915.
Biography
Likowski was born on 26 September 1836 in Wrzesnia. He gained a
bachelor's in 1861 from
Münster
Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state di ...
and was
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...
a
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...
on 21 December 1861 in the
diocese of Gniezno-
Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...
. In 1881 he gained a
doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...
in
theological studies.
On 17 March 1887 he was appointed
Auxiliary Bishop of Gniezno-Poznań and
Titular Bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...
of
Aureliopolis in
Lydia. He remained in this role until 13 August 1914 when he was promoted to
Archbishop of Gniezno-Poznań and hence
primate
Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians ( monkeys and apes, the latter including ...
of
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
, filling the position that had been vacant for eight years.
[Hierarchia Catholica Medii et Recentioris Aevi, Volume 8, Page 133]
He pursued many
academic
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...
interests. He was a
Church historian
Church Historian and Recorder (usually shortened to Church Historian) is a priesthood calling in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The role of the Church Historian and Recorder is to keep an accurate and comprehensive record of th ...
, Member of the
Academy of Arts, and from 1895 to 1915 President of the
Poznań Society of Friends of Science. He was also awarded an
honorary Doctor
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
from the
Jagiellonian University in 1900.
He died in office on 20 February 1915.
References
External links
Virtual tour Gniezno Cathedral List of Primates of Poland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Likowski, Edward
1836 births
1915 deaths
People from Września County
Archbishops of Gniezno
People from the Province of Posen
20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Poland
Catholic clergy of the Prussian partition