Victor Mihaly de Apşa, commonly Victor Mihali (May 19, 1841—January 21, 1918), was an ethnic Romanian Austro-Hungarian bishop of the Greek-Catholic Church. Born to an old noble family in Ieud,

Maramureș County Maramureș County () is a county (județ) in Romania, in the Maramureș region. The county seat is Baia Mare. Name In Hungarian it is known as ''Máramaros megye'', in Ukrainian as Мараморо́щина, in German as ''Kreis Marmarosch' ...

,Personalităţi
at the Ieud Town Hall site; accessed May 16, 2012 he attended a

Piarist The Piarists (), officially named the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools ( la, Ordo Clericorum Regularium pauperum Matris Dei Scholarum Piarum), abbreviated SchP, is a religious order of clerics regular of the ...

primary school in Sighetu Marmaţiei and high school in Oradea,

Trnava Trnava (, german: Tyrnau; hu, Nagyszombat, also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, to the northeast of Bratislava, on the Trnávka river. It is the capital of a ''kraj'' ( Trnava Region) and of an '' okres'' ( T ...

and Košice. After graduating in 1857, he was sent to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

by his father, encouraged by Bishop Ioan Alexi. He studied at the

Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...

, obtaining a doctorate in theology in 1863 and being ordained priest later that year. He returned to

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

and in 1864 was first named dean of students and later professor of church history and canon law at the seminary in

Gherla Gherla (; hu, Szamosújvár; german: Neuschloss) is a municipiu, municipality in Cluj County, Romania (in the historical region of Transylvania). It is located from Cluj-Napoca on the river Someșul Mic, and has a population of 20,203. Three vil ...

. After Gherla Bishop Ioan Vancea was elected Metropolitan of Făgăraş and Alba Iulia, he took Mihali with him to

Blaj Blaj (; archaically spelled as ''Blaș''; hu, Balázsfalva; german: Blasendorf; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Blußendref'') is a city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 20,630 inhabitants. The landmark of the city is the f ...

as his secretary. In 1869-1870, Mihali accompanied Vancea to the First Vatican Council.Episcopul Victor Mihali
at the Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic site; accessed May 16, 2012 In late 1874, Mihali was named Bishop of Lugoj,

Ioan Olteanu Ioan Olteanu (14 December 1839 – 29 November 1877) was a Romanian Greek Catholic hierarch. He was bishop of the Romanian Catholic Eparchy of Lugoj from 1870 to 1873 and the Romanian Catholic Eparchy of Oradea Mare from 1873 to 1877. Born in ...

having been transferred to Oradea. He was consecrated at Blaj the following February, and spent twenty years in Lugoj. He visited 110 parishes and held two diocesan synods (in 1882 and 1883). During his reign, many churches, schools and parish houses were built or renovated; other structures were bought and adapted for religious uses. In 1893 he led the first Romanian pilgrimage to Rome. Vancea died in 1892, and Mihali succeeded him three years later. As head of the church, he held a number of synods as well as a council in 1900 to mark the 200th anniversary of the union with Rome. He opposed Magyarization policies in education and the 1912 establishment of the Hajdúdorog Diocese. He led the December 1917 liturgy at which Iuliu Hossu was consecrated Bishop of Gherla and died the following month. Mihali was made an honorary member of the Romanian Academy in 1894.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mihali, Victor 1841 births 1918 deaths People from Maramureș County Romanian Austro-Hungarians Primates of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church Honorary members of the Romanian Academy 19th-century Eastern Catholic bishops 20th-century Eastern Catholic archbishops 20th-century Romanian people 19th-century Romanian people Eastern Catholic bishops in Romania