Grgo Ilić, also Grgo Ilijić ''(Gregorius; Higlich, Hilijić-Ilijić, Hilijić-Varešanin, Hiljich de Vares, Varešanin, Ilijić-Varešanin, Zečević)'', also known as fra Grgo Varešanin (18 October 1736 – 1 March 1813), was Bosnian catholic bishop and

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

friar. He was born in

Vareš Vareš ( cyrl, Вареш) is a town and municipality located in Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is famous for the local mi ...

, present-day

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

, at the time part of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. He served as a provincial of the

Franciscan Province of Bosnia Franciscan Province of Bosna Srebrena (also ''Bosna Argentina''; officially ) is a province of the Franciscan order of the Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina, historically active in Croatia as well. Their headquarters are currently in Sa ...

for two terms.and as the Apostolic Vicar of Bosnia for life.

Biography

Grgo Ilić was born in

(central part of modern-day

). In 1752 he entered the seminary at the Franciscan friary, Kraljeva Sutjeska, and then went to study philosophy and theology in Italy. He returned to Kraljeva Sutjeska to teach novice friars, and became friary guardian. He also served as parish priest in several (parishes) until 1774. He served as a provincial of the

for two terms.

Pope Pius VI Pope Pius VI (; born Count Angelo Onofrio Melchiorre Natale Giovanni Antonio called Giovanni Angelo or Giannangelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to hi ...

appointed Ilić to the position of provincial first in 1783, a position he held only for one year from opposition within the provincial electoral

plenary council In the Roman Catholic Church, a plenary council is any of various kinds of ecclesiastical synods, used when those summoned represent the whole number of bishops of some given territory. The word itself, derived from the Latin ''plenarium'' (complete ...

, and then in 1793 for a second term, this time for life. In 1796, Ilijić was named

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 an ...

Ruspe Ruspe or Ruspae was a town in the Roman province of Byzacena, in '' Africa propria''. It served as the episcopal see of Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe. It is now a Roman Catholic titular bishopric. Name The name "Ruspe" is usually understood to be a ...

and coadjutor apostolic vicar to Augustin Botoš-Okić. In 1798, Ilić became the apostolic vicar of Bosnia, a service he performed for the rest of his life.

Work influences and impact

As a bishop, Ilić wrote and printed many pastoral-catechist works. In Filip Lastrić's work ''Od’ uzame'' (Mleci, 1796) he published 14 of its speeches aimed at Bosnian common people: ''Kratko nadometnuće u’ knjižice Od’ uzame O. fra Filipa iz Oćevje. Tojest XIV. razlikî, ravnî, i kratkî, govorenjah za pùk priprostiti bosanski, a u Cvitu razlika mirisa duhovnoga'' (Mleci 1802); ''T. Babića svoja Četeri govorenja ćudoredna''. He wrote and printed many of his letters, circulars, and speeches: (Padova 1800); ''Način pribogoljubni za štovati prisveto uznesenje Marijino na nebo'' (Dubrovnik 1799). He further printed (Mleci 1804), while leaving behind in writing a manuscript of . An important contribution to Bosnian translation is a collection of speeches of archbishop

Alessandro Borgia Alessandro Borgia (1682, Velletri – 1764, Fermo) was an Italian bishop and archbishop. Life From a collateral patrician branch of Borgia family, he was the son of Don Clemente Erminio Borgia of Velletri (1640-1711) and Cecilia Carboni (166 ...

, with whom Ilić closely associated and printed it in Dubrovnik in 1799 under the title .

Legacy

The portrait of Bishop Ilić, oil on canvas, 69 x 89 cm, is kept in Franciscan friary St. Catharine in Kreševo, and on 7 July 2003 is declared a

National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina The National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina include: *sites, places, immovable and movable heritage of historical and cultural importance, as designated by the Commission to preserve national monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the basis o ...

as movable property by KONS. The portrait shows Bishop Ilić sitting on his

cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principa ...

(throne) with an Episcopal crozier in his hand. On his head is a

mitre The mitre (Commonwealth English) or miter (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, see spelling differences; both pronounced ; ) is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of ...

and above his upper lip a mustache. Beside the cathedra is a boy with an open book directed at the bishop. In the book one page shows the Franciscan escutcheon, while the other page shows the inscription: ''"Homiliae et Concion R. F. Gregor and Vares Aepiscop. Ruzen Vicarii Apost. In Bosnia Argent. Annor. LXVIII A. D. MDCCCIII"''.

References

External links

Catholic Church in Bosnia-Herzegovina
encyclopedia.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Ilic, Grgo 1736 births 1813 deaths People from Vareš Franciscans of the Franciscan Province of Bosnia Franciscan bishops 18th-century Roman Catholic titular bishops 19th-century Roman Catholic titular bishops Apostolic vicars Bishops appointed by Pope Pius VI Christian clergy from the Ottoman Empire Bosnia and Herzegovina writers Bosnia and Herzegovina Roman Catholic bishops 18th-century Bosnia and Herzegovina Roman Catholic bishops

Biography

Work influences and impact

Legacy

See also

References

External links