The Archeparchy of Prešov ( la, Archidioecesis Presoviensis, until 2008 Eparchy of Prešov) is a

Slovak Greek Catholic Church The Slovak Greek Catholic Church ( Slovak: ''Gréckokatolícka cirkev na Slovensku'', "Greek-Catholic Church in Slovakia"; la, Ecclesia Graeco Catholica Slovacica), or Slovak Byzantine Catholic Church, is a metropolitan '' sui iuris'' Eastern Ca ...

ecclesiastical territory or

archeparchy Eparchy ( gr, ἐπαρχία, la, eparchía / ''overlordship'') is an ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity, that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. Eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...

. Its territory covers the

Prešov Region The Prešov Region, also Priashiv Region ( sk, Prešovský kraj, ; hu, Eperjesi kerület; uk, Пряшівський край) is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions and consists of 13 districts (okresy) and 666 municipalities, 23 o ...

. it had 136,593 Slovak Greek Catholic faithful under its jurisdiction.Prešov (Prjašev) (Archdiocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]
/ref> and its episcopal see">atholic-Hierarchy]">Prešov (Prjašev) (Archdiocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]
/ref> and its episcopal see is Prešov, where it has the cathedral see Greckokatolícka katedrálny chrám sv. Jána Krstiteľa; it also has a minor basilica Farský chrám Nanebovzatia Presvätej Bohorodičky, bazilika minor, in Ľutina. Current archeparch is the

Ján Babjak Ján Babjak, S.J. (born 28 October 1953, in Hažín nad Cirochou) is Slovak Greek Catholic prelate and a first Archieparch of Prešov, previously serving as the 10th Bishop, and the highest representative of the Greek Catholic sui iuris Church ...

, S.J. It is the sole

metropolitan see Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

of Slovak Greek Catholic Church and has two suffragan eparchies: the

Eparchy of Košice Eparchy ( gr, ἐπαρχία, la, eparchía / ''overlordship'') is an ecclesiastical unit in Eastern Christianity, that is equivalent to a diocese in Western Christianity. Eparchy is governed by an ''eparch'', who is a bishop. Depending on ...

and the

Eparchy of Bratislava The Eparchy of Bratislava ( la, Eparchia Bratislaviensis) is a Slovak Greek Catholic Church ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Catholic Church that covers the territory of western and central Slovakia. It is a suffragan eparchy in th ...

History

Established on June 27, 1787 as Vicariate of Košice, on territory of the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo, to embrace the western part of this eparchy. Later the see of the Vicariate was transferred from Košice to Prešov. The eparchy was erected on 22 September 1818 from the territory of the Eparchy of Mukachevo. Still in the Habsburg imperial age, on 1912.06.08 it lost its Hungarian territory to establish the Hungarian Greek Catholic Eparchy of Hajdúdorog (now the

Hungarian Catholic Archeparchy of Hajdúdorog The Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Hajdúdorog ( la, Archidioecesis Haidudoroghensis) is a Metropolitan archeparchy (Eastern Catholic archdiocese) of the Greek Catholic Church in Hungary. Its Metropolitan archeparch is the head of the Greek Cath ...

). In July 1995, it enjoyed a papal visit by

John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. On 18 January 1996 the eparchy lost its Czech territory to the newly established

Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church The Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church ( rue, Русиньска ґрекокатолицька церьков; la, Ecclesia Graeco-Catholica Ruthenica), also known in the United States simply as the Byzantine Catholic Church, is an Eastern Cath ...

Apostolic Exarchate An exarch (; from Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος ''exarchos'', meaning “leader”) was the holder of any of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical. In the late Roman Empire and ea ...

in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. Th ...

. On 17 January 1997, an

apostolic exarchate An exarch (; from Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος ''exarchos'', meaning “leader”) was the holder of any of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical. In the late Roman Empire and ea ...

of Košice (today

) was created, again split from its former territory. The last changes occurred on 30 January 2008, when the

was erected, to which Prešov lost territory of western and central Slovakia. At the same time it was elevated into a Metropolitan archeparchy sui juris.

Episcopal incumbents

; Bishops of Prešov (Slovak Rite) *

Gregor Tarkovič Gregor Tarkovič ( uk, Григорій Таркович; 19 November 1754 – 16 January 1841) was a Slovak Greek Catholic hierarch. He was the first bishop of the new created Slovak Catholic Metropolitan Archeparchy of Prešov, Slovak Catholic E ...

(1818.09.26 – 1841.01.16) *

Jozef Gaganec Jozef Gaganec (25 March 1793 – 22 December 1875) was a Rusyn Greek Catholic hierarch. He was the bishop of Slovak Catholic Eparchy of Prešov from 1843 to 1875. Born in Vyšný Tvarožec, Austrian Empire (present day – Slovakia) in the Ru ...

(1843-1875) * ThDr. Mikuláš Tóth (1876-1882) * ThDr.

Ján Vályi Ján Vályi or János Vályi (22 September 1837 – 19 November 1911) was a Slovak Greek Catholic hierarch. He was the bishop of Slovak Catholic Eparchy of Prešov from 1883 to 1911. Born in Vencsellő, Austrian Empire (present day – Hungar ...

(1882-1911) * ThDr.

Štefan Novák Štefan Novák (4 December 1879 – 5 September 1932) was a Greek Catholic hierarch who, from 1913 to 1918, served as the bishop of the Eparchy of Presov (present-day Slovak Catholic Eparchy of Prešov). On 4 December 1879, he was born in Ubľ ...

(1913-1918) * ThDr. Mikuláš Rusnák (1918-1922), Vicar General *

Dionisije Njaradi Dionisije Njaradi (10 October 1874 – 14 April 1940) was a Yugoslavian Greek Catholic hierarch of Rusyn origin. He was auxiliary bishop (as titular Bishop of Abila Lysaniae) and Apostolic Administrator from 1914 to 1920 (until 1917 '' sede plena ...

(1922-1927), Apostolic Administrator *

Pavel Peter Gojdič Pavel Peter Gojdič (also known as Pavol Gojdič or Peter Gojdič) (17 July 1888 — 17 July 1960), was a Rusyn Basilian monk and the eparch of the Slovak Catholic Eparchy of Prešov. He was imprisoned by the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. ...

, OSBM (1927-1960) ** auxiliary bishop ThDr. Vasiľ Hopko (1947-1976) * Mons.

Ján Hirka The Most Reverend Ján Hirka (16 November 1923 – 10 April 2014) was a bishop of the Slovak Greek Catholic Church. Life Hirka was born in Abranovce, Czechoslovakia and was ordained a priest on 31 July 1949. Hirka was appointed Apostolic A ...

(1969–2002), until 1989 as Apostolic Administrator ** auxiliary bishop

Milan Chautur Milan Chautur, C.Ss.R. (born 4 September 1957 in Snina, Czechoslovakia, present day Slovakia) is a Slovak Greek Catholic hierarch, who served as the first Bishop of the Slovak Catholic Eparchy of Košice from 30 January 2008 until his resign ...

C.Ss.R. The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...

(1992–1997) * Bishop

, S.J. (2002.12.11 ''– 2008.01.30, ''cfr. infra: later first Metropolitan Archeparch) ; Metropolitan Archeparchs of Prešov (Slovak Rite) * Archbishop

, S.J. (2008.01.30 – present), ''as above: previously bishop of Prešov ** auxiliary bishop

Milan Lach Milan Lach, SJ (born November 18, 1973) is a Slovak Catholic bishop current appointed as an auxiliary bishop for the Eparchy of Bratislava of the Slovak Greek Catholic Church. He was previously the Eparch of Parma in the Ruthenian Greek Cat ...

, S.J. (2013–2017)

References

External links

Official site

{{DEFAULTSORT:Presov, Archeparchy Of Catholic Church in Slovakia Catholic dioceses in Slovakia Prešov Slovak Greek Catholic Church