The Archdiocese of Mohilev (or

Mogilev Mogilev (; , ), also transliterated as Mahilyow (, ), is a city in eastern Belarus. It is located on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, about from the Belarus–Russia border, border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and from Bryansk Oblast. As of 2024, ...

or Mahilyow) was a territorial

Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, covering the greater part of the territory of the Tsarist

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

(from

St Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

to Vladivostock). The Cathedral was the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin and St. Stanislav in Mohilev, the co-cathedral was the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Saint Petersburg. Its effective see was the imperial capital city

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. Throughout its entire existence, it was the largest territorial unit of the Catholic Church in the world. The archdiocese remained the Latin metropolitan see for Russia throughout imperial times and the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

period, although for much of the latter period it was the subject of repression and had no incumbent archbishop.

History

The establishment of a bishopric became a necessity as a result of the First Partition of Poland, when significant amounts of territory inhabited by Catholics — mainly Greek Catholics, but also a substantial number of Roman Catholics — became part of Russia. Previously, only small groups of Catholics, primarily immigrants in large cities, resided in Russia. These Catholics were legally subject to the Justitz-Kollegium () for Livonian, Estonian, and Finnish Affairs. The Archdiocese was erected as the Diocese of White Ruthenia on 14 December 1772 by the Russian empress

Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

, in a unilateral action independent of Rome. Its territory was split off from the Dioceses of

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

(45 parishes including Mohilev), Inflanty and

Smolensk Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It has been a regional capital for most of ...

, part of the Gniezno Metroplis. On 17 January 1782, Catherine elevated the diocese to Archdiocese of Mohilev (then without suffragan sees), and in 1783 these actions were recognised by

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 ...

in the

bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not Castration, castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e. cows proper), bulls have long been an important symbol cattle in r ...

''Onerosa pastoralis officii''. The

ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical structures. An ecclesiastical province consist ...

of the archdiocese included areas seized in the second and third partitions of Poland, resulting in the archdiocese encompassing approximately 693 parishes with 1,280 churches. In 1798, the territorial division of the archdiocese was stabilized, comprising five

suffragan diocese A suffragan diocese is one of the dioceses other than the metropolitan archdiocese that constitute an ecclesiastical province. It exists in some Christian denominations, in particular the Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandr ...

Samogitia Samogitia, often known by its Lithuanian language, Lithuanian name ''Žemaitija'' (Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see Samogitia#Etymology and alternative names, below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five ...

Lutsk Lutsk (, ; see #Names and etymology, below for other names) is a city on the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Volyn Oblast and the administrative center of Lutsk Raion within the oblast. Lutsk has a populati ...

Zhytomyr Zhytomyr ( ; see #Names, below for other names) is a city in the north of the western half of Ukraine. It is the Capital city, administrative center of Zhytomyr Oblast (Oblast, province), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding ...

, Kamianets, and the new diocese of Minsk. As a result of the Treaty of Tilsit in 1807, the Białystok district was incorporated into the Diocese of Vilnius. The first seat for the Archbishop of Mohilev in St Petersburg was built in 1783 near the Church of Saint Stanislaw but in 1849 a new residence in the imperial capital city was built in a new site and later, between 1870 and 1873, the new Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was erected near it. It repeatedly lost territory, to establish successively the Diocese of Cherson (or Tiraspol) on 3 July 1848, the Apostolic Exarchate of Russia in 1917, the Diocese of Riga on 22 September 1918, the Apostolic Vicariate of Finland on 8 June 1920 and the "Apostolic Vicariate of Siberia" on 1 December 1921 (after 1923 Diocese of Vladivostok).

is a city in present-day

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

, and with the demise of the Soviet Union the Archdiocese's territory and title were merged into its former

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

(which had often been governed ad interim by its Metropolitan, as

Apostolic administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

), in the newly independent country's capital, to create the Archdiocese of Minsk-Mohilev on 13 April 1991. The territorial boundaries of the new archdiocese were redrawn to include only territory within Belarus. Territories of the archdiocese falling within present-day Russia were reassigned, first to the

Apostolic Administration of European Russia The Archdiocese of the Mother of God at Moscow or simply, Archdiocese of Moscow (, ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in Moscow, in Russia. History * 13 April 1991: Established as Apostolic ...

, and subsequently to what are now the Archdiocese of Mother of God at Moscow in the north and the Diocese of Saint Clement at Saratov in the south.

Episcopal ordinaries

All Latin,

Roman Rite The Roman Rite () is the most common ritual family for performing the ecclesiastical services of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. The Roman Rite governs Rite (Christianity) ...

. ;Coadjutor Bishops of Mohilev * 1783–1812:

Jan Benisławski Jan Benisławski (1735–1812) was a Polish clergyman who was the coadjutor bishop of Mohilev and the titular bishop of Gadara. Biography Benisławski was born in 1735 in Inflanty Voivodeship and entered the Jesuit Order. In 1773, the Jesui ...

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 ...

Gadara Gadara ( or ; ), in some texts Gedaris, was an ancient Hellenistic city in what is now Jordan, for a long time member of the Decapolis city league, a former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see. Its ruins are today located at Umm ...

* 1798–1811: Cyprian Odyniec * 1815–1819: Maciej Paweł Możdżeniewski * 1815–1840: Walery Henryk Kamionko ;Metropolitan Archbishops of Mohilev *1783–1826: Stanisław Bohusz Siestrzeńcewicz, previously

of Mallus (1773.07.12 – 1783.12.11),

Auxiliary Bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

(

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

) (1773.07.12 – 1783.12.11) *1828–1831: Kacper Kazimierz Cieciszowski, previously Titular Bishop of

Theveste Theveste was a Roman colony situated in what is now Tébessa, Algeria. History In 146 BC, the Romans conquered the region, where existed an old city called " Tbessa". Theveste was founded by the Romans in 75 AD near an old Berber village locat ...

(1775.05.29 – 1784.08.07),

Coadjutor Bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...

of Kyiv–Černihiv (

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

) (1775.05.29 – 1784.08.07), succeeding as Bishop of Kyiv–Černihiv (1784.08.07 – 1798.11.17), Bishop of Lutsk and Zytomierz (Ukraine) (1798.11.17 – 1828.06.23) *1841: Ignacy Ludwik Pawłowski, previously Titular Bishop of

Megara Megara (; , ) is a historic town and a municipality in West Attica, Greece. It lies in the northern section of the Isthmus of Corinth opposite the island of Salamis Island, Salamis, which belonged to Megara in archaic times, before being taken ...

(1828.06.23 – 1841.03.01), Auxiliary Bishop of Kamyanets-Podilsky (Ukraine) (1828.06.23 – 1841.03.01) *1849–1851:

Kazimierz Dmochowski Kazimierz Dmochowski (24 June 1779 – 11 January 1851) was a Roman Catholic archbishop of the Archdiocese of Mohilev from 1848 until his death in 1851. He previously served as auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Vilnius and titular bishop of ...

, previously Auxiliary Bishop of Vilnius (Lithuania) (1840.12.17 – 1848.07.03), Titular Bishop of

Meloë in Lycia Meloë () may refer to: * Meloë (Isauria) * Meloë (Lycia) See also * Meloe, genus of beetles {{geodis ...

(1840.12.17 – 1849.07.17), Auxiliary Bishop of

Žemaitija Samogitia, often known by its Lithuanian name ''Žemaitija'' ( Samogitian: ''Žemaitėjė''; see below for alternative and historical names) is one of the five cultural regions of Lithuania and formerly one of the two core administrative divi ...

(Lithuania) (1848.07.03 – 1849.07.17) *1851–1855:

Ignacy Hołowiński Ignacy Hołowiński (writing under the pennames Ignacy Kefaliński and Żegota Kostrowiec; 24 September 1807 – 19 October 1855) was a Catholic archbishop of the Archdiocese of Mohilev, writer, translator, and literary critic. Hołowiński ...

, succeeding as previous Titular Bishop of

Carystus Carystus (; , near modern Karystos) was a polis (city-state) on ancient Euboea. It was situated on the south coast of the island, at the foot of Mount Oche. It is mentioned by Homer in the Catalogue of Ships in the ''Iliad'', as controlled by ...

Coadjutor Archbishop The term "coadjutor" (literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadjutor bishop ...

of Mohilev (1848.07.03 – 1851.01.24) *1856–1863:

Wacław Żyliński Wacław Żyliński (1 March 1803 – 5 May 1863) was a Roman Catholic archbishop of the Archdiocese of Mohilev from 1856 to his death in 1863. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Vilnius from 1848 to 1856. Biography Żyliński ...

, previously Bishop of

(Lithuania) (1848.07.03 – 1856.10.27) *1872–1883:

Antoni Fijałkowski Antoni Fijałkowski (13 July 1798 – 11 February 1883) was a Roman Catholic archbishop of the Archdiocese of Mohilev from 1872 until his death in 1883. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Kamianets-Podilskyi from 1860 to 1872 ...

, previously Titular Bishop of Tanasia & Auxiliary Bishop of Kamyanets-Podilsky (Ukraine) (1858.06.25 – 1860.03.23), succeeding as Bishop of Kamyanets-Podilsky (1860.03.23 – 1872.02.23); also

Apostolic Administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of Minsk (Belarus) (1872.02.23 – 1883.02.11) *1883–1889:

Aleksander Gintowt-Dziewałtowski Aleksander Kazimierz Gintowt-Dziewałtowski (3 March 1821 – 26 August 1889) was a Roman Catholic archbishop of the Archdiocese of Mohilev from 1883 to his death in 1889. He previously served as auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Płock and ...

, previously Bishop of Lutsk and Zytomierz (Ukraine) (1883.03.15 – 1891.12.14) and Apostolic Administrator of Kamyanets-Podilsky (Ukraine) (1883.03.15 – 1891.12.14); also Apostolic Administrator of Minsk (Belarus) (1891.12.14 – 1899.11.26) *1891–1899:

Szymon Marcin Kozłowski Szymon Marcin Kozłowski (; 5 November 1819 – 17 November 1889) was an Archbishop of Mohilev. Biography Kozłowski was born in Alytus to Jan and Madgalena Kozłowski. In 1839 – after completing schooling in Kėdainiai – he be ...

, previously Bishop of Lutsk and Zytomierz (Ukraine) (1883.03.15 – 1891.12.14), Apostolic Administrator of Kamyanets-Podilsky (Ukraine) (1883.03.15 – 1891.12.14); also Apostolic Administrator of Minsk (Belarus) (1891.12.14 – 1899.11.26) *1901–1903:

Bolesław Hieronim Kłopotowski Bolesław Hieronim Kłopotowski (13 March 1848 – 24 February 1903) was a Roman Catholic Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mohilev, Archbishop of Mohilev from 1901 until his death in 1903. Biography Kłopotowski was born near Sharhorod. He was ...

, previously Titular Bishop of

Eleutheropolis Bayt Jibrin or Beit Jibrin ( lit. 'House of the Powerful') was an Arab village in the Hebron Subdistrict of British Mandatory Palestine, in what is today the State of Israel, which was depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was ...

(1897.08.02 – 1899.12.14), Auxiliary Bishop of Lutsk and Zytomierz (Ukraine) (1897.08.02 – 1899.12.14), then Bishop of Lutsk and Zytomierz (Ukraine) (1899.12.14 – 1901.04.15), Apostolic Administrator of Kamyanets-Podilsky (Ukraine) (1899.12.14 – 1901.04.15); also Apostolic Administrator of Minsk (Belarus) (1901.04.15 – 1903.02.24) *1903–1905:

Jerzy Józef Szembek Jerzy Józef Elizeusz Szembek (14 June 1851 – 7 August 1905) was a Roman Catholic bishop of the Archdiocese of Mohilev. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Płock from 1901 to 1903. Biography Szembek was born to Józef and ...

, previously Bishop of

Płock Płock (pronounced ), officially the Ducal Capital City of Płock, is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by Central Statistical Office (Poland), GUS on 31 December 2021, the ...

(Poland) (1901.04.15 – 1903.11.09); also Apostolic Administrator of Minsk (Belarus) (1903.11.09 – 1905.08.07) *1908–1909:

Apolinary Wnukowski Apolinary Wnukowski (1848–1909) was a Catholic clergyman who was Archbishop of Mohilev (1908-1909). Wnukowski was born in Podolia to Maciej and Anna. He attended the gymnasium in Kamianets-Podilskyi. His theological education continued in Z ...

, previously Bishop of Płock (

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

) (1904.04.01 – 1908.11.29); also Apostolic Administrator of Minsk (Belarus) (1908.11.29 – 1909.06.04) *1910–1914:

Wincenty Kluczyński Wincenty Kluczyński (30 September 1847 – 10 February 1917) was a titular archbishop of Philippopolis from 1914 until his death in 1917. He previously served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Mohilev from 1910 to 1914. Biography Wincen ...

; also Apostolic Administrator of Minsk (Belarus) (1910.04.07 – 1914.09.22); later

Titular Archbishop 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 ...

of Philippopolis (modern (Sofia and)

Plovdiv Plovdiv (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, second-largest city in Bulgaria, 144 km (93 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia. It had a population of 490,983 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is a cultural hub ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

) (1914.09.22 – 1917.02.23) *1917–1926:

Eduard von der Ropp Edward Ropp (; 1851–1939) was a Polish nobleman of Baltic German origins, Bishop of Vilnius and Catholic Church, Roman Catholic metropolitan archbishop of Mogilev. He was born 2 December 1851 near Līksna in present-day LatviaJānis Svilāns a ...

, previously Bishop of

Tiraspol Tiraspol (, ; also /; , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Transnistria, a breakaway state of Moldova, where it is the third-largest city. The city is located on the eastern bank of the Dniester River. Tiraspol is a regional hub of cul ...

(

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

) (1902.06.09 – 1903.11.09), Bishop of

(Lithuania) (1903.11.09 – 1917.07.25); also Apostolic Administrator of Vilnius (Lithuania) (1917.07.25 – 1918.10.23) *1923.07.05 – 1925.12.14

Jan Cieplak Jan Cieplak (17 August 1857 – 17 February 1926) was a Polish Roman Catholic priest and archbishop. Early life Jan Cieplak was born in Dąbrowa Górnicza, Congress Poland, in 1857 to an impoverished family of the Polish nobility. He attended th ...

, as

; previously Titular Bishop of Evaria (1908.07.12 – 1919.03.28), Auxiliary Bishop of Mohilev (Belarus) (1908.07.12 – 1925.12.14), Titular Archbishop of Acrida (Epirus) (1919.03.28 – 1925.12.14); later Metropolitan Archbishop of

(Lithuania) (1925.12.14 – 1926.02.17) *1926–1981:

Boļeslavs Sloskāns Boļeslavs Sloskāns (, 1893-1981) was a Latvian Roman Catholic bishop and a survivor and memoirist of the Soviet Gulag. Early life He was born 31 August 1893 near Stirniene. In 1911 Boļeslavs Sloskāns entered the Saint Petersburg Roman Ca ...

, as

, also Titular Bishop of Cillium (1926.05.05 – 1981.04.18); also Apostolic Administrator of Minsk (Belarus) (1926.08.13 – 1981.04.18).

References

Bibliography

* *

Sources and external links

GCatholic.org, with incumbent biography links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mohilev, Catholic Metropolitanate Former Roman Catholic dioceses in Ex-Soviet Europe Roman Catholic dioceses in Belarus Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 18th century 1772 establishments in the Russian Empire