Epiphany Shanov ( 1849–1940) was a Bulgarian

Uniate The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous (''sui iuris'') particular churches of ...

priest.(Bulgarian
Istoricheski pregled, Bŭlgarsko istorichesko druzhestvo, Institut za istoria
''Bulgarian Academy of Sciences'' 1985: 41(7-12): 45, retrieved January 20, 2012

Biography

Shanov was born in

Kazanlak Kazanlak ( , known as Seuthopolis () in ancient times, is a List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, town in Stara Zagora Province, Bulgaria. It is located in the middle of the plain of the same name, at the foot of the Balkan Mountains, Balkan mo ...

on October 18, 1849. He received primary education there. At the age of 12, he began studying at the Uniate Gymnasium in

Edirne Edirne (; ), historically known as Orestias, Adrianople, is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the Edirne Province, province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, Edirne was the second c ...

. Shanov continued his education in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and in 1873 was ordained as a priest. Afterwards, Epiphany served in

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

, where he spent the next years of his life. After the recall of Lazar Mladenov on July 23, 1895, he became the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the

Bulgarian Uniat Church The Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church is a ''sui iuris'' ("autonomous") Eastern Catholic church based in Bulgaria. As a particular church of the Catholic Church, it is in full communion with the Holy See. The church's liturgical usage is that ...

in Macedonia and on September 8, 1895 in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

he was granted the title Livadian

and appointed as Apostolic vicar in Macedonia. Initially his office was in

Kilkis Kilkis () is a city in Central Macedonia, Greece. As of 2021 there were 24,130 people living in the city proper, 27,493 people living in the municipal unit, and 45,308 in the municipality of Kilkis. It is also the capital city of the regional un ...

. Bishop Epiphany Shanov supported the activities of the

Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO; ; ), was a secret revolutionary society founded in the Ottoman territories in Europe, that operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded in 1893 in Salonica, it initia ...

(IMRO). In 1903 in Macedonia, under his leadership, over 10,000 Uniates lived in 20 villages, 10 churches, 30 priests, including 13 boys' and 9 girls' schools. In 1909, Shanov resigned, but his resignation was not accepted by the

Apostolic Delegate An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...

. Shanov remained head of the Bulgarian Uniate Church during the

Balkan wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

. In 1913, Greek soldiers arrested him and he went into exile first to the island of

Naxos Naxos (; , ) is a Greek island belonging to the Cyclades island group. It is the largest island in the group. It was an important centre during the Bronze Age Cycladic Culture and in the Ancient Greek Archaic Period. The island is famous as ...

and then to

Trikeri Trikeri (, ''Tríkeri'') is a town and a former community in Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality South Pelion, of which it is a municipal unit. It lies at the westernmost point of th ...

, where he remained until the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

ended. Shanov was released in 1919 and retired to Kazanlak. In the late summer of 1921 he again asked the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

in Rome to be released from his duties as Bishop of the Thessaloniki diocese. The Pope accepted his request and he retired to Kazanlak, where he died in 1940.

References

External links

Католическа Апостолическа Екзархия София, Biography of Shanov on the webpage of the Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church (Bg.)
Bulgarian Eastern Catholic bishops Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church 20th-century Eastern Catholic bishops 19th-century Eastern Catholic bishops People from Kazanlak 1849 births 1940 deaths {{EasternCatholic-bishop-stub

Biography

See also

References

External links