Rafael Levaković (also Raphael Levacovich) O.F.M. ( – 1649) was a

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

prelate who served as

Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches. The website is not officially sanctioned by the Church. It is run as a private project by David M. Cheney in Ka ...

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved September 25, 2016"Archdiocese of Achrida (Ochrida)"
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''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 23, 2016"Titular Metropolitan See of Acrida"
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 14, 2016 and

Glagolitic The Glagolitic script (, , ''glagolitsa'') is the oldest known Slavic alphabet. It is generally agreed to have been created in the 9th century by Saint Cyril, a monk from Thessalonica. He and his brother Saint Methodius were sent by the Byzan ...

writer who set foundations for Slavic liturgy based on the

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

concept of the

Roman 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 ...

. Levaković actively worked on religious conversion of the Orthodox Serbs in Croatia.

Biography

Raphael Levacovich was born in

Jastrebarsko Jastrebarsko (; hu, Jaska), colloquially known as Jaska, is a town in Zagreb County, Croatia. History Antiquity In 1865, remnants of a Roman settlement were uncovered in Repišće, Klinča Sela, a village in Jastrebarsko metropolitan area. ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

in 1597 (some sources say 1607) and ordained a priest in the

Order of Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teac ...

Translation of the liturgical books

In 17th century Roman Catholic Church followed reformist example of the Protestantism and decided to publish liturgical books on language understandable for most South Slavs. This task was given to

Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

that engaged Levaković. Based on explicit instructions given directly by the Pope, Levaković's activities were supported by Metodije Terlecki. In 1628 Levaković published ''Nauk Krstjanski'' and in 1631 ''Misal''. In 1640

Benedikt Vinković Benedikt Benko Vinković ( lat, Benedictus II Vinkovich) (1581 – 2 December 1642) was a Croatian prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the bishop of Pécs (1630-1637) and the bishop of Zagreb (1637-1642). Early life Vinković w ...

, a Catholic bishop of the

Archdiocese of Zagreb The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zagreb ( hr, Zagrebačka nadbiskupija, la, Archidioecesis Zagrebiensis) is the central archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Croatia, centered in the capital city Zagreb. It is the metropolitan see of Croatia, an ...

, had intention to depose Maksim Predojević, Serb bishop of the Bishopric of Marča, and appoint Rafael Levaković instead.

Episcopate

On 27 May 1647, he was appointed during the papacy of

Pope Innocent X Pope Innocent X ( la, Innocentius X; it, Innocenzo X; 6 May 1574 – 7 January 1655), born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj (or Pamphili), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 September 1644 to his death in Januar ...

Archbishop of Achrida The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ohrid (also Archdiocese of Achrida, Archdiocese of Ochrida or Archdiocese of Acrida, Latin: ') was a Latin Catholic archdiocese, suppressed in the 1700s,Ohrid Ohrid ( mk, Охрид ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording a population of over 42,000 inh ...

. On 2 June 1647, he was consecrated bishop by

Pier Luigi Carafa Pier Luigi Carafa (Senior) (18 July 1581, Naples, Italy – 15 February 1655, Rome, during the conclave) was a cardinal of the Catholic Church, and a member of the Roman Curia.Cardinal-Priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti San Martino ai Monti, officially known as Santi Silvestro e Martino ai Monti ("Saints Sylvester & Martin in the Mountains"), is a minor basilica in Rome, Italy, in the Rione Monti neighbourhood. It is located near the edge of the Parco del Colle ...

, with

Ranuccio Scotti Douglas Ranuccio Scotti Douglas or Ranuzio Scotti Douglas (19 July 1597 – 10 May 1659) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Borgo San Donnino (1627–1650), ''(in Latin)'' Apostolic Nuncio to Switzerland (1630-1639), and Apostolic Nunc ...

Bishop of Borgo San Donnino The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fidenza ( la, Dioecesis Fidentina) in the Province of Parma, Italy, was until 1927 named the Diocese of Borgo San Donnino. It is now a suffragan of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Modena-Nonantola, though historicall ...

, and

Alessandro Vittrici Alessandro Vittrici (or Vittrice; died 5 October 1650) was a Roman art collector and Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Alatri (1632–1648) and as governor of Rome from 1647. ''(in Latin)''Bishop Emeritus of Alatri, serving as co-consecrators. He served as Archbishop of Achrida until his death in 1650.

Bibliography

Works of Rafael Levaković include: * ''Nauk karstjanski kratak'' (Glagolitic), (Rome, 1628) * ''Azbukividnik'' (1629, 1693), (Glagolitic, Latin script and

Cyrillic script The Cyrillic script ( ), Slavonic script or the Slavic script, is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking cou ...

) * ''Missal rimskij va ezik slovenskij'' (Rome, 1631) * ''Časoslov Rimski'' (1648) * ''De Illyrica lingua'' * ''Dialogus de antiquorum Illyricorum lingua'' * ''Historiola episcopatus ac dioecesis ecclesiae Zagrabiensis'' * ''De ecclesiae Zagrabiensis fundatione'' * ''De Spiritus Sancti processione'' * ''Ordo et series cleri Dioecesis Zagrabiensis 8. Martii 1574. in synodo'' * eleven letters to Zageb bishop

References

Sources