Original scientific paper
The Beginnings of Greek-Catholicism in Vrlika 1834 – 1844
Ivo Mišur
orcid.org/0000-0002-6044-8208
Abstract
This article is a continuation of the previous study of Injati – a short history of the Greek-Catholic parish of St Trinity in Vrlika, which was published in the journal Obnovljeni život (Renewed Life). In the beginning, the author delivers the historical development of European political events and their influence on the religious circumstances in Dalmatian Hinterland (Zagora). Austrian emperor Francis II was afraid of the Russian influence on the Orthodox believers in Dalmatian Hinterland, and therefore he financially supported this newly organized Greek-Catholic community in three villages in 1832. This community built its first two churches in the villages of Baljci and Kričke. Bishop of Križevci Gabrijel Smičiklas 1834 founded the Greek-Catholic parish of St Trinity in Vrlika, and in 1836he subjected this parish to the Dalmatian vicariate. Unfortunately, the first Greek-Catholic parson in Vrlika Pahomije Busović ran away to Civil Croatia after murdering Petar Krička. A number of the Greek-Catholic believers in Vrlika rapidly raised in 1835, during the priesthood of parson Dulikravić. In the archives of the Križevci Eparchy, there are lists of people who converted to Catholicism in March, April, and May 1835. At the beginning of March 1835 emperor, Francis II died, and consequently, the Greek Catholics lost their financial support. Simultaneously, Orthodox clergy started their counter-campaign to restore their influence, in which they have partly succeeded. Orthodox episcope Živković, through his connections, bribed the people of Vrlika to embrace Orthodoxy and convert. This practice, accompanied sometimes by some violence, continued in the following years. The creation of the parish and its following rapid increase was not accompanied by substantial infrastructural support. Namely, a Greek-Catholic parson lived as a subtenant, and the holy service was performed in the Roman-Catholic church of St Peter. Only in 1844, the parish church was finally built, and the parish apartment in 1852. The Parish of St Trinity in Vrlika is quite specific and its development is rather different from the fate of parishes in Kričke and Baljci. Namely, in Vrlika Greek Catholicism became firm in the times when Dalmatian Greek Catholics lost their state's financial support. Thus, their decision to stay in the Union with the Catholic Church depended only upon their firm will and truth religious feelings, since they did not have any other interest or support.
Keywords
Vrlika; Greek-Catholics; Križevci Eparchy; Dalmatian Hinterland
Hrčak ID:
217688
URI
Publication date:
20.6.2018.
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