Szeptycki family

Szeptycki (in Polish spelling; or Шептицькі (Sheptytsky) in Ukrainian spelling) was a major noble family in Ruthenia (Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, later Austria-Hungary, Poland and Ukraine). They used the Szeptycki coat of arms. The family was related to a number of other noble families, such as the Wiśniowiecki family, the Ledóchowski family and the Fredro family.^[1]

The family history dates to the 15th century in the Ruthenian Voivodeship of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, with a document from 1469, issued by King of Poland, Casimir Jagiellon, confirming the family's right to Szeptyce (today Sheptychi, Ukraine).^[1] Originally Eastern Orthodox, some time after 1596 the family joined the Greek Catholic Church following the Union of Brest.^[2] From the 16th century, the family's members started to acquire important offices in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, including ecclesiastical, with several advancing to the rank of a bishop in the Greek Catholic Church (bishop Barlaam Szeptycki (d. 1715) was originally a bishop of the Eastern Orthodox rite, before converting to the Greek rite;^[2]^[3] other Greek rite bishops in the family included Atanazy Antoni Szeptycki (d. 1746),^[3] Atanazy Andrzej Szeptycki (d.1779)^[4]^[5] and Leon Ludwik Szeptycki (d. 1779).^[3]).^[3]^[6] In 1772 the family received the count title from the Holy Roman Empire.^[1] Around that time some members of the increasingly polonized family also converted to the Roman Catholic faith, and one member of the family became a Roman Catholic bishop (Hieronim Szeptycki, d. 1773^[4]).^[1]^[6] Notable 20th-century members included the Austro-Hungarian and then Polish general Stanisław Szeptycki, and Ukrainian monk and blessed Klymentiy Sheptytsky and Metropolitan Archbishop Andrey Sheptytsky.^[1]

The family continues to be active, and has created a foundation (Fundacja Rodu Szeptyckich) in modern Poland.^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Romer, Marcin (15 October 2007). "Szeptyccy, Habsburgowie i inni" (PDF). Kurier Galicyjski. No. 5 (47). Retrieved 4 May 2015.
^ ^a ^b Piotr Szymon Łoś (January 2005). Szkice do portretu ziemian polskich XX wieku (in Polish). Rytm. p. 310. ISBN 978-83-7399-135-4.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Encyklopedja powszechna (in Polish). Orgelbranda. 1867. pp. 620–627.
^ ^a ^b Andrzej Szeptycki) (2000). Metropolita Andrzej Szeptycki: pisma wybrane. Znak. p. 15. ISBN 978-83-7006-867-7.
^ [http://www.ipsb.nina.gov.pl/a/biografia/andrzej-szeptycki-h-wlasnego Andrzej Szeptycki
^ ^a ^b Ziemianie polscy XX wieku (in Polish). DiG. 2006. p. 144. ISBN 9788371813207.
^ "SZEPTYCCY ZAPRASZAJĄ - Tygodnik Zamojski, Zamość, Biłgoraj, Tomaszów". Retrieved 4 May 2015.