Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky was born Count Roman Alexander Maria Sheptytsky. In 1900, he became the Metropolitan, i.e. the ranking hierarch of the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church. He remained at this post until his death on 1 November, 1944.

His life was an example of heroic virtue. An extremely active pastor, who used his personal wealth to fund thousands of philanthropic projects, he was also a man of deep prayer. A gifted preacher and prolific writer, he reached out to his people constantly, teaching uneducated peasants the basics of hygiene and agricultural techniques, and dialoguing with the intelligentsia among his own people and the cultured classes of all Europe.

Metropolitan Andrey led his flock of some five million faithful through two world wars. On his initiative in 1905, the Lviv National Museum and the Ukrainian university in Lviv in 1914 were established. He did a great impact into development of economy, health, agriculture and banking.

In 1933, as many other church representatives, he condemned the Holodomor in Ukraine.

He courageously saved many Jews from the Nazi regime during the Second World War.

His name has become a symbol of the Ukrainian Church, a symbol of spirituality of the nation, a symbol of national and spiritual unity of people. For each Ukrainian this extraordinary charismatic figure is an example to follow. His covenants - the doctrine of true faith and love of neighbor, conscious of Christianity and national patriotism - are wills for all ages, for all future generations.

We present

A documentary biopic about Andrey Sheptytsky «The Light of Truth» part one; part two.

Exhibition prepared by the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine.